There is so much tension in the air you could cut it with a knife, as the anticipation builds. All the hard work, and long hours have lead up to this moment. It is the Conference Championships for all the theater programs in the area.

Conference championships are about winning, but there more about, “becoming a better actor” said senior Sarah Kurian. She continued, “The feeling of crunch time…We had two months to throw it together, with only class time to practice. The last two weeks we met every minute we could…we put a lot of work into it.” Well, that hard work paid off in more than just a first place win.

Senior Jamison Delgado said that what she got most from the experience was the positive relationships with the actors; “The value came in working with scene partners…what they give and what they take…the rehearsal process also helped us win. I even learned a lot from G’s notes on our rehearsals.” Life experience that can’t be duplicated.

“After the performance was over, I knew we had this one. I felt it” said junior Lamont McDowell about the rush he felt right after Wakefield stepped off the stage at the Conference Championships. McDowell went on to say, “when they said Wakefield [won] everyone jumped up and screamed!”

For the first time in Mr. Gillespie’s memory, after going to Conference Championships four times previously, Wakefield finally received a first place win, when traditionally Marshall High School always gets first place.

According to junior Bryanna Jones, “Mr. G sat in his chair for a full minute, he was in such shock.” While everyone loved the show that they had come up with, they had never in a million years believed that they could beat Marshall.

The icing on the cake really comes from the fact that seniors Jamison Delgado and Angus Long got the All-star award, which is only given to the top eight actors in the conference and recognizes them for excellence in their individual performances.

The actors we spoke with were also sure to give a shout-out to Stage Manager, Evan Voldal. Angus long said, “he was the glue that kept us together… and he actually glued the set together.”

Come support Wakefield at Regionals at Marshall High School on February 4th.