Students stand in spotlight

Local student actors will have an opportunity today to compare their skills with theater students from across the state in the hopes of sealing an invitation to a national theater festival.

Guy B. Phillips Middle School is one of the hosts of this year’s Middle School Play Festival, an afternoon-long competition of one-act performances by middle school students, sponsored by the N.C. Theatre Conference.

Phillips’ eighth-grade advanced drama students will compete against about 400 students from 16 other state middle schools.

Six of the groups will compete at Phillips from noon to 6 p.m. today. Other competitors will compete at Gaston Day School in Gastonia today and Saturday.

Phillips drama teacher Robbie Nadas said her class will perform “Small Actors” by Stephen Gregg, one of three one-act performances it plans to put on at its spring show in April.

Nadas said the shows suit the talents and personalities of her students.

“They’re kind of wacky and really interesting,” she said of the acts.

The act students will perform today is about a girl who does not get the lead in her school play and lies to her parents about it, said student Erika Edwards, who is cast in that role.

“It’s a really good real-life piece,” she said. “It’s funny, but it also has serious parts that make you think about life.”

Terry Milner, executive director of the conference, said the competition allows participants to see how other theater students and teachers approach their performances.

“It almost always has the effect of making everybody better,” he said of the 21-year-old competition.

Students will be judged on acting, directing and technical achievement.

The winner will be invited to perform at the NCTC Stoneleaf Theatre Festival in Asheville, a 10-day performance festival featuring mostly professional theater companies that runs from May 27 to June 5.

Nadas said she has never entered a class in a theater competition before but is confident that her students will score well.

“I knew I had a group of kids that would be enthusiastic about doing this,” she said.

“I think we have a pretty good shot at winning,” boasted Ross Lamason, who plays the role of the father in Phillips’ production.

Even with the high stakes, Erika said, she is not nervous about the performance because the class has been rehearsing every day after school for about a month.

“It’s been a little stressful,” Ross said. “It really puts on a toll of getting home at 6:30 every night.”

But the actors agreed that their work is worth the effort.

“It’s really exciting to just be in the experience,” Erika said. “It really pumps you up to do a good job.”

Ross said the competition just gives him another opportunity to do what he loves.

“I like being up on stage,” he said. “It just sort of gives me a good feeling having all the lights on you.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.