Category Archives: Theater

Theater

Whirlwind

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First and foremost. WE WON! WE WON! WE WON! I cannot even believe it, the shock of it has not yet worn off, I still don’t think my mind has fully grasped the concept that WE WON! What did we win? The 2010 North Carolina State High School Play Festival Distinguished Play Award and the opportunity to perform at the South Eastern Theater Conference for a chance at the regional title.

Each year over 90 high schools from all over North Carolina put on 0ver 125 45 minuet plays at each of 8 regions. Charlotte Christian took home the big win at Grimmsley HS, Central Region Week 1, one of the most challenging regions, earning one of 16 spots at the state festival this past Thursday and Friday. We performed at 3:00 on Thursday rounding out the first block of shows and had the audience cheering on a drowsy afternoon. Literally the house was packed, I don’t think Greensboro College could have fit another person into that theater it was so full of people wanting to see the show, and they laughed at every word out of our mouths, it was astounding. The judges loved us, we were compared to Up, Spring Awakening, and The Wizard of Oz combined. That’s a nice way of saying “your show was frickn’ awesome!”

The good part about doing your show in block 1 is that you get to sit around during blocks 2-4 and just hang out! The team bonded during all the other shows (Spoon River) and had a fabulous time! I love NCTC. Each year it is the highlight of my year (except for last year when we lost at regionals) my favorite thing to do is to make predictions, I’m getting pretty good at it if I do say so myself, well my stats show I am! at regionals I got the top awards 100% correct and at state I did about 70% some people love my predictions trying to figure it all out is part of the fun, and others just hate it!

I love NCTC, I love everything about it: the stress, the problem solving, the rules, the shows, the competition, all of it, it is awesome. And now it is over. Forever.

It seem like time has been speeding by faster than if it were a fancy car on the autobahn. Where has it all gone? The first four months of my senior year? They were here for such brief moments and now they are gone. But it’s more than just senior year, it’s all these lasts, I hate it. Like friday night, was my last NCTC play festival. Ever. That is devastating.

I vividly remember my first NCTC festival, the show was Really Rosie. I was 12. It was a wonderful experience, we only stayed and watched a few show because we had to get back for a performance of the Hobbit that night we didn’t even get to go to the awards ceremony. As the years passed I went to more and more NCTC festivals ending up totaling 15 over my 7 years in attendance. Bringing 13 shows across the stage and winning numerous awards.

My freshman year we moved on to State, my sophomore year we did the same, following that up by taking the state title as well; and my senior year we also moved on to state and again took the coveted state title. It has been a blur of bliss- a life alterable chain of memories and stories which I would not trade for any amount of money. It blows my mind to think that out of my 4 years in high school my drama team has made it to state 3 years and to nationals 2 years. In the next few days I’m planning on going through all my old programs (I’ve saved them all) and doing a post about memorable performances. (e.g. Feeding the Moonfish)

I dont know what my fall will feel like next year without NCTC in it, much less without ACT 1 in it. There will most certainly be a piece of my heart which will always yearn to return to those long happy nights watching shows, loading in and out, staying up late in hotels playing card games, making predictions, and of course, performing.

Here is a list of all the NCTC shows I have been a part of over the past 7 years:

(Grade:Show,Role:NCTC Rating:Special Awards)

  • 6th Grade: Really Rosie, Neighborhood Kid: Good
  • 7th Grade: The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood, Merry Man: Superior
  • 7th Grade: All The World’s A Stage, Senile Grandfather: Excellent
  • 8th Grade: Garry Grinkles Battle with Wrinkles and Other Troubles in Mudgeville, Ensamble: Superior
  • 8th Grade: Bernice Bobs her Hair,Dreycott Deyo: Superior
  • 9th Grade: Merchant of Venice, Stage Manager: Superior
  • 9th Grade: By Grace, Stage Manager: Superior: Regional Distinguished Show
  • 10th Grade: So Help Me God, Student Technical Director: Superior: Regional Honorable Mention Distinguished Show
  • 10th Grade: As You Like It, Student Technical Director: Superior: Regional Distinguished Show, NCTC Distinguished Play 2008
  • 11th Grade: Mulan, Student Technical Director: Superior
  • 11th Grade: Twelfth Night, Student Technical Director: Superior
  • 12th Grade: Taming of the Shrew, Student Technical Director: Superior
  • 12th Grade: Into the Woods, Student Technical Director: Superior: Regional Distinguished Show, NCTC Distinguished Play 2010
Whitney Gray Photography ©

photo taken seconds after Charlotte Christian's 2010 production of Into The Woods was awarded the highest honor a North Carolina high school production can achieve: the Distinguished Play Award and and invitation to perform at the SETC festival. (photo © 2010 Whitney Gray Photography)

Party Time Lapse

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5:15 – The burgers were made, the plates were set, the Tony Awards viewing apparatus was set up, and I was all ready for the arrival of my guests. It was going to be a wonderful night.

5:30 – I was out in the yard changing some bulbs around the corner of the house when I heard a crack of lightning and a roll of thunder. Then the rain began, at forts it was a relif, a respit from a record breakingly hot and humid day. With the rain came wind, which was also a relif. At first. Then it began to rain harder and harder and the wind blew with vigor and fervor. Limbs of trees fell and cracked.

5:45 – thankfully the rain had lessened and the thunder and lightning had subsided, allowing me to be albe to cook the burgers I had slaves over. When all of a sudden it happened. To use the words on one Jonathan Larson in the hit musical RENT, “the power blows”

6:00 – The power still hasn’t returned and I’m starting to get worried that we will not be able to watch the awards. People begin to arrive.

6:30 – Everyone is here, and I begin to cook. The power still has not returned.

6:45 – Burgers are complete, dinner is underway.

7:30 – After dinner we decide to relocate the party to pete’s house, as his cable has returned.

7:58 – We settle down in Pete’s living room to watch the Tony Awards.

8:00 – The show begins!

Overall, it was an interesting night full of interesting happenings, i just hope the christmas one will go over a little better!

Shakespere in the Park 2010

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This is the first year it has not been a torrential downpour, yet we left anyhow… I’m not sure why I look so forward to the Shakespere on the green each year, but I do. It’s really fun, each year my friends and I gather to watch one of Shakespeare’s beloved comedies. This year it was “The Comedy of Errors” I, along with many others, have had a monolouge for Shakespere festival from this play, I find it really confusing, anyhow the same applied tonight, though it did not storm (we thought it might but it never did) we left at intermission to go on an ice creme adventure over to my favorite ice creme place in Charlotte “Elizabeth Creamery” if you have not been I encourage you to go. I tried a new flavor there tonight, it is called “Strawberry Cheesecake” it was delicatable. After that I drove Dani and Rachel home (to Blockbuster then home) and we laughed quite a bit. All in all quite an enjoyable evenig out on the town! If you were not you truly missed out!