One Act Play State Title "Icing on the Cake" for Christoval's Theatre Department

CHRISTOVAL, TX-- Any University Interscholastic League State Championship is special whether it is from an academic or athletic competition.

For those involved in theatre at Class 2A Christoval High School, their 2018 One Act Play State Title was the culmination of a growing department at the rural Tom Green County school.

"I don't know where to begin," theatre teacher Travis Harris said in a jubilant tone. "It's been a learning process, but I think we reached our goal. It didn't hit me until two days later."

Harris, who grew up in the small town of De Leon, took over the theatre department from Tamara Kelly the year after Christoval went to the Regional Meet. Christoval has been in the State Meet the past five years, finishing as close as first runner-up during the years prior to their title.

"I grew up in a small town," Harris said. "I grew up with students like mine. I'm very blessed Christoval hired me. It's amazing. These kids are my students, but they're also lifelong friends."

The cast members who performed scenes from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time came from all backgrounds and usually had other events going on such as DECA, cheerleading and even athletic practices which made practices for the play that much tougher to schedule and the win that much sweeter.

"There was a lot of hard work," said Christoval senior Gunnar Baker, a member of the school's basketball and tennis teams as well. "There were a lot of hours sacrificed."

The cast even had to sacrifice some of their weekends to prepare for the competition because of scheduling conflicts. "It was hard to get together," Baker said, "but it made is so much sweeter when we won."

Last year, Baker screamed when Christoval made it to state and found out that emotional response is "frowned upon" in theatre. 

"When you're an athlete, all you dream about is going to state," Baker emphasized before admitting that same mentality carried over on to the stage.

At the competition in Round Rock, the team found out they won and stayed composed while receiving their awards.

When they were on the bus, Harris told his students that all three judges voted them as the first place team.

"They lost it," Harris said of the kid's reactions. "I'm surprised the bus stayed upright."

"I was probably the loudest one," Baker laughed. "[Winning] was the icing on the cake for us seniors."

This state championship is the first of what Harris hopes to be many for Christoval High School.

"Back-to-back titles is our next goal," Harris said. "Our next challenge is going to be finding a play with a different style and theme."

With Harris' background in small communities, he says he's not going to make a move to a 5A or a 6A school anytime soon because of the community support.

"I have to thank our administration, our school, our community and the parents," Harris said. "This wouldn't have been possible without their support."

Christoval's Gherig Cortez won Best Actor for his portrayal of Ed while Josh Wilkins and Chloe Choate were named to the All-Star cast for their performance as Christopher and Judy.

The cast will perform their play one final time on Sunday, May 20, at 4 p.m. at Central High School. Tickets are $5.