Samo theatre to perform at regional drama competition

The Samo theatre department will perform at the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California (DTASC) competition for the first time in two years on Oct. 27.According to senior and Samo DTASC coordinator Raven Bennett, the event will feature monologues, scenes, musical theatre numbers and student-written plays from various high school drama programs across Southern California."This year, we just wanted to take Samo theatre to the next level," Bennett said. "Competing always adds some legitimacy to school events because it allows us to compare ourselves to other schools."According to Bennett, the DTASC competition, which will take place in Ferris, CA, is an opportunity to connect Samo to other schools and their theatre programs."[We did] not just want to have it on a local context but in a larger context," Bennett said. "This is an opportunity for us to connect to all the different schools and their drama programs in Southern California."The theatre department will decide which of the monologues, scenes, musical theatre numbers and student-written plays will be performed at DTASC at an in-school event in mid-October. According to Bennett, five teachers with experience in theatre, including English teachers Chon Lee and Berkeley Blatz, will select which acts will be performed at the final competition."DTASC is a bunch of theatre teachers that have gotten together to do this, so there will be a panel of judges," junior Arden Lassalle said.According to Bennett, Samo students can join the audience at the DTASC competition for a small fee. The DTASC promotes students to attend the event. The drama program wants to get many Samo students to attend the DTASC. According to theatre director Kate Soller, everybody involved with the drama program has been working hard to prepare for competition."[Theater members] come prepared every single day [and] students who aren't even in the class have gotten scripts together and started memorizing their lines, " Soller said. "We're only a month out and they've been working really hard."mytarr@thesamohi.com