THREE-PEAT: WHS Drama Club wins third straight state title
December 12, 2019
WORLAND - For the third straight year and the fourth time in six years, the Worland High School Drama Club won the Class 3A State Sweepstakes Championship and hoisted the trophy around town on the Worland Fire Department ladder truck Monday morning.
The club won their third straight title by edging out Riverton (second) and Star Valley (third) at the Wyoming High School State Theater Festival in Laramie.
This year's festival sweepstakes championship was won more on the technical side than the acting side. Last year, coach and advisor Rick Dorn said, was won more from the acting side.
There are 21 events at festival that students and groups can be judged with a superior rating the top rating one can achieve. Dorn said when they went to the festival system students are no longer ranked first, second or third, but given ratings much like at music festivals.
For sweepstakes, the top scores in the top nine categories for a school are used in the team standings. For Worland those nine categories were costume design; the devised play "Hopelessly Politically Incorrect," group acting, varsity monologue, duet musical, group musical, solo musical, original one act and film.
"This was definitely a full team effort this year with tech over performing," Dorn said. "I was really impressed with how well they pulled together."
The team chemistry was a key to the win according to seniors Zoe Fernandez and Cody Butterfield. The said, "We worked together as a family." Fernandez added that while some of the events were individualized the group looked at everything as a team effort. Butterfield added people would help one another give advice and ideas on their projects.
Of the three state titles they have been a part of Fernandez said this year's means more because they didn't think they would win. For Butterfield, he said qualifying for nationals last year was more memorable.
This year's title though was a pleasant surprise for them with Fernandez noting, "We didn't realize it until our name was called." Butterfield added when Riverton was named second his thought was "we didn't even make the top 3," and then he realized what that actually meant if Riverton was second .... that they took first.
Dorn said every year it is interesting to see what the judges will do with different judges every year "you never know what they will like."
For example, he said, the devised play the club wrote earned third highest rubic score and counted as the play toward the sweepstakes/team scores. Tatum Zimmerman, Koby Tigner, Dash Lloyd and Jenna McIntosh received honorable mention.
However, the club's arena play, "Church and State," was ranked third in the state overall. Cody Butterfield and Jade Hefenieder received All-State honors and Zoe Fernandez received Honorable Mention.
Fernandez said she felt the judges liked the fact that the play was hard hitting, addressing the issues of religion and gun control with drama and humor. "That's the point of theater, to make the audience ask questions and we had the judges asking questions," Fernandez said.
Butterfield and Fernandez both said the small cast also helped as everyone worked well together and were comfortable working with one another.
Two of Worland's drama members earned perfect scores, Aspen Greek in acting and Tate Green in costume design. Julie Seidel in script had a top score. The three earned All-State recognition.
Dorn added that all nine seniors who competed at the festival auditioned or met with colleges and have or will be offered scholarships.
Fernandez said she has received an offer from the University of Northern Colorado and both she and Butterfield should be hearing about full-ride offers from other colleges in a few days.
Butterfield plans a double major in pre-law and theater, noting he loves theater. "I used to be an introvert," he said.
Fernandez also plans a double major in business administration and theater, looking to go into the business side of theater.
In addition to the team honors, several All-State honors and individual achievements were also won.
Other results were as follows:
In Novice Duet Acting, Allison McIntosh and Angie Lloyd received All-State recognition.
In Group Acting, "Words, Words, Words" with Lena Wiley, Zach Fernandez and Aubrey Avant received All-State honors. "Out West" with Abby Burgess, Raeth Tolman, Koby Tigner, Michael Neufer, and Guendylan Byrd also received All-State honors.
In Group Music, "Hello," with Nick Bower, Raeth Tolman, Koby Tigner, Michael Neufer, Dash Lloyd and Alec Beccaria received Honorable Mention.
In Solo Acting, Carmyn Buckman and Kadyn Riley received Honorable Mention, and Cody Butterfield and Zach Fernandez received All-State.
In Costume Construction, Jonathan Nicholas received Honorable Mention and Carter Brown received All-State.
In Costume Design, first year, Tate Green received All-State with a perfect score, and second year, Jessica Wilson received Honorable Mention.
In Realistic Make-Up, Jenna McIntosh received All-State honors in her fourth year.
In Fantasy Make-Up, in fourth year, Joelle Hill received Honorable Mention, and Elizabeth McIntosh and Aspen Greek received All-State honors. Greek had a perfect score for the second year.
In Set Design, second year, Allison McIntosh received All-State honors.
In Duet Acting, Cody Butterfield and Ari Nelson received Honorable Mention.
In Solo Music, Tatum Zimmerman received Honorable Mention and Raeth Tolman received All-State.
In Short Film, Avery Oberth received All-State honors.
In Stage Management, Zoe Fernandez received Honorable Mention.
Dorn noted that he has a strong nucleus returning for the 2020 season with an especially talented group of juniors and freshmen. He said freshman Zach Fernandez received All-State honors in monologue varsity and group act this year.
As an added bonus at the festival, Dorn said the Worland team was allowed to see some wonderful full shows produced by Laramie High School and the University of Wyoming, which was directed by Worland graduate Sariah Durrant.