By Haley Yates
The Theatre Magnet competed in the district level UIL competition on March 28th, performing an original one-act play “Wunderland.” The group advanced to the bi-district level for the first time in 15 years where they performed the play again at John Horn High School in Mesquite.
“Wunderland” placed second in the judges’ rankings, and the following students won individual awards:
Honorable mention all-star cast—Chloe Clark-Soles as the Queen of Hearts; Nathan May as Jim Hawkins/the Mad Hatter
All-star cast winner —Kyla Burns as Alice
All-star technician award — Michelle Grace
“I’m incredibly honored by the effort the cast and other directors have put into the show,” theater director Cliff McClelland said. “It’s interesting to me that we competed with Highland Park ISD, which was in the news at the beginning of the year for banning books. It’s kind of ironic that we came in second, and they came in third.”
“Wunderland” is about the dangers of banning books, and in the play they burn many. It premiered in the fall in the auditorium, and the group decided to use the play for UIL.
“The cast was so amazing, and since this show was so dependent on the cohesiveness of the ensemble, everyone got really close and learned so much,” senior Chloe Clark-Soles said. “The process was amazing and the cast became so tight-knit.”