Drama students compete at state: Participants earn recognition in multiple categories

The event featured 600 other students competing, taking workshops and performing for three days in Gillette. It’s the first time since 2019 that state drama has been in-person due to the Covid pandemic.

“My partner and I decided what we were going to do as far as the singing duet just a week or two before state,” freshman Maury Boswell said. “We spent the last week before state just 

practicing and practicing.”

It might not have seemed like the perfect method to prepare for such a big stage, but it seemed to work.

Boswell and duet partner Turbo Strunk were two of eight CHS drama students who qualified for nationals, and two of seven to receive honorable mentions for their efforts at the thespian festival.

“Last year we had two students qualify for nationals, the previous two years we had zero,” drama instructor Drew Murray said. “The drama club at CHS is really on an upward trajectory.”

Gordon Bender and Madeline Bender each earned All-State honors for their monologues, and honorable mention for musical solo.

Judges named Sara Murray All-State for varsity makeup. The senior also won honorable mentions for musical duet with Madeline Bender and monologue duet with Lindsey Zangarine.

Boswell and Strunk were named All-State for their monologue duet and honorable mention for musical duet.

“When you don’t know who the judges are going to be and their preferences are, it’s tough to know what to choose to perform,” Boswell said.” We chose ‘Suddenly, Seymour’ from ‘Little Shop of Horrors.’”

For Zangarine, the junior’s choices of “The Ballad of Jane Doe” from “Ride the Cyclone” as her solo, and “In His Eyes” from “Jekyll and Hyde” as musical duet with Haileigh Moore, both helped lead to All-State recognition.

“You don’t want to use a song that has been overused because the judges will have more to compare it to, but you want something you are good at and will impress the judges,” Zangarine said. “You always want to put yourself out there as if the judges are going to be your harshest critics, because someday they may be.”

The students knew what time and what room they would be performing in, but never knew which two judges they would be in front of.

“You didn’t know what they would be looking for,” Zangarine said. “Was it vocal range or just how you perform? It was nerve wracking and kind of a gamble.”

Workshops were spread out over the three-day festival as well, plus one-act plays and other less stressful activities than pouring their hearts and souls out in front of the judges.

“There was a meditation workshop, master classes and some other random workshops,” Boswell said. “There was a drag queen there, that was interesting, and there were a lot of dance classes. You could learn the dances to audition for musicals.”

The competitive side wasn’t just on stage, but behind the scenes as well.

“This is my first time doing anything state-related, so it was a lot fun,” said Samuel Haberstroh, who garnered All-State honors in novice lighting design. “Basically, what I had to do was create a lighting diagram of the stage I would be working with and create a light scene for the show.”

Students then had to explain to the judges what those design decisions were, why they made those choices, give a brief overview of the scene and explain why they chose it.

“I mostly got my ideas from personal experience,” the senior said. “I have done some work at the Wynona in multiple shows, and kind of kept a collection in the back of my mind of what things should look like.”

That community theatre experience seemed to translate seamlessly to a successful introduction to the high school competition.

“I was urged to give acting a try as well in community theatre and I actually did like it. It’s a whole different experience and mind set,” Haberstroh said. “I am glad I could combine all of those experiences doing sound, lighting, backstage stuff and acting so I can say I’ve done everything and I think it all came together at state.”

Next year could be even bigger for a blossoming drama department with a better idea of what the state festival is all about, and finally getting the opportunity to experience that live, in-person interaction with the judges and hundreds of their peers.

“We have Drew Murray who is a vocal coach, really knows what she is doing and knows a lot,” Boswell said. “Next year I suggest everyone makes sure they know what they want to do well in advance before state. If you don’t, it can get a little messy.”

All-State:

Lindsey Zangarine – musical solo 

Samuel Haberstroh – novice lighting design 

Sara Murray – varsity makeup 

Maury Boswell and Turbo Strunk – duet 

Gordon Bender – monologue 

Madeline Bender – monologue 

Lindsey Zangarine and Haileigh Moore – musical duet 

Honorable Mentions: 

Gordon Bender – musical solo 

Seamus Hopkins – musical solo

Madeline Bender – musical solo 

Lindsey Zangarine and Sara Murray – duet 

Turbo Strunk – monologue 

Turbo Strunk and Maury Boswell – musical duet 

Sara Murray and Madeline Bender – musical duet