By Ainsley Hall
HEDGESVILLE — Students with the Hedgesville High School Theater Department are preparing to go to the International Thespian Festival in June — the school’s first appearance since 2012.
Their performance of the play “The Yellow Boat” by David Saar earned them one of the top spots at the State Thespian Festival and gave them the opportunity to travel to Indiana later this year.
“The Yellow Boat” follows the story of a boy named Benjamin, who spends his life in and out of the hospital as he struggles with congenital hemophilia. Through his hardships, Benjamin continues to share his joy and courage with the people around him. The production uses colors and ribbons throughout the play to symbolize different things in the story.
This year is Kelli Cooper’s third year as Hedgesville High School’s theater teacher. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher, but it wasn’t until she got into theater that she realized she wanted to teach it herself.
Cooper is passionate about working with all the different students to put these performances together, but she was surprised to get this far.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” Cooper said. “As we were going through states, the feedback we got was overwhelmingly positive. When you go to a competition like this, it’s a huge undertaking, so you usually have to say on your application if you are interested in going to internationals or not.
“I wasn’t sure at first, because it takes a lot of money, but I decided to go for it, and we ended up getting first place,” Cooper said. “I’m so proud to see the students succeed.”
In addition to the ensemble going to the international competition, several students have individual projects that they will present. Seniors Payton Hill, Grace Cramer, Layla Morris and Isabelle Smith-Pounds will all have different projects that will compete — from sound design to costume design.
For these students and many others, theater has given them a safe place to go and form lasting friendships.
“Theater is just the right environment for me,” Morris said. “Before I joined, I did a lot of sports and other activities, but I found that in theater, everyone is a lot nicer. Of course, every group like this has its ups and downs, but overall, I found it to be more positive. I’ve made so many friends who are so impressive, and it’s great to be in the same environment as people who share the same passion as you.”
The students are all excited to travel to Indiana in June for the competition. Not only will they perform “The Yellow Boat,” but they will also have the chance to participate in workshops put together by professionals in the industry and see other performances from schools around the world.
The theater department is working on raising money to go to the competition. It is planning many different events, including movie nights and performances, so other students and community members can see the performance themselves.
To support the department, visit https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/stores/catalog/getproduct?requestAction