After performing the ancient Greek tragedy “Medea” at Bridgeport High School last week, the BHS Thespian Troupe 7549 took its one-act show to Saturday’s Region III Thespian Festival at North Marion High School, where it claimed first place. The show advances to the State Thespian Festival March 16-18 at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center.

 

“I have to give a shout out to my cast, crew and design team,” said Trina Byard, director. “All our hard work paid off. We created a beautiful piece of art.”

 

In addition to the show claiming top honors, Jordan Kennedy Rea was awarded best actress, Callia Byard and Kady Hayes were named to the All-Festival Cast and the Medea Choruses claimed honorable mention special recognition.

 

In addition to the one-act play, the troupe – under the direction of Jared St. Martin Brown - competed in individual and small group projects such as film making, costume construction and publicity.

 

Haylee Hickman and Derek Hess won second place for short film and Noah Hall won for superior publicity. BHS Thespian Troupe 7549 also garnered a first place for its canned food drive and second place in theater trivia.

 

“I am so proud to have to opportunity to work with and mentor such an amazingly, talented, group of hard working students,” Byard said.

 

She thanked troupe members for their time and effort and for proving for a third consecutive year that the arts are alive at BHS.

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St. Martin Brown said that BHS has thought about doing a Greek tragedy for quite some time and that the time was right, partially because of this year’s predominantly female troupe. The script utilized was adapted from the Greek play by Euripides, but adapted by a woman named Nelly E. Cuellar-Garcia.

 

“It’s a one-act version and she wanted to put a lot of things into the play about the life cycle of a woman – from youth to motherhood to old age – and to put all of Madea’s emotions into it - in the chorus,” St. Martin Brown said. “So it’s a mini-faceted display of Medea’s inner feelings about where she stands in the world.”

 

Several area adults volunteered time to help with character development, working one-on-one with student actors.

 

In the title role of Medea is Jordan Kennedy Rae with Megan Rinker as Medea’s chorus leader and Izzy Hawkinberry as savage chorus leader. Erica Cottrill plays the role of Medea’s savage chorus leader No. 2 with Caroline Fulks, Demi Dipazza and Jordon Jones in the savage chorus. Callia Byard plays the nurse and Haylee Hickman plays Glauce. Bekah James is the Greek chorus maiden and Kady Hayes the Greek chorus leader/mother. Michaela Hutchinson plays the Greek chorus crone with Derek Hess as Jason, Dalton Colton as King Aegeus and Corey Stephens as the soldier. Vincent Pinti serves as assistant director, Haylee Hickman as percussion designer/sound designer and Michaela Hutchison as lead hair/makeup/costume mistress.

 

BHS Thespian Troupe President Noah Hall and Historian Douglas Soule do not appear in the show, but the veteran actors work with technical aspects. Hall serves as stage manager and Soule, along with Ethan Willis, serve as the production crew.