Texas state one-act play contest: See who's competing and when

Alex Driggars, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
·3 min read
In this 2022 file photo, Christoval High School's Beth McCann (background) plays Molly during a production of "Unexpected Tenderness" by the Christoval one-act play company, represented in the scene by Jayton Lee, left, Tatum Reeves, middle, and Benjamin McCann, right.
In this 2022 file photo, Christoval High School's Beth McCann (background) plays Molly during a production of "Unexpected Tenderness" by the Christoval one-act play company, represented in the scene by Jayton Lee, left, Tatum Reeves, middle, and Benjamin McCann, right.

Everything is a competition in Texas — even drama.

This week, 48 of the state's best public high school theater companies will descend on the capital to compete in the UIL One-Act Play State Meet, which runs May 13-18 in at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center.

Young thespians — up to 24 from each high school — have been working since winter to prepare a 40-minute play, which they will perform for a panel of judges. The judges will rank the eight plays from each classification and also name outstanding cast and crew members.

The companies advanced to state by placing high at zone, district, bi-district, area and regional contests against schools of similar size.

The competition begins Monday with Class 1A performances and concludes Saturday with Class 6A. Performance sessions begin at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. each day.

Below is a schedule for the contest. Competing schools are listed in performance order by classification, along with the title of their competition play.

1A | Monday, May 13

Session 1 — 3 p.m.

  • Oakwood — "Mockingbird"

  • Avery — Scenes from "The Voice of the Prairie"

  • Abbott — Scenes from "A Monster Calls"

  • Benjamin — Scenes from "The Ballad of Maria Marten"

Session 2 — 6:30 p.m.

  • Ackerly Sands — Scenes from "They Promised Her the Moon"

  • Roscoe Highland — "The Girl in the White Pinafore"

  • Bowie Gold-Burg — "Interview"

  • Guthrie — "The Beggar's Opera"

2A | Tuesday, May 14

Session 1 — 3 p.m.

  • Centerville — Scenes from "The Book of Everything"

  • Wellington — "All My Sons, Act II"

  • Hico — "The Girl in the White Pinafore"

  • Bogata Rivercrest — Scenes from "Unexpected Tenderness"

Session 2 — 6:30 p.m.

  • Saratoga West Hardin — Scenes from "Tracers"

  • Shiner — Scenes from "Silent Sky"

  • Gladewater Union Grove — Scenes from "The Rivers and Ravines"

  • Sudan — Scenes from "Shakespeare in Hollywood"

Jeron Robinson, left, and Natalee Sanchez perform in a 2022 production of "The Unreturning" in the Lubbock High Auditorium.
Jeron Robinson, left, and Natalee Sanchez perform in a 2022 production of "The Unreturning" in the Lubbock High Auditorium.

3A | Wednesday, May 15

Session 1 — 3 p.m.

  • Pharr Vanguard Rembrandt — "Tracks y Huellas"

  • Falfurrias — "Anna Mae"

  • Early — Scenes from "Silent Sky"

  • Shallowater — Scenes from "Collaborators"

Session 2 — 6:30 p.m.

  • Mt. Vernon — Scenes from "Ghetto"

  • Grapevine-Colleyville Collegiate Academy at Tarrant County College Northeast — Scenes from "Front"

  • White Oak —"The Women of Lockerbie"

  • Hempstead — Scenes from "Equus"

4A | Thursday, May 16

Session 1 — 3 p.m.

  • Brownsboro — Scenes from "A View from the Bridge"

  • Canyon Lake — Scenes from "Ripcord"

  • Canyon — Scenes from "Anatomy of Gray"

  • Salado — "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Session 2 — 6:30 p.m.

  • Anna — Scenes from "The Sweet Science of Bruising"

  • Marble Falls — Scenes from "The Caucasian Chalk Circle"

  • Zapata — "Blood Wedding / Bodas de Sangre"

  • Canyon Randall — Scenes from "The Book of Everything"

5A | Friday, May 17

Session 1 — 3 p.m.

  • Harlingen South — Scenes from "Machinal"

  • Brownsville Veterans Memorial — Scenes from "Con Mis Manos / With My Hands"

  • Frisco — "Antonio Lorenzo Vannozzo's Pinocchio"

  • Lubbock — Scenes from "Burying Your Brother in the Pavement"

Session 2 — 6:30 p.m.

  • Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill — "The Awakening of Spring"

  • Magnolia — Scenes from "Black Snow"

  • Melissa — Scenes from "This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing"

  • Aledo —Scenes from "Peter and the Starcatcher"

6A | Saturday, May 18

Session 1 — 3 p.m.

  • San Antonio Northside O'Connor — Scenes from "Amadeus"

  • Keller Central — Scenes from "The Corn is Green"

  • Houston Carver — Scenes from "To Be Young, Gifted and Black

  • Deer Park — Scenes from "The Ferryman"

Session 2 — 6:30 p.m.

  • Katy — Scenes from "Ghetto"

  • Harlingen — Scenes from "Big Love"

  • Arlington Martin — Scenes from "Equus"

  • Spring Westfield — Scenes from "Detroit '67"

How to get Texas state OAP tickets

The UIL Texas One-Act Play State Meet is open to the public. Tickets are available in advance online at www.uiltexas.org/theatre/state and at the door if they don't sell out ahead of time. They are $18 plus fees per session, and a separate ticket is required for each session.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas state one-act play contest: See schedule, who's competing