Nelson High students headed to state drama competition

By Erin McGrath

Published: November 19, 2008

‘It’s new and it’s different and we’re taking a risk.’
— Diana Driver, drama teacher

Nelson County High School Advanced Drama students placed second in the Virginia High School League One Act Regional Play Competition on Nov. 15 for their rendition of the play “Of Widows and Vegetables.”

Twenty-two students were involved with the play and will now advance to the state competition on Dec. 2 in Charlottesville at the Martin Luther King Jr. Performance Space in Charlottesville High School at 2:45 p.m.

This is the fifth time in 12 years drama students have competed in the state competition, Nelson County High School drama teacher Diana Driver said.

Driver said “Of Widows and Vegetables” is a very stylized piece.

“It’s a commedia dell’arte, which is an Italian tradition where these masks are stock characters and Elizabeth Knight, the art teacher here, made these masks,” Driver said. “She’s been a miracle worker.”

Peter Coy, of the Earl Hamner Jr. Theater in Afton, helped the students with the classical piece.

“I feel like there will be some pretty strong performances,” Driver said about the students two days before the competition.

The theater department at Nelson County High School is also holding audtions all this week for the yearly musical, “The Wedding Singer.”

Auditions began Nov. 17 and will run until Thursday, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. each day. Callbacks will be Nov. 24 and the cast list will be announced on Nov. 25.

Driver said one of her freshman students saw the musical on Broadway and brought her back the soundtrack.

“The more I listen to it, the more I loved it,” Driver said. “It’s a new release this year. We’ve never done a new release and it’s a very expensive show to do because it’s a new release.”

“The Wedding Singer” musical is based on the 1998 film of the same name, which starred Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

“Hopefully it’ll be a big draw,” Driver said. “It’s new and it’s different and we’re taking a risk.”

The musical is set to debut on the Nelson County High School stage in March.