Education in Action: Drama Festival on KQCD-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader

Education in Action: Drama Festival |

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11/5/2009

They`re under the lights.

And in front of the crowds.

Thursday’s Region 8 Drama Contest gives high schoolers the chance to be on the big stage.

"I was a little intimidated at first," Des Lacs-Burlington junior Alexis Weiand said. "But then when we got going it was just like, `Oh, this is just like at home.` This is perfect."

Drama groups from Class B schools from the Magic City area descended on Minot State to compete with their peers.

And the students have built the performances from the ground up.

"They bring in one acts that they`ve been working on throughout the year," contest co-manager Aili Smith said.

Each play is judged by a three-person panel and the top two schools move on to a statewide contest.

But although the actors want to win, the event is really about the educational experience.

"They get to see the competition that`s out there," Smith said. "They can learn from how other actors and other directors view a play."

And each group`s own process of preparing a performance for the Aleshire Theatre stage also provides a chance for the students to grow.

Not only as actors...but also as people.

"It brought me out of my shell a little more," Weiand said. "I learned so much and I didn`t even know I was learning when I was doing it."

"I didn`t know anything before I got into this this year," Des Lacs-Burlingtom junior Josh Cooke said. "I`ve had a lot of fun and it`s a really great learning experience."

And the fun and excitement of the stage has really hooked these kids on the world of theatre.

"I wasn`t before," Weiland said. "But this play totally knocked me into it."

So the students say they`ll be back on the stage, learning more and more as they go.

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