The cast of PA’s Imperfect Proposal theater production competed at the Virginia Theater Association (VTA) State Competition, a gathering of middle and high school theater students from Virginia. From Oct. 22 to Oct. 26, students participated in various workshops and lessons aimed at improving their acting and directing skills. Each school was also given the opportunity to perform their own shows in front of a panel of judges and other theater peers.
Among the more than a thousand students attending the competition, two of PA’s actors from Imperfect Proposal won awards for their performance. Sophomores Abigail Williams and Jaxxon Frierson were two of the actors recognized as “All-Star Actors.” Frierson also tied for first place in the Monologue Competition.
Williams explained how shocked she was when she received the award. “I personally didn’t feel that I did that well, but that is how I always feel after a performance, always wanting to do better,” she said. “Knowing that the judges saw something in me was truly incredible.”
Imperfect Proposal is a bold and comedic show about young and old love, junior Morgan Busch describes. The show follows a young boyfriend trying to propose to his girlfriend as they walk through the park. Everything keeps going wrong, though, and all of these “funny and comedic elements kept coming in and messing everything up,” Busch says. The stage was divided into two sections, with an older couple adding their commentary as the young couple navigated their way through the park. “The show is really about being able to look back at young love versus old love and how different it is,” she said.
Performing at a state competition brings a different kind of energy, explained Williams, and the cast had to learn the best way to play the bold characters throughout the show. Williams played the character William, an nosy, grouchy man who loved his wife dearly. “He sometimes just didn’t show it in the best way,” laughs Williams. She described how the role was very different from anything she had ever performed before, and she was very happy to be recognized for such a unique role.
The audience was much larger than some of the cast was used to, and according to senior Gabriela Reyes, the number of people made the experience much more nerve racking. “I just tried to stay in the moment and relax, ” explained Reyes. I was nervous, but it was also very fun. We got a lot of laughs, which I am very happy about.” Reyes played a protest leader and a background dancer, both requiring her to be big and angry.
Williams added that the size of the audience helped energize their characters. “We heard a lot more audience reaction, and it was really exciting to feel that energy from the crowd and see those expressions.”
When the cast wasn’t performing their own show, they were allowed to explore different theater workshops or watch other schools perform their shows. Reyes was focused on attending workshops and learning as much as possible. She shared that her favorite workshop was the Latin-style dancing workshop. “I love learning more about my own culture in the dances, and I also enjoy seeing how it’s also used in big Broadway productions.” Other workshops included Acting Behind the Scenes and Stage Fighting.
As the theater class prepares to perform their next productions throughout the rest of the year, the actors are ready to use what they have learned at the competition in their PA productions. Both Reyes and Williams are planning to direct their own shows this year, and Williams shared that the competition helped her see different directors’ visions. She was able to recognize different shows and energies that she enjoyed and others that she didn’t enjoy.
From an actor’s standpoint, Reyes described how she gained more appreciation for the arts. “I saw how in-depth people were and how much effort people put into their performances,” she said. “I want to encapsulate that feeling, be the best I can be before I have to graduate.”
Busch played a supporting role as she was in charge of the costumes and spotlights for the show. She had never done spotlight before, so she was excited about learning something new. She also added how the whole experience was really cool because everyone there really enjoys what they are doing. “Everyone is so excited and so encouraging. It’s just a giant group of theater people doing what they love.”
