32 schools, hundreds of students, Samo emerges victorious. On Nov. 9 Calliope Kirschbaum (’28), Sage Moore (’28), Alexandra Ornelas (’28) and Lea Zakharia (’28) took first place in the Female-Centric category at the Drama Teachers’ Association of Southern California (DTASC) Festival. Each of the four girls feels especially proud of their performance of “Dance Nation” by Claire Barron.

Since the age of six Kirschbaum has been passionate about musical theatre. She has performed in a multitude of musicals at her middle school, Santa Monica Playhouse and Santa Monica's Morgan Wixson Theatre. The opportunity to act in “Dance Nation” was her first non-musical performance. The experience has made her eager to pursue more of these straight-acting roles as she grows as an actress. Feeling accomplished of the work she did relating to her character and of the dedication and collective effort of the group, Kirchbaum reflects on their win.

“I’m so incredibly proud of all of us and all the work that we did, I cannot believe we won!” said Kirchbaum.

Entertaining a multitude of audiences in a diverse range of performances, Moore has also been acting since childhood. She has appeared in commercials, films, short films and musicals including many at her middle school. Preparing for and performing “Dance Nation” has taught her new ways to approach a script and a role. Enthusiastic to take on future characters, Moore thinks on how this experience is motivating her.

“We didn’t know what to expect, but we had created such a bond that when we won it was like wow, this is something bigger than we thought it could be,” said Moore. “It was really rewarding because it confirmed that our hard work had paid off and we are where we should be.”

For Ornelas what started as a hobby, acting in her school musicals, is beginning to shape her as a person and her high school years. Seeing her peers get involved in larger acting roles inspired her to immerse herself more deeply into acting. Participating in a scene with a main role in DTASC gave her the opportunity to come out of her shell and fully commit to her character. She feels extremely validated to be selected for DTASC and win the honors that she did, as her growth as an actress is certainly showcased by it.

“I’ve realized that when I’m on the stage I’m the happiest. Acting and this opportunity has really shown me how to present myself, put myself out there and has made me so much more confident” said Ornelas.

This accomplishment has also deeply strengthened Zakharia’s confidence. Acting since a very young age, she has always been drawn to the performing arts and has appeared in several short films. Zakharia fully embraced her character, spending hours of practice memorizing lines, understanding her character's relationships with others and figuring out what she was feeling and thinking in each scene.

“I want to go more into acting and I’m hoping to become an actor someday, so this is really a milestone, it's a big thing to win so I’m very happy” said Zakharia.

Another key part that contributed to the group’s win was the support they received for their performance from their director and acting coach for the scene, Gina Oster. Oster gave the group significant room to grow when preparing for their performance. She assisted them in blocking and directing scenes and finding their characters. Additionally teaching them along the way about DTASC and the performance they were going into, so in the future, they would be able to take even more responsibility in directing their scene. Each girl felt that Oster created a welcoming, warm and comfortable environment for them to get out of their comfort zones and perform to their greatest potential.

For their impressive performance, they have been awarded the DTASC Scholarship. All four girls will represent DTASC, performing “Dance Nation” at the California State Capitol on March 12, 2025. There they will promote the arts by performing their scene to legislatures. As Samo’s first win of this honor, this great accomplishment highlights the exceptional talent, passion and dedication of Samo’s drama students.

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