Three doors covered in photos stood center stage. The rest of the area was dark with only a spotlight on the center door. Each photo carried a story of a person who was loved. Who was missed.
Who were killed because of who they were and who they loved.
And then finally, the doors glided off stage and a lone woman stepped out, picking up the last photo, gazing at it lovingly before giving one last, strong look out at the audience before exiting as the lights went out.
The audience applauded. There were more than a few watery eyes. It’s likely more than a few were left pondering what they had just watched -- a grandmother having a heart-to-heart with a beloved grandson, who was beaten to death because he was gay.
This wasn’t a play performed on Broadway or at the Civic Center in Oklahoma City. It was “The Door,” aone-actperformed by McLoud High School at the OSSAA 5A Regionals at Bristow High School on Oct. 9. It left an impression that went beyond awards, even though senior Braydon White, who played the grandson, went home with an All-Star Cast award. While the high school didn’t progress to State, they moved the audience.
“I am sad we aren’t going to State, but I am so proud of the performance that the students produced,” Theatre Director Shonna Vandifort said. “We had spent a lot of time discussing the importance of the message that we wanted to leave with our audience, and that if we encouraged discussion and our audience was changed at the end,wewonnomatterwhat our place was at the end of the day.”
Vandivort said the day was full of amazing shows, andMcLoudheldtheirown against large schools with big casts and incredible set designs. They were within two points of qualifying for State. She said she couldn’t have asked for anything more from the students on and off stage.
“Braydon and Abree (Haney) are two incredibly talented actors, and they were supported by an equally talented crew,” Vandivort said.
Chandler High School also made an impression with their one-act, “In Darkness, Audio Flowers Bloom,” at the OSSAA 4A One-Act Regionals at Lincoln Christian High School on Oct. 11.
The group walked away with second place overall, second place in tech, and three All-Star Cast awards forBethanyDescher,James Kerr and Zeke Hicks. The school has had a strong year so far with the piece and will now compete with it at State on Nov. 4 at East Central University in Ada.
“Our performance at Regionals went very well,” said Director Inda Jo Conway.
She admitted that she was worried about how the judges would consider the design choices for the oneact -- schools are judged on technical components, along with acting and directing, which looks at lighting, sound, costumes and set.
“The schools that won first and third had large, colorful, movable set pieces for their comedic murder mysteries. Our quiet, dark drama, with a minimalist unit set, came in a strong second in both the Technical and Overall awards,” she said.
The play is set in a dystopian future, with messages of resistance and resilience. It showcases a group of teens eager to learn about music -- which has been banned -- and fight against the authoritarian regime in power that has killed and imprisoned people who long for expression through music.