Oakton High School’s production, “The Problem,” won first place Saturday in the Virginia High School League’s Northern Region competition for one-act plays.
The two roles in the play, played Kristin Prieur and Daniel Crabtree, also took best actor and best actress awards, giving Oakton a sweep in Saturday’s regional competition among eight district winners at Herndon High School.
After Marshall High School tied for first place, the four judges used points to resolve the tie.
On Mar. 1, both schools will compete for the state drama title in Charlottesville.
“The Problem” is the story of a husband and wife who resolve a series of problems with an explosive and comedic ending. Only two characters are on stage.
“This was a class assignment,” said Oakton drama coach Skip Bromley. “The students picked the shows before the winter break.
“They presented the plays, and the class voted. ‘The Problem’ won,” he said.
With only two roles, Bromley said, understudies were used to insure the play could go on. “We had four people memorizing lines, and a student director,” he said.
“Everybody else in the class was involved in the crewing of the show: lights, sound, makeup, and transporting the set. Everybody in the class was involved in the production of the show.
“We at Oakton pride ourselves in being a company,” Bromley said. “We don’t have stars here. We work as a company.”
Marshall performed "The Journey of the Fifth Horse," a 30-minute cutting from a three-hour play by Ronald Ribman. The play has 17 actors.
The other schools competing in the Northern District were Stuart, T.C. Williams, W. T. Woodson, West Potomac, Westfield, and Yorktown High Schools.