On April 25, an AHS team of seven students and their director, Logan Carter, went to the Western Confluence One-Act Festival, where students performed in front of a panel of professional judges and their peers. AHS brought seven students to Parachute, and took home the award for “Best Director.”

Logan Carter and her acting students were invited for the second year by Glenwood and Grand Valley High School to join. They started the Western Confluence One Act Competition because they wanted a chance for Western Slope theatre students to come together, celebrate acting and compete with their peers, while getting professional feedback from the judges.

“I decided to take my Acting for Stage and Film students, because I realized that my acting students would benefit tremendously from an opportunity to perform so they could put the skills they are learning in class to the test,” Carter said. She added that it was a great experience to be judged by the theater community and watch the other acts, whether they were student or teacher directed.

“Watching the other acts just shows how much work and passion that each actor puts into their character,” sophomore David Parada said.

Their act took four weeks of preparing. The students constantly rehearsed their lines and gave different layers to their characters to round the edges for this special day. This built a strong relationship between the students, and many could see their characters already developing.

“It was a great experience; I got close to people, and built new relationships. It built my confidence with public speaking,” junior Katia Garcia said.

They were disappointed that thanks to the new schedule, the Acting and Film class would not be offered next year.

“You get to know people in the class, and from different schools. It allows you to practice public speaking and memorization along with putting yourself out there,” freshman Emma Ellis said.

Nerves were a huge challenge for these students and for Logan. For most of them, it was their first performance, and they were unsure about their acting and public speaking skills.

“I could tell they really cared because they were really nervous,” Carter said. “However, having nerves before you perform can be a good thing. It helped give them that adrenaline rush and energy that is often needed for a successful performance.” It was a big leap for the group, regardless of experience levels.

The AHS Theater students plan to host the event in the District Theater next year, and will be inviting schools from all over the Western Slope. Logan Carter and her students encourage the community to attend their performance of their one-act play “Selfie”, at Evening of the Arts on Wed., May 11th, at 5pm in the Black Box.