Drama team excels at festival

A group of students from Russellville Middle School proved this weekend that being young doesn’t mean you can’t be talented.

The RMS Drama Troupe competed at the Alabama State Thespian Festival at Randolph High School in Huntsville, which was a three-day conference full of competition, workshops and fun.

RMS Drama director Patrice Smith said her students were the only middle school group in the state to participate, which meant they faced some pretty stiff competition, but that didn’t slow these 13 and 14 year olds down.

“We had several students to place and that’s just an amazing accomplishment since they were competing against high school students who were older and had more experience,” Smith said. “The students competing at this competition are the best of the best, and our kids showed they could get in there and slug it out right with the rest of them.”

The RMS Drama Troupe’s troupe display earned first place in the state thanks to the hard work by team leader Kira Morrow and team members Jake Williams, Madison Thompson, Liza Richey, Hannah Grace Thomason and Blaze Bishop.

Smith said Morrow’s creativity was what allowed the display to shine among displays from several larger high schools.

“This is my first year to be in drama and I wanted to do something that I liked and that I was good at,” Morrow said. “I like to scrapbook so I figured I would enjoy designing the troupe display.”

Smith said the troupe display competition is where the students create a display that shows what the students have accomplished as a drama troupe.

“It is a visual representation of what all we have gained and how far we’ve come,” Smith said. “Our display included things like pictures from shows, props and make-up we’ve used.”

Morrow said she had planned to do a smaller display since this was her first year, but it just kept growing.

“My mom and Mrs. Smith helped me a lot with getting all the things I needed to create the display,” Morrow said. “My mom and I probably went to the store eight or nine times to get supplies. I also worked after school several times with group members and stayed up late to get everything done in time.”

Morrow said she knew she and her team had worked hard but she also knew there would be many bigger schools competing for the top spot in troupe display, so she wasn’t expecting to win.

“I was so shocked that we got first place,” Morrow said. “When they called out the third place winner, I just knew we wouldn’t be getting anything because I didn’t think we’d place higher than that. But then they called our name for first place and I just couldn’t believe it. I was so excited.”

Other RMS Drama students who stood out amongst their talented peers were Madison Thompson who received an excellent rating and placed second in the state for her theater marketing design; Blaze Bishop who received an excellent rating for her costume design; Taylor Hollimon and Liza Richey who received a superior rating for their duet musical theater performance; Brooklyn Hall, Savannah Mills and Liza Richey who all received superior ratings for their solo musical theater performance; and Liza Richey who received a superior rating for her solo acting performance.

Mills, an eighth grader who starred in the drama troupe’s production of “Annie” last year, said she enjoyed the experience even though it took a lot of time to prepare.

“I had to practice so much to make sure I was hitting all my notes, that I had the correct diction and that I was acting out the song in the proper way it was supposed to be portrayed,” Mills said. “But the experience was helpful because it showed me what kind of songs people who are judging these competitions are looking for and it gave me a chance to see some other really good performances.

“I want to continue participating in musical theater in the future, so this competition was a big help in getting me prepared for that.”

Mills added that she was thankful her school offered a drama program so she could participate in an extracurricular activity that she enjoyed.

“Drama and chorus programs are just as important to us as sports teams are to other people,” Mills said. “They allow us to show our talents, perform and have fun, but they also help us learn important lessons.”

Hall, who is a well-know local performer, said there is much to be learned from being a part of drama and participating in musical theater.

“Being a part of this organization and participating in competitions like this can help you build confidence,” Hall said. “I love to be on stage and to sing and it’s encouraging when people clap and cheer for you. That’s why I encourage other kids to sing. It’s just a great experience.”

Smith said in addition to the competition, her students were able to participate in workshops for technical elements like set design and costume design and in performing elements like African dancing and acting.

“By participating in this event, these students have learned so many things that they would have never learned otherwise,” Smith said. “They are prepared in so many different areas and that will help them in the future when we compete in competitions again.”

Smith said the accomplishments her students made just goes to show the level of talent available at RMS.

“This was really a daunting task to prepare for this competition because I didn’t know how our kids would be received,” Smith said. “I know how talented they are, but I didn’t know if the judges would just write them off because they would be the youngest ones at the competition, but their level of talent couldn’t be ignored.

“They are not scared to try or do anything and that showed. They have all worked so hard and I am beyond proud of them.”

Because of their superior ratings at the state level, Smith said Hall, Hollimon, Mills and Richey all qualified to participate in the International Thespian Festival this June in Lincoln, Neb., where they would compete against the best singers and actors from all over the world.

“So much time and preparation went into the things these kids have accomplished and I couldn’t have done it without their dedication, the dedication of their parents, the help of the choral director, Emily Rush, and our principal, Mr. (Frankie) Hammock.

“Drama and chorus really go hand-in-hand so Mrs. Rush and I basically co-teach. She played a big part in getting our musical theater students prepared for this competition. And it has been a dream of Mr. Hammock’s to see these kids compete at the biggest drama competition in the state.

“Even though I’m the director, it’s not about me at all. It’s a group effort to receive these kinds of achievements that our students received this weekend. They represented Russellville Middle School well.”