playbill vip

“It’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.” - Bessie

In May of 2012 I sat in the Bass Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Texas watching the State One Act Play contest. I sat in my seat waiting for the first show to start. The curtain raised and lights came up on three bathtubs, but there was complete silence. I thought there must be something wrong until suddenly I heard the gasps of three young women as they sat up out of the tubs and began to tell their story. It took no more than those gasps for me to know I needed to produce the show.

Since that day, “The Drowning Girls” has sat on my shelf, constantly whispering “is it time yet?” In May of 2024 I began putting together binders of scripts for our One Act Play selection committee to read and consider for this year. As I pulled script after script, I heard that faint whisper again and this time I answered back “yes.”

Our journey began in November, when amidst musical and Varsity class play rehearsals, we carved out a couple of days to hold auditions. It was stressful but I left auditions excited for things to come. Upon returning from the holiday break, we immediately jumped into one act with our retreat. Watching these kids learn and grow while also bonding with each other was a joy. So many of our amazing parents opened their homes to us and our little one act family began to form and grow in the living rooms and back yards of our families.

From human “Hungry hungry hippos,” rehearsal in a swimming pool, and capture the flag to sink or swim rehearsals, testing out water filled bathtubs, and competing at the Area level, this journey has been one filled with joy.

Our cast and crew is a young one, both in age and experience, and to be honest I started this process thinking it would be a rebuilding year, and we would just do our best. I love when I am wrong. The maturity these students brought into their work was mind blowing. Seeing them grow their talents has been a joy but watching them mature as humans has been a pleasure.

I started this note with one of Bessie’s lines from the show “It’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.” I shared this same line with our heartbroken company when we arrived back at school after being named the alternate to region. I feel like it sums up the entire process of one act… we pour our hearts and souls into a show; we experience so much joy and love and then in the blink of an eye it is over. It hurts, it is painful, but there would be no hurt or pain without love. Tonight, we celebrate this beautiful show with hearts filled with joy and memories. It will hurt for a short while, but the love we experienced will last a lifetime.

So now we invite you to sit back and watch this beautiful story in which our cast and crew will give voices back to those who had them taken away from them. These kids are amazing, so prepare yourself… They will take your breath away.