Adjudicators for Area One-Act Play Contest

Eric Porter
Houston, Educator,College Faculty/Staff
Mr. Porter has been a professional actor for more than 25 years (Actor's Equity Association Member) and has worked at such theaters as The Cleveland PlayHouse, PCPA Theaterfest, Utah Shakespeare Festival, ACT and four shows in NYC. He holds an MFA in Acting from The American Conservatory Theater, and a BFA from University of Texas at Austin. He has taught public school in Texas for 20 years, directing One-Act Plays, conducting Uil clinics and coaching speech; competed at the State level several times in the One-Act Play contest (1st runner up in 2000/ with Best Actress and Samuel French winner) and TFA (with State Champions in Duet Acting, Humorous Interp and National Champions in Dramatic Interp.) Mr. Porter currently teaches Dual Credit Theater at Challenge Early College High School and Acting and Intro to Theater at Houston Community College . He has been connected to UIL since working in the UIL library and running the state OAP contest in college with Lynn Murray.

Michelle Howard-Schwind
Waxahachie, University of North Texas, College Faculty/Staff
Michelle Howard-Schwind has been involved with UIL One-Act Play at every level from student to director and assistant state contest manager. Dr. Howard-Schwind absolutely believes in the positive educational value of the experience of OAP. Michelle taught high school theatre for nine years before becoming a school administrator, college professor and moved to the "dark side" as a central office administrator. She has a BFA in Acting from UT Austin, an M.Ed from UTA, and a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas. Students and directors have spent time, love and energy on their work and should be recognized for their commitment to create quality theatre.

Trip Langley
Elysian Fields, Independent/SAG-AFTRA & AEA actor
Trip is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he performed in over 30 college productions, on Off-Off Broadway, and in countless film projects as a theatre major and production minor. His other training includes the Tony-winning Atlantic Theater Company and Trinity College in Dublin, as well as sitcom training with Brad Garrett of "Everybody Loves Raymond." He also performed an original play as part of several drug rehab programs. Currently working in New York City and Los Angeles, he is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association with professional credits including the current season of "Magnum P.I.", the feature "Nearly Married" with Matt Dallas, "General Hospital" and OAP favorite The Foreigner. He is co-creator, co-producer, co-writer and lead actor of the award-winning transpLAnts at YouTube.com/transpLAntsweb. Trip credits his career path with the foundation set by his time as an award-winning student in the One-Act Play program and therefore finds the OAP institution has the greatest value when it focuses on the students' education and artistic growth. He looks for work that possesses the fullest commitment to the material.