“Mississippi does great theatre!” That’s the motto for the Mississippi Theatre Association, and Brandon High School fulfills that mantra. From January 11th through the 14th, Brandon’s Theatre department presented two shows at the Mississippi Theatre Association (MTA) competition.
Their first entry into the competition was their children’s theatre show directed by student Omar Albatnigi. This show was called “Fairy Tale Raps” and was an exciting way to share children’s stories with elementary students. MTA rewarded each show from the children’s play festival with two all-star cast members. Anton Taylor and Conner Gann received this honor for their stellar performances in Children’s Theatre. Tristan Alexander also received a judge’s award for best hype man!
BHS also performed a second show in the Secondary One Act Festival. This show, “A Monster Calls,” was the competitive theatre class’s second time performing at a competition. Every time our theatre department gets to perform at competition, they get the opportunity to see professional facilities. These opportunities help our department to learn and grow for years to come. While the show did not advance to the National Competition, the group did their best and had two all-star cast members: Jonah Wade (playing the role of Harry) and Carsen Flowers (playing the role of mom).
Beyond the One Act entries, several students competed in Individual Events (IE). Individual Events allow students to shine in their area of expertise. Brandon showed out through these events with third place winners, Carsen Flowers and Cara Gray, in musical duet, and a first place winner, Carsen Flowers, in musical solo.
We are proud of our Brandon High School Theatre Department and cannot wait to see what they do next! We can not end this special story without spotlighting one more person.
While at this competition, BHS Theatre’s fearless leader, Mr. Lunsford, was awarded a special certificate. Mr. Lunsford won the “Yes And” award! This award came to be after Mr. Lunsford taught an improv workshop to over 100 students at one time. On the morning of his workshop day, one of the other workshop leaders had an emergency and could not teach their workshop. In light of this, Ms. Juniper Wallace, interim president of the Mississippi Theatre Association, turned to none other than Mr. Lunsford to bring calm to the situation. Mr. Lunsford taught two rounds of his workshop to 5 times as many students than he had initially planned. Because of this situation and Mr. Lunsford’s award, we get the chance to brag about him and all he has done for Brandon Theatre!
From your students to Mr. Lunsford: “We love you and are so thankful for the opportunities you have given us and how you always bring calm to the chaos!”
In addition to the Competitive Theatre Class’s MTA performance, the students also performed their “Seven Scenes of Something Special” as a fundraiser for their future performances. At this performance, the students divided into seven groups of two to perform student directed duet scenes. Throughout the night, audience members were encouraged to vote on their favorite duo of the night by putting money into the cup of their favorite one. At the end of the night, Hannah Ansley and Celeste Williams were crowned as the night’s Fan Favorites. The audience left delighted after a night of tears, laughter, and fun! Congratulations on a fantastic performance!
What’s next?
Brandon High School’s theatre department is proud to announce their upcoming performance of A Soldier’s Play featuring their newly formed Black Theatre Ensemble- the Ubora Company. Join us as BHS theatre immerses you in the stories that formed the Black History that February honors. More information to follow!
