Photo by Camden Staton
By Camden Staton
Contributing writer
The competitive drama club at James River High School has been earnestly practicing over the past few weeks to get ready to host the Virginia High School League one-act play competition sub-regions on their own home stage. Sharon Keith, who has been the drama coach at the school for the past nine years, is very eager to present to the public what her kids have been working on.
Keith’s involvement in community theatre started at an early age. “I always loved acting, but it was when my son got a role in an Attic Productions play that inspired me to give young teens the same sense of joy from theatre I got.” She went on to say that she finds joy in teaching children from different backgrounds to appreciate acting.
The club’s play this year is “Epic Fail” by Bradly Howard. “It’s a comedy about the things teenagers have to face and deal with every day,” Keith explained. It features everything from a nervous teen learning how to drive to a vending machine full of bickering snacks. “It’s the right level of funny, yet still gives us the chance to act,” Mac Seebo, president of the Drama Club, explained. “We really get to figure out our characters and jump into their skin.”
In the past, sub-regions were hosted at Radford High School. Over time a desire for a change in location emerged, which lead to the opportunity for James River to host this year’s competition. “We’ll have the home stage advantage,” Keith raved. “When you go to another school you just aren’t as familiar with the stage size; same goes for the lighting and sound booth design.”
The Drama Club also has the honor of hosting one of the biggest sub-regions yet. This year the size of the field has gone up by one school. Drama clubs from Radford, Floyd, and Alleghany will be coming to James River to illustrate their abilities on the stage. Due to the fact that there are four schools competing this year instead of just three, the stakes are even higher for Keith and her students.
The kids seem to flow naturally upon the stage as they do run through after run through. “I knew they would be amazing with this play,” Keith gushed. “They all fit so well within comedy.”
While watching Keith, it’s easy to gather that she loves her job and loves her students even more. “It’s hard to put into words exactly why I love this group of kids so much. They’re a family. They lift each other up and they genuinely enjoy being around one another. They’ve brought this play together beautifully,” she said.
With only a week left until their competition, the Drama Club is placing the finishing touches on the production. “Even with it coming down to crunch time, everyone still has such good energy,” Seebo noted. “Every day isn’t the best, but we’re all here for the same purpose… acting like dweebs on stage.”
The James River High School Drama Club will perform its play on October 29 in the school auditorium. Performances start at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. The winning team will progress to regionals.
