Thursday, May 6, 2010

Arts Reporting: Austin High Red Dragon Players, Robert Faires, Austin Chronicle, May 6

Robert Faires sketches the Red Dragon Players' reach for another honor in the state-wide UIL One Act Play contest:

Red Dragon  Players Austin High SchoolUIL State One-Act Play Contest

Red Dragon redux


Here's the score: Star player who helped lead the high school team to a state championship last year is on track for a repeat. Now, this isn't a sports story (or even an episode of
Friday Night Lights), but it has all the intensity and even more of the drama – because it's the University Interscholastic League State One-Act Play contest. The school is Austin High, and its theatre program is on par with those Texas high school pigskin dynasties. Over the 17 years it's been headed by Billy Dragoo (most of that time with his wife, Annie), the Red Dragon Players have achieved national recognition – Disney approached them about field-testing its stage adaptation of High School Musical – and made the One-Act Play State finals in the 5A division now three years running. In 2009, the school's staging of Over the River and Through the Woods, co-directed by Tommy Grubbs, snagged Austin High its first state championship since 1931, and now the school has another shot at the title with the Craig Lucas comedy Reckless, which advanced from Region to State on April 23. Out in front of this effort is junior Haleigh Holt, who was named Best Actress at last year's State competition and whose turn as flighty housewife Rachel has already been recognized with Best Actress honors at the Area and Region levels and All-Star Cast honors at District and Zone. Want to cheer on these hometown thespians in their bid for a second consecutive state title? They'll perform Reckless in Session II of the 5A competition, Saturday, May 8, 7:30pm, in Bass Concert Hall, 23rd Street & Robert Dedman Drive. For more information, visit www.uil.utexas.edu/academics/drama.


Read more at the Austin Chronicle. . . .

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