Concordia High School takes Class B One Act state crown
The one act team at Concordia High School has added another trophy to the school’s trophy case, as they claimed the 2019 Class B One Act State Championship on Dec. 13.
Concordia selected “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare as their performance this year. Eighteen students were casted in the show, with 20 other students being selected to help on the crew behind-the-scenes. While Shakespeare’s works have been known to be rather difficult to perform, the one act team was determined to perform the show.
“We just had the cast for it, a smart group of people who were able to tackle it,” Taylor Srygly, a senior and four-year one act veteran, said. “I was a little hesitant, but Will (Cook) has been able to understand and read Shakespeare during classes. It turned out to be a lot easier when I started to read over it more and actually became the character. The big challenge was if the audience would be able to understand it, in such a short time.”
“A lot of it was like any other show: memorize the lines and go over them again and again,” Will Cook, another senior and three-year one act performer, said. “However, understanding the lines was a big issue for some of the actors. When you have a script early on, it’s hard to read the script while trying to also act it out; that extra step was part of the challenge. Overall though, I think it was fun and we all appreciated the challenge.”
On Dec. 2, Concordia won the B-2 District competition, held at Midland University, with a total of 174 points. The Mustangs received top honors and the chance to win it all by clinching a spot in the state competition. Concordia’s one act team won the B-2 district over North Bend Central, Bennington, Wahoo, Arlington, Omaha Skutt Catholic and DC West. Nine students (Carter Bautch, Will Cook, Mack Ridder, Ethan Nemec, Ella Klepser, Kim Christensen, Sam Eesley, Madeline Hansen and Taylor Srygley) were recognized with Outstanding Performance Awards at districts.
“The energy in the green room before our district show was the best I had felt in four years,” Srygly said. “I think it was just a testament to the community that was built over the season. We felt ready to go at that point; in that moment, we were ready and excited and it was nice to feel that, rather than anxiety.”
“I was nervous, but I just remembered that this was sort of a higher stakes situation than in previous years, because this was the seniors’ last chance to win big, and this seemed like the right time to prove ourselves. I felt that we were a strong class, and I wanted to be able to show that at districts,” Cook said.
According to one act coach Mr. Chase Winter, although some new schools had entered the B-2 district, his team remained calm and collected.
“A couple teams had left and new ones came into the district, and with that, there were some challenges because we weren’t as familiar with their style or what they were doing,” Winter said. “But as we approached districts, we dived in with optimism, knowing that we had a great show, and if we could perform ours as great as we could, it’ll all work out great; we just wanted another trip to state.”
After winning districts and having nine students honored with Outstanding Performance Awards, Concordia then traveled to Norfolk on Dec. 13 to act in their final performance of the year at the State Championship within the Johnny Carson Theatre. Class B had six teams total compete, with York beginning the day at 2:15 p.m., followed by Columbus Lakeview, Minden, Omaha Gross Catholic, Concordia and Ogallala.
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Pressure was one of the factors that brought any sort of concern to Srygly, as state was the highest point Concordia could reach, and although a lot of new students participated in one act this year, Srygly and the team wanted to keep pushing forward and show their worth to the crowd. On Cook’s side, his only concern involved logistical and mechanical issues. Concordia usually practiced their show in smaller rooms; but at the Johnny Carson Theatre, the stage was larger and wider than what the team was used to. Cook and the team constantly thought about where curtains needed to be placed and where walls needed to be, in order to make the set and show run smoothly.
The one act team was the second-to-last school in Class B to perform on Friday to round out the state’s one act season. Their performance began at 5:15 p.m., and the team only had to wait about an hour to find out that they were bringing the gold back home.
“I was just so shocked and so, so happy; I’ve never felt more proud of a cast and show than this year’s group,” Srygly said. “All the work that we had put into this season, it really shone through, and we knew that we really did deserve first place. It was a great experience to be able to share with all of your best friends.”
“It was fun to be able to run up on stage with everyone and just hug each other after hearing the results,” Cook said. “Being able to watch everyone walk up and receive their medal was awesome, and knowing that each person helped and contributed to this win.”
Along with the team, Winter was very pleased to see his hard-working team of students earn their biggest prize.
“I was tremendously overjoyed and surprised; I am so grateful because I wanted this for the team, and I know they wanted it just as badly,” Winter said. “Having them be able to see their hard work pay off was the greatest thing to close the season. For the past couple years, we had received third and second place, so we knew there was only one way to top second place. It’s just a testament to what they can do when they put their minds and skills together.”
Not only did the team win the state title together, Taylor Srygly and Will Cook both were recognized as the Best Actor and Best Actress throughout all of Class B. Srygly said that the honor hasn’t fully sunk in yet for her.
“I think I’ve watched that moment so many times that I’ve lost count,” Srygly said. “I’ve always wanted this award, ever since I knew one act was a thing. Personally though, I didn’t think state was my best performance this year, so I was very shocked to hear both my name and Will’s name called for the awards. That moment, I think, has to be my best moment of high school.”
“I honestly didn’t even think about it that hard. I was just excited and overwhelmed; it was crazy,” Cook said. “All my work that I’ve had in these past three yearshad finally paid off, and I felt good about where I ended up. It was also nice to see others recognize my work as well. And when they had called Taylor’s name after me, I flipped out, it was all just crazy.”
With the season finished and a first place trophy collected, Winter said that although he will be losing the talented senior class, he is looking forward to continuing the one act tradition and legacy into the future.
“I’m so thankful for this senior class, as they were able to help everyone out and they were able to put on this great show,” Winter said. “By performing such a show, students were able to come watch and realize that maybe they want to try out competitive one act production. The seniors’ leadership and example is bringing others to the program, and they want to be able to tell a story and entertain others, and that’s what we’re here to do: to glorify God with a good show and to entertain a crowd.”
For both Srygly and Cook, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was the perfect bow to wrap up their high school one act careers.
“I am very thankful to be a part of this team and to know that others can recognize our work that we have put into the show,” Srygly said. “The strongest sense of pride that I have felt this year was being able to act as a senior leader that could help everyone out, and to see everyone improve over the season and to see their hard work pay off in the end, is very gratifying.”
“I feel very accomplished; this was a great conclusion,” Cook said. “With the new students who have never done one act, it was fun to be with them and experience this season with them. It made me feel good about them and how far they have come, and what they can grow into in the future.”
This year’s performance is now the 7th appearance that Concordia has qualified for at the state championship level. The school claimed the Class B runners-up position in 2018, while they received third place in both 2017 and 2016; Concordia also qualified for Class B in 2013 and 2012, while appearing in 2009 in Class C1. In 2016, Clare Fiore was the only Concordia one act student who had received an Outstanding Performance at state, before Srygley and Cook were recognized in 2019.
