In the entire State of Texas, there are only eight 5A schools left in the UIL one-act contest, and Temple is one of those elite eight. The year started with 260 schools. The team advanced from regional competition to the state meet on Friday, April 13, 2018 in Pasadena with their play, On The Verge. 

The 5A state contest will be Tuesday, April 24, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Round Rock Performing Arts Center, 5800 McNeil Dr, Austin TX 78729. Eight schools will be competing for the State Championship. Temple performs around 6:15 p.m. This is the 7th time in school history that Temple has been to the state finals, having won the State Championship in 2007 and 2016. In fact, Temple has been to state three of the last four years. State meet judges include Kelsey Kling, Perry Crafton, and Robin Robinson.

At the regional contest, Sierra Amalbert and Adara Felix were named to the all-star cast, Grace Mellette and Gabriel Salazar were named to the honorable mention all-star cast, and Rebecca Alley was chosen for the all-star tech crew.

At state, the eight plays are divided into two sessions with four plays in each session (see schedule below). You have to buy tickets for each session separately. Tickets cost $14 for adults and $12 for students and will go on sale at 2:30 p.m. at the box office in Round Rock. Cash sales only (no checks or credit cards).

CLICK HERE to view a Facebook photo album of the 2018 One-Act Contests.
CLICK HERE for the Information Page which contains cast, production staff and artwork

CLICK HERE for a Special Parent Information Page

Brave, willing and yearning to see it all, three American women explorers (Sierra Amalbert, Adara Felix and Grace Mellette) begin their trek to Terra Incognita in 1888, taking them through darkest Africa, across highest Himalaya, only to discover they are adrift in time. Our heroines navigate through uncharted territory populated with pop culture and possibilities. Part Twilight Zone, part Back to the Future, this is a witty and whimsical safari through place and time.

The three ladies encounter several diverse beings on their travels through time and to different locations. These characters include Alphonse (Gabriel Salazar) who knows a smattering of German and has an accent to match; The Gorge Troll (Anthony Williamson) who is looking for a toll; The Yeti (D'Andre Wright); Gus (Seth Little). a fresh-faced American teenager with boundless energy; and Madame Nhu (Genevieve Myers), a psychic of sorts.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE for the State Championship Contest
Tuesday, April 24 at the Round Rock Performing Arts Center
    (Times are approximate. Tickets must be purchased separately for each session — cash only)
First Session
    4:00 p.m. Canyon: Randall HS, sf After Juliet
    4:45 p.m. Lindale HS, sf Anna Karenina
    5:30 p.m. Waxahachie HS, sf The Curious Incident of theDog in the Night-Time
    6:15 p.m. Temple HS, sf On the Verge or the Geography of Yearning
Second Session
    7:30 p.m. Austin HS, sf The Last Night of Ballyhoo
    8:15 p.m. Tuloso-Midway HS, Corpus Christi, sf Moon Over Buffalo
    9:00 p.m. Prosper HS, sf The Trojan Women
    9:45 p.m. Richland HS, North Richland Hills (Birdville ISD),
                       sf Nevermore! Edgar Allan Poe, The Final Mystery
After final show, judge's ballots will be tabulated and results announced 

Temple High's one-act play (On the Verge) advanced from area to region during the UIL 5A one-act contest at Waco University High on March 28. At the regional level, only 24 high schools remain in the annual UIL contest for the 5A classification — and Temple is one of those 24. The regional contest will be Friday, April 13 at San Jacinto College Central, 8060 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, TX 77505.

Brave, willing and yearning to see it all, three American women explorers (Grace Mellette, Adara Felix and Sierra Amalbert) begin their trek to Terra Incognita in 1888, taking them through darkest Africa, across highest Himalaya, only to discover they are adrift in time. Our heroines navigate through uncharted territory populated with pop culture and possibility. Part Twilight Zone, part Back to the Future, this is a witty and whimsical safari through place and time.

The three ladies encounter several diverse beings on their travels, which include different times (from the late 19th century to 1955) as well as different locations. These characters include Alphonse (Gabriel Salazar) who knows a smattering of German and has an accent to match; The Gorge Troll (Anthony Williamson) who is looking for a toll; The Yeti (D'Andre Wright); Gus (Seth Little). a fresh-faced American teenager with boundless energy; and Madame Nhu (Genevieve Myers), a psychic of sorts.

Temple will perform 5th out of the six schools (around 5:20 p.m.) Two of the six schools will advance to the final contest — the Elite Eight at the state finals. Advancing with Temple from the area contest were Lindale High (Anna Karenina) and Whitehouse High (Dancing at Lughnasa). All three advancing schools came from the same bi-district contest (17-5A and 18-5A). Judges for the regional contest will be Missey Head, Kelly Parker and Mandy Epley.

At the area contest, Grace Mellette and Adara Felix were named to the All-Star Cast. Allison Quiroz was named to the Area All-Star Tech Crew.

Here is the approximate schedule for the regional contest, but times can vary depending on length of each show and if the contest is running on time.
    2:00 p.m. Elkins High (Missouri City, Fort Bend ISD), Shipwrecked!
    2:50 p.m. Lindale High,  Anna Karenina
    3:40 p.m. Shadow Creek High (Pearland, Alvin ISD), Wit
    4:30 p.m. Barbers Hill High (Mont Belvieu), Blood Wedding
    5:20 p.m. Temple High, On the Verge
    6:10 p.m., Whitehouse High, Dancing at Lughnasa

Admission is $10 per person. The contest is in the Richard S. Slocomb Fine Arts Building Auditorium. CLICK HERE for a zoomable campus map. On the map, the auditorium is Building #12. Attendees should park in Student Parking in Parking Lot P4.

CLICK HERE to view a Facebook photo album of the 2018 One-Act Contests.

CLICK HERE for the Information Page which contains cast and production staff listings.

Here is an article by Mariel Williams that appeared in the Temple Daily Telegram on April 12, 2018:

These are photos from the Area Contest:

Temple theatre student Grace Mellette was named District Champion in the UIL Prose Interpretation contest held March 29 in Waco. Sereniti Patterson was named third-place finisher in prose. Sierra Amalbert was named second place in the district in Poetry Interpretation. Adara Felix (poetry) and D'Andre Wright (prose) were both named Alternates in the contests, The regional contest will be Saturday, April 14, at Magnolia High School.

From left: D'Andre Wright, Gabriel Salazar, Adara Felix, Grace Mellette, Sierra Amalbert and Sereniti Patterson.

Seven Temple High theatre students have advanced to the UIL State Theatrical Design. Results will be announced Thursday, April 26 at the Round Rock ISD Performing Arts Center. The students' work will on display during the state one-act play finals contest. Theatrical design critiques and master classes will be from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The awards ceremony will be at 3 p.m. (Times have been updated.) Temple competes in Division 2, which includes 5A and 6A schools.

Named State Finalists for costume design were Rebecca Alley and *Morgan Madsen. Hair and Make-Up Finalists included Olivia Cabrera. Marketing Finalists were Gabriel Salazar and Joseph Espinoza. Set Design Finalists included Bianca Gutierrez and *Isabel Poehlmann. (*Honorable mention entries.)

Last year, Temple won the State Championship in Hair and Make-Up Design and the group entry placed 5th in the state.

Temple's one-act play, On the Verge, advanced to the area contest (along with Lindale High, Anna Karenina, and Whitehouse High, Dancing at Lughnasa) at the bi-district contest held Thursday, March 22 at Waco University High. The annual contest started with over 250 schools in the 5A classification — there are now only 48 schools across Texas remaining in this single-elimination tournament.

Adara Felix was named Best Actress in District 17-5A and 18-5A. Grace Mellette and Sierra Amalbert were named to the All-Star Cast. Gabriel Salazar and Anthony Williamson were named to the Honorable Mention All-Star Cast. Ricardo Fontanez received an award for being the Outstanding Technician. Temple won more individual acting awards than any other school in the contest.

The next level in the UIL contest (Area) returns to Waco University High on Wednesday, March 28 with back-to-back performances beginning at 1:30 p.m. Admission is $10 per person. Temple will be performing 5th out of the six schools, which should be around 4:50 p.m. Adjudicators will include David Crawford, Eric Vera and Rachel Mattox. Contest manager will be Larry Carpenter. Three of the six schools will advance to the regional contest, which will be April 12 and 13 in Pasadena.

Here is the approximate schedule, but times can vary depending on length of each show and if the contest is running on time.
    1:30 p.m. East View High (Georgetown), Silent Sky
    2:20 p.m. Lindale High,  Anna Karenina
    3:10 p.m. Magnolia High, Oliver Twist
    4:00 p.m. Rouse High (Leander), Inherit the Wind
    4:50 p.m. Temple High, On the Verge
    5:40 p.m. Whitehouse High, Dancing at Lughnasa

University High School is located at 3201 South New Road, Waco, TX 76706. From Temple, take Interstate 35 towards Waco. Take Exit 331 (New Road) and turn right onto New Road. After about one-half mile, turn right onto Old Robinson Road. The entrance to the auditorium parking lot is around 100 yards down, on the right.

Bi-District Co-Champions

The next level in the annual UIL One-Act Play Contest will be Bi-District (17-5A and 18-5A) on Thursday, March 22, at Waco University High School Auditorium. There is no charge for admission. Shows run back-to-back, beginning at 12 Noon. Audience members may enter and exit the auditorium only between shows. Temple performs around 2:30 p.m.

PLEASE NOTE Event Times were changed on March 13th.

Each team has up to 7 minutes to set-up, up to 40 minutes to perform and up to 7 minutes to clear the stage. Violating any time limit can result in disqualification. Adjudicators will be Jerry Ayers (acting awards judge), Erik Skiles and Norma Burks. Contest manager is Aimee Kasprzyk.

Here is the approximate schedule, but times can vary depending on length of each show.
    12 Noon Bryan High, The Last Lifeboat
    12:50 p.m. Lindale High, Anna Karenina
    1:40 p.m. Corsicana High, To See the Stars
    2:30 p.m. Temple High, On the Verge
    3:20 p.m. Whitehouse High, Dancing at Lughnasa
    4:10 p.m. Bryan Rudder High, Silent Sky

University High School is located at 3201 South New Road, Waco, TX 76706. From Temple, take Interstate 35 towards Waco. Take Exit 331 (New Road) and turn right onto New Road. After about one-half mile, turn right onto Old Robinson Road. The entrance to the auditorium parking lot is around 100 yards down, on the right.

Temple's One-Act Play, On the Verge, advanced to bi-district during the district contest held on Friday, March 10 at Temple High School. Also advancing were Bryan High (The Last Lifeboat) and Bryan Rudder (Silent Sky).

All three of Temple's world explorers (Grace Mellette, Adara Felix and Sierra Amalbert) were named to the All-Star Cast. Gabriel Salazar, who plays Alphonse, was named to the Honorable Mention All-Star Cast. Callie Ortega was named to the All-Star Tech Crew. 

The bi-district contest will be Thursday, March 22, at University High in Waco.

Pictured above (from left): Adara Felix (all-star cast), Sierra Amalbart (all-star cast), Grace Mellette (all-star cast), Gabriel Salazar (honorable mention all-star cast), Callie Ortega (all-star crew), and Directors Connie Gilseth, Carlen Gilseth, Kayla Stewart, Natasha Tolleson.

Temple High Thespians will host the District 18-5A UIL One-Act Play Contest on Friday. March 9, with performances beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium. There is no charge for admission.

Temple has been a UIL district co-champion for the past 25 years in a row. No other UIL team at Temple High holds such a record.

Performances run back-to-back, so the starting times may vary.
   (1) 4:30 College Station High, "Violet Sharp,"
   (2) 5:20 Temple High, "On the Verge,"
   (3) 6:10 Waco High, "Ago,"
   (4) 7:00 A&M Consolidated High, "Mother Courage and Her Children,"
   (5) 7:50 Bryan Rudder, "Silent Sky,"
   (6) 8:40 Waco University High, "Picnic," and
   (7) 9:30 Bryan High. "The Last Lifeboat."
Audience members may enter and exit only between performances.

Judges for the event include Susan Loughran, Michael Harlan and Lara Haddock. Three of the seven competing schools will advance to the bi-district contest in Waco on March 22. Contest manager is Ryan Beimer.

In Temple's entry, On the Verge, world explorers Mary (Grace Mellette), Fanny (Adara Felix) and Alexandra (Sierra Amalbert) band together to conquer Terra Incognita, the last and most mysterious of unexplored territories. As they bushwhack their way through jungles, brave treacherous ice sheets, and negotiate passage across a bottomless Gorge, the ladies reminisce about their past adventures and sort out their personality differences.

The three ladies encounter several diverse beings on their travels, which include different times (from the late 19th century to 1955) as well as different locations. These characters include Alphonse (Gabriel Salazar) who knows a smattering of German and has an accent to match; The Gorge Troll (Anthony Williamson) who is looking for a toll; The Yeti (D'Andre Wright); Gus (Seth Little). a fresh-faced American teenager with boundless energy; and Madame Nhu (Genevieve Myers), a psychic of sorts.

Members of the 2018 Temple High UIL One-Act Play Team