The White Oak High School Theatre Department is proud to announce it’s 2024 entry in the Texas UIL One-Act Play Contest: Deborah Brevoort’s THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE!  The play is built around a historical event, the Pan Am 103 disaster, which took place over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, and explores how an American family, as well as the Scottish citizens there on that fateful night, are dealing with the tragedy. The story, ultimately, explores the healing process, and how love can overcome hatred. White Oak’s production advanced from the district contest and will now be competing at the Bi-district meet coming up on Monday, April 1st, at Hallsville High School. The contest begins at 10:30 am and will feature (6) plays competing for a chance to move on to the Area round. Admission is $3. White Oak will be the 5th school to perform, and should take the stage around 2:00-2:15. 

At our district competition, the following students were honored with individual awards: Stage manager Jack Allen was recognized with an All-Star Tech award. Eliana Johns and Lucas Watson were named to the All-Star Cast, and Rilee Brittain won a Best Performer award.

The 2023-24 fall semester brought on the excitement of another new year of storytelling. And there is no better place to begin than William Gibson’s American theatre classic…the story of Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller: THE MIRACLE WORKER! The play was presented on December 7th, 8th, and 9th and received wonderful reviews as it brought the audience laughter, inspiration, and tears of joy. The company included Rilee Brittain, Kenna Stewart, Seth Anderson, Eliana Johns, Lucas Watson, Brandi Odoms, Shawn Richardson, Holly Whitley, Kinzlee Clower, Addi Morris, Claira Burkett, Ali Pendleton, Cooper Tucker, Julia Lawrence, Mykey Feldhauser, Vivian Scurlock, Connor Hidalgo, and Lana Higginbotham.

The WOHS fall play, John Patrick’s THE CURIOUS SAVAGE, will be presented by Roughneck Theatre Company on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 10th-12th. It will be in the WOHS Auditorium beginning at 7:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 and tickets will be sold at the door. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Don’t miss out on this heartwarming story. Its John Patrick’s THE CURIOUS SAVAGE, presented by the White Oak High School Theatre Department. For more information, email Rick Higginbotham at [email protected]. Or call 903-291-2097. Come join us for a delightful evening of storytelling!

S T A T E   C H A M P I O N S!!!!!!

White Oak High School is the 2022 Class 3A UIL One-Act Play STATE CHAMPION! Roughneck Theatre Company brought home TEXAS GOLD with it’s production of Lauren Gunderson’s “THE BOOK OF WILL! ” What a finish to a wonderful year! After a 2nd place finish at state in 2018, and a return trip in 2021, White Oak made history with its very first one-act play state championship! It was a magical night at Austin ISD’s Performing Arts Center on May 7th as a dream came true for each company member in a journey that began with auditions back in December. Brayden Kesler and Maleigh Feldhauser won Honorable Mention All-Star Cast medals and Ethan Grammer took All-Star Cast honors. Both cast and crew saved the best for last. It was an inspired performance that enchanted and captivated the state audience, and left an impression that will be remembered always.

CONGRATULATIONS to the following company members: Rilee Brittain, Carley King, Maleigh Feldhayser, Bailey Brondum, Alli Good, Lucas Watson, Eliana Johns, Kenna Stewart, Cheyene Wiley, Kiah Coomes, Ethan Grammer, Chloe Williams, Seth Anderson, Brayden Kesler, Levi Wright, Jack Allen, Lauryn Odoms, and Jackson Thorp! Each of them will soon be wearing state championship rings, too!

Congratulations to our incredible company, to principal Donna Jennings, superintendent Brian Gray, assistant superintendent Mitzi Neely, Dana Mizell, Roger Jones, our incredible administration, the WOISD school board, and the White Oak community for making this possible. We could not have done it without you!

White Oak High School and “The Book of Will”

2022 CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONS!!!!

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ONE ACT PLAY ADVANCES TO THE STATE FINALS!

Congratulations to the company members of THE BOOK OF WILL as they are headed to the STATE FINALS! After advancing from District, Bi-district, Area and Regional contests, they have now become one of only 8 Class 3A plays in the state of Texas to reach the finals! State competition will be held on Saturday, May 7th, at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, in Austin. There are (2) sessions that day (3:00pm and 6:30pm). White Oak will be the 1st play in the 2nd session. That puts our performance time right at 6:30. Tickets must be purchased online at the link posted below. They are about $20 per session and there will be four plays in each of the two sessions. WELL DONE….AND…BREAK-A-LEG AT STATE!

https://www.uiltexas.org/theatre/state

Follow our State adventures on Twitter. Our address is @wotheatre1. White Oak Theatre Company.

Individual honors received…..

District…River Wiley earned a Crew award for her work as stage manager. Braydon Kesler won Honorable Mention All-Star Cast. Maleigh Feldhauser and Bailey Brondum were named to the All-Star Cast. And Ethan Grammer won a Best Performer award.

Bi-district…Chloe Williams was honored with a Crew award for her work on the lights. Maleigh Feldhauser won Honorable Mention All-Star Cast, while Ethan Grammer and Bailey Brondum took home All-Star Cast honors. And Brayden Kesler won a Best Performer award.

Area contest…Lauryn Odoms received a Crew award for her technical work with the play’s sound. Brayden Kesler and Lucas Watson were named Honorable Mention All-Star Cast. Maleigh Feldhauser was named to the All-Star Cast, while Ethan Grammer and Bailey Brondum won both Best Performer awards.

Regional Contest…Cheyene Wiley and  Chloe Williams reecieved All-Star Tech awards, Brayden Kesler and Rilee Brittain were named Honorable Mention All-Star Cast, Bailey Brondum and Kiah Coomes received All-Star Cast honors, and Ethan Grammer took a Best Performer award. 

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Our 2022 UIL one-act play, THE BOOK OF WILL by Lauren Gunderson, is currently in rehearsal as we prepare feverishly for our competitions. We have a talented group of young theatre artists who have created something magical in this comedy/drama about William Shakespeare’s two friends, John Heminges and Henry Condell, who are responsible for gathering Shakespeare’s works into the First Folio, published in 1623, seven years after his death. Without their efforts, there’s a very good likelihood that Shakespeare would be minor character in some history book….and he would most certainly not be the most performed playwright in our world today.

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CONGRATULATIONS to the new company members of the WOHS 2022 UIL One-Act Play, Lauren Gunderson’s THE BOOK OF WILL!

Ready for some sidesplitting, laugh-filled theatre???

Not since Steel Magnolias has a more colorful and dysfunctional group of Southern eccentrics gathered below the Mason-Dixon line. When the patriarch of the Turpin family keels over dead in the first scene, the struggle to get him buried involves the whole clan, including the not-so-grieving widow who wants to put “Mean and Surly” on the tombstone. “If you were amused by the kind of bucolic mayhem of…GREATER TUNA, this more ambitious trip down a rustic main street could be just your dish of cola.” —NY Post. “DEARLY DEPARTED is drop dead funny.” —NY Daily News.

Join Roughneck Theatre Company for it 2021 fall play, David Bottrell and Jessie Jones’ hilarious comedy DEARLY DEPARTED. The run opens on Thursday, November 11th at 7:30pm in C. C. Simmons Auditorium on the White Oak High School campus. Additional performances will be held on Saturday, November 13th at 2:00 pm and 7:30pm. The closing performance will be on Sunday, November 14th at 2:00pm. For more information, call 903-291-2097. Join us for the FUN!

One-Act Play Advances to the STATE FINALS!!!! 

Congratulations, once again, on an amazing finish to a very challenging year, where the WOHS Theatre Department refused to the let the pandemic get in the way of stage success! That was never more evident than when the company members of 1984 advanced from Regionals to the STATE FINALS in Waco, on April 29th! And it was the performance of a lifetime! Congratulations to each and every company member on a showing that they, and our audience, will never forget! Bailey Brondum, in the role of Winston Smith, took All-Star Cast honors and Cade Hubbard, as O’Brien, was named Honorable Mention All-Star Cast. What a finish to our UIL competition season! We could not be more proud!

One-Act Play Advances to Regionals!

Congratulation to the company members of White Oak High School’s 2021 one-act play, 1984. On Friday, March 5th, they took the district championship held at Union Grove High School. Cade Hubbard, in his role as O’Brien, took a Best Performer award. Bailey Brondum, as Winston Smith, was named to the All-Star Cast. Maleigh Feldhauser, who played Julian, won Honorable Mention All-Star Cast. And Olivia Hale, the show’s stage manager, won an All-Star Technical award.

White Oak then advanced to the bi-district meet held at Winona High School on Wednesday, March 10th, where they took top honors once again! More individual honors were handed out, too. Cade Hubbard followed up with another Best Performer award. Bailey Brondum was named to the All-Star Cast again and Maleigh Feldhauser earned her way to another Honorable Mention All-Star Cast award. Sound technician Carley King also received an All-Star Technical award.

Up next? An appearance at the Regional meet on April 14-15 at Winona High School. Best wishes to all company members. Break lots of legs…..Big Brother insists!

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU!                                                                           
OAP 2021 brings an account of George Orwell’s novel 1984 to the White Oak High School stage. Freely adapted for the stage by Robert Owens, Wilton E. Hall, Jr. and William A. Miles Jr, the play presents a terrifying view into a dystopian world “where everything that is not prohibited is compulsory.” “Powerful and disturbingly provocative”, there are warnings….and lessons…to be learned from this nightmarish look into a world where Big Brother is always watching.  

Company members on 1984 include Bailey Brondum as Winston Smith, Maleigh Feldhauser as Julia, Cade Hubbard as O’Brien, Rilee Brittain as Parsons, Ethan Grammer as Syme, Jaydan Zimmerman as the Messenger, Andrew Rolland as Guard #1, Jada Perry as Guard #2 and Mya Thomas as the Landlady. Crew members include Olivia Hale, Carley King, Aubrey Baker, Robert Early, Valerie DeLeon, Layla Hidalgo and Jordan Crum.

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In November, the WOHS Theatre and Choir Departments presented G2K CINDERELLA as our fall musical! The show was an overwhelming success as both high school and middle school students joined together to bring this magical story to the stage. Three public performances were given, as well as special showings for the White Oak Primary and Intermediate schools. And the chance for our young audience members to meet the characters following the show was the “icing on the cake”…..the perfect HAPPY ENDING! Wonderful songs….wonderful moments! Congratulations to the entire company for a story well told!

OAP 2019 -SONG AT THE SCAFFOLD

It was another successful year in OAP as Roughneck Theatre Company made our 3rd consecutive appearance at the Class 3A UIL One-Act Play Regional Contest. Many individual honors were won along the way, too, from this very talented company of players. Our production of Emmet Lavery’s SONG AT THE SCAFFOLD, as one of 24 plays…statewide….that reached Regionals in our classification, won 5th at the contest. Congratulations to Whitesboro and Quitman for moving on to the State meet!

Regional OAP Info

Congratulations to the company members of Emmet Lavery’s SONG AT THE SCAFFOLD for advancing to the 3A, Region 2 One-Act Play Contest on Tuesday, April 16th, at Tyler Junior College. The contest begins at 10 am in Wise Auditorium and White Oak will perform 2nd, at around 10:55 am. Tickets are $10.

Several individual awards were given at the Area competition. Erin Bagley won Best Actress, while Katelyn Jester was named to the All-Star Cast. Amerika McTyre earned Honorable Mention All-Star Cast honors and Cade Hubbard was awarded an All-Star Technical award for his work with the lights. 

Come support this group of Roughneck Thespians and a wonderful story of faith! Best wishes to all schools involved. And to the company members of SONG AT THE SCAFFOLD….BREAK-A-LEG!!

The schools competing and the plays being performed are listed below.

Quitman–These Shining Lives
White Oak–Song at the Scaffold
Mt. Vernon–The Diviners
Whitesboro–The Last Lifeboat
S&S–Lafayette #1
Hughes Springs–The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket

Area OAP Info 

White Oak High School’s production of Emmet Lavery’s SONG AT THE SCAFFOLD will be competing in the Class 3A, Region II, Area 2 One-Act Play Contest on Saturday, April 6th, at Longview High School’s Mickey Melton Performing Arts Center. Shows begin at noon and White Oak will be the 5th play to perform. Admission is $5. Please join us as students and directors from each school involved join together for a wonderful day of storytelling.

The performance order is listed below.

GILMER: HARMONY
sf The Death and Life of Larry Benson
ATLANTA
sf Fahrenheit 451
MOUNT VERNON
sf The Diviners
HUGHES SPRINGS
sf The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket
WHITE OAK
sf Song at the Scaffold
COMMERCE
sf The Elephant Man

OAP Advances!

White Oak High School’s OAP production of Emmet Lavery’s SONG AT THE SCAFFOLD is headed to AREA competition! The play advanced from Bi-District on Thursday, March 21st, and will be competing in the next round at Longview High School on Saturday, April 6th. The contest begins at noon and White Oak will be the 5th show to perform.

Several company members won individual awards at Bi-District….

Jessica Hampton—All-Star Technical Award; SeaAirra McTyre—Honorable Mention All-Star Cast; Katelyn Jester—All-Star Cast; Erin Bagley—Best Actress

Congratulations…and BREAK-A-LEG at Area!!!

OAP  Bi-district Info

White Oak High School will be competing in the 2019 Bi-district round of the Class 3A UIL One-Act Play Contest at Winona High School on Thursday, March 21st. For those planning to attend, the contest begins at 10 am and shows will run back-to-back. Each play will last approximately 35-40 minutes. There is no guarantee that shows will start on the hour. So, get there AHEAD OF TIME to make sure you get a seat before doors are closed. No one will be allowed into the theater once a play has started. The play titles and performance order is listed below.

 OAP 2019 Advances from District!

Congratulations to the company members of Roughneck Theatre Company’s SONG AT THE SCAFFOLD, who advanced from the District 16-3A One-Act Play contest on Thursday, March 7th. Several members were honored with individual awards. Katelyn Eason won an All-Star Tech award. Skylar Greer took Honorable Mention All-Star Cast honors, while Katelyn Jester was named to the All-Star Cast. And Erin Bagley won the Best Actress award. Next up? Bi-district competition at Winona High School on Thursday, March 21st. The contest begins at 10 am and White Oak will be 5th to perform. Hope you can join us and see this inspirational, moving story of faith set agains the French Revolution’s “Reign on Terror.” 

 OAP Time is Here!

After our 3A State Silver Medalist One-Act Play success last year with THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE, Roughneck Theatre Company is set to embark on another “OAP Journey” that always creates such excitement. This year, we will be performing scenes from Emmet Lavery’s play, SONG AT THE SCAFFOLD, which is based on the book by Gertrud de la Fort. It’s a harrowing, yet ultimately redemptive story, about a young girl’s journey of self-discovery during the French Revolution’s “Reign of Terror”, and how it brings her into the company of the sisters at the Carmelite Community of Compiegne. It is a tale of courage sought after…..and courage found. It is an unforgettable story and we are excited to prepare and compete with it in the largest play competition of it’s kind in the world….UIL OAP!

BREAK-A-LEG IN 2019 ROUGHNECK THEATRE COMPANY!!!!

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FALL PLAY SUCCESS!

Roughneck Theatre Company’s production of Shirley Lauro’s A PIECE OF MY HEART had a successful four-performance run in November and played to very appreciative crowds.  The showings took place in C. C. Simmons Auditorium, where our audiences were treated not only to a powerful, thought-provoking, challenging story, but a chance to be up close and personal with the actors. Indeed, a very unique seating arrangement allowed our patrons to sit onstage with the actors during the performance. And given the raw emotion that the play brought to the stage, audiences shared an experience with the actors unlike any other. A job WELL DONE to our entire company! Now, on to the 2019 UIL One-Act Play!!

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THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE TAKES 2ND PLACE AT STATE!!

It all began in December of 2017, when a group of White Oak High School students arrived in the theatre  classroom, opened up a script that none were familiar with, and began auditions for the 2018 UIL One-Act Play.

Now, fast forward four-and-a-half months to Saturday night, May 5th, 2018, in Round Rock, Texas…..where that story came to a thrilling conclusion, as that same group of students performed Deborah Brevoort’s play, THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE, at the Class 3A One-Act Play State Finals! And, when the results were finally announced……White Oak High School took 2nd place in Texas!

What a ride it was! And when you consider that around 200 Class 3A high schools began the same journey, with the same destination in their sights, it is a truly amazing accomplishment.

This was White Oak’s second consecutive trip to the state finals and their 11th overall appearance. The Roughnecks finished 6th place last year and were looking to build on that success this year. That’s precisely what they did. It was a very tight, very intense competition Saturday night as the top eight Class 3A plays in the state competed for the title. Congratulations to Little River Academy for their first place finish, and to Malakoff High School for taking 2nd Runner-Up. It was a phenomenal day of theatre…..and a thrilling ending to White Oak’s 2018 one-act play quest with their moving story of the Pan Am 103–Lockerbie disaster, and people in search of ways to work through tragedy….and move forward in love.

The company of THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE includes cast members Chandler Novak, Makenna Gibbs, Sam Reynolds, Emma Rolland, Erin Bagley, Katelyn Jester, Kim Ramos, Amerika McTyre, Mya Thomas, and Jada Perry. Crew members include David Hernandez, Katelyn Eason, Jaydan Zimmerman, Skylar Greer, and Cade Hubbard. Alternates are Jessica Hampton, Jennifer Bennett, Cameron Bray, and A.J. Barlow.

Director Rick Higginbotham could not be more elated, or proud. “My students absolutely saved the best for last. And that’s not just lip-service. They literally did. And what a time for it…at the state finals. Every single company member, literally, raised the bar that night and helped stage one of the most memorable productions in Texas. And to take the 2nd Place award is beyond thrilling!”

Several actors received special awards for their performances. The ensemble of Lockerbie Women, including Katelyn Jester, Kim Ramos, Amerika McTyre, Mya Thomas, and Jada Perry won Honorable Mention All-Star Cast awards, while Makenna Gibbs, in the role of Olive Allison, won an All-Star Cast medal.

It was an incredible weekend, and ending, to an almost five month process that saw White Oak workshop their play at various high schools in east Texas and the Houston area, travel countless miles on the bus to clinics, load and unload props and costumes multiple times, stage both school and public performances…..and, finally, to advance through District, Bi-District, Area, and Regional competitions….to take 2nd Place at the STATE FINALS! What an ending!  

Congratulations to the cast, crew, alternates, and all involved with THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE, who have made 2018 a year that people will remember for a long time when it comes to White Oak High School Theatre!

2017-2018 began with John Patrick’s “The Curious Savage”, and it ended with a 2nd Place finish at the Class 3A State Championship in Round Rock with Deborah Brevoort’s “The Women of Lockerbie.” Honestly, our journey will never REALLY end, though. Not so long as we breathe and cherish sweet memories. Well done to Roughneck Theatre on an incredible year….one for the books! Always BELIEVE!

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 The WOHS 2018 Fall Play, John Patrick’s “The Curious Savage” was a great success and delighted those of all ages, as the exploits of Ethel P. Savage, her greedy stepchildren, and the delightful residents of the Cloisters brought laughs, warmth, tears, and hope to our audiences over a four-performance run.

Many veteran theatre students were joined by a new crop of Roughneck thespians for what promises to bring lots of smiles in years to come. Thanks to our cast, crew, technicians, administration and faculty, and parents for the hard work and support. Now, on to the UIL One-Act Play, Deborah Brevoort’s “The Women of Lockerbie!”

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What a year it was! White Oak High School’s 2017 UIL One-Act Play, THE MIRACLE WORKER”, appeared in the STATE FINALS…an accomplishment that was happening for the first time in over 60 years! Roughneck Theatre’s rendering of this American classic, by William Gibson, was one of eight Class 3A schools that reached the finals. All of them, like White Oak, had advanced from District, Bi-district, Area, and Regional competitions. It was a GREAT day of theatre, on April 18th, at the Jerry Fay Wilhelm Performing Arts Center in Bastrop, Texas. Katelyn Jester was named to the All-Star Cast, while Emma Rolland took Honorable Mention-All Star Cast honors. CONGRATULATIONS to all company members, their families, and White Oak High School.  Hold on to those memories always. What a dance! 

Cast and crew members included Emma Rolland in the role of Annie Sullivan and Katelyn Jester in the role of Helen Keller. Captain and Kate Keller are played by Chandler Novak and Erin Bagley, respectively. Brett Morgan portrays James Keller. Sam Reynolds is Mr. Anagnos, while Zoe Lambert, Jayden Cox, and Bayleigh Elliott play Blind Girls of the Perkins Institute. Rounding out the Keller homestead in Tuscumbia, Alabama, are Tori Hill in the role of Viney, and David Hernandez as Percy. The lighting technician is Eli Hernandez and Jessica Hampton handles sound and music. Dusty White is the Alternate.

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After a successful 2015 fall season, during which we presented David Bottrell and Jessie Jones’ comedy “Dearly Departed”, Roughneck Theatre staged Brian Friel’s Tony Award winning “Dancing at Lughnasa” for the 2016 UIL One-Act Play Contest. A company of dedicated young theatre artists brought this haunting, beautiful story to the District 17-3A competition on Saturday, March 19th.  White Oak won a share of the district championship and advanced to the Bi-district meet that was held at Arp High School, where we were awarded the Alternate Play award. Both acting and technician award honors were earned along the way. It was an experience we will never forget. Thanks to all of the hard-working, dedicated students who brought “Lughnasa Magic” to the stage!

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Congratulations to the company members of George Orwell’s “1984”, who recently competed at the Regional level after advancing from District, Bi-District, and Area contests.  White Oak’s UIL One-Act Play was one of the top 24 Class 3A plays in the state and ended our competitive run with a wonderful performance at Blinn College on April 24th.  It was an amazing journey that created lots of special memories for all involved. Well done!!!! 

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Our Fall 2014 production was Reginald Rose’s “Twelve Angry Jurors”, adapted by Sherman L. Sergel.  A very talented, capable company of actors and techies brought this play to the White Oak stage for four performances.  The production was very well received.  And while audiences members were surprised when they first arrived at the theatre to discover the unique seating arrangements, they were presently thrilled when they discovered that they would actually be sitting onstage with our actors. This allowed them to feel a more active part of this compelling, jury room story. It was a great start to our school year!

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In Spring 2014, we presented Deborah Brevoort’s “The Women of Lockerbie”, based on the Pan Am 103 crash in December 1988, which took the lives of 270 people. 

Our play was one of the champions of our Zone contest on Monday, March 24th, at Waskom High School.  

Receiving individual awards were Best Actor-Drew Frazier, Honorable-Mention All-Star Cast-Callie Crawford and Colleen Pulpan, and All-Star Tech-Eli Hernandez.  At the District meet, we were selected as the Alternate Play, and picked up some more individual awards, too.  Drew Frazier and Natalie Allen were named to the All-Star Cast, while Callie Crawford and Colleen Pulpan were selected Honorable Mention All-Star Cast.  Alex Evans and Eli Hernandez earned All-Star Tech Awards.