On March 7 and 8, WeGo Drama hosted a showcase in Weyraugh Auditorium where they highlighted pieces that would move forward to compete in the IHSA Sectional tournament later this month. These pieces included “Us/Them,” “Fossil Hunter,” and a student-made and directed film called “De Illusion Ed.”

The showcase allowed the audience to see what will happen during the upcoming IHSA competition, which, for drama, consists of two categories: contest play and group interpretation (sometimes referred to as CPGI).

“Us/Them”, set in Russia, takes the audience through the hardships experienced by a group of students stuck as hostages under a terrorist attack. The play is based on true events, and helps bring to light the victims’ perspectives. This contest play required that the cast set-up and perform their set in a total of 45 minutes, and the group demonstrated how that was done in their showcase.

The group presentation has an even shorter time limit at 30 minutes. “Fossil Hunter” is about a young woman who works with fossils, and makes great discoveries, but she does not get the recognition that she deserves. According to assistant director Nicole Stadler, this show is about marginalization and brings awareness to those who are not validated in their field of work, either because they are undervalued or unacknowledged for their successes. 

WeGo Drama Director Mark Begovich noted that the cast and crew have put in countless hours to prepare for the IHSA Sectional competition, which will be held on March 15-16.

“Working on the IHSA show is the most intense work they do all year. It is so focused, and the competition is so incredibly, incredibly tight,” Begovich said.

The final piece going to competition is “De Illusion Ed,” a student-created film by senior Ryley Salazar that shows, through cinematography, how mental health can impact loved ones. It gives the audience perspective as to how mental health issues are not always visible. Salazar hoped to bring awareness to this important topic. While the film was created by Salazar, he let the cast, like junior Alejandra Rocha, who stars in the short video, have creative freedom with their character and really make their character their own.

“So there’s a lot of different pieces, but impactful work. The benefit of contest play and group interpretation is that the students are able to a) this is competitively, which is cool, but b) a lot of times the content or the material of it pushes the art even further,” Stadler said.

The build up to IHSA was an exciting time for the whole drama team, and the opportunity to share and retell their powerful stories to a larger audience is important, which is why these showcase pieces were performed throughout the school day, in addition to the evening performances that were open to the public. Teachers from all subjects were invited to bring their students to watch the performances and provide an audience for those involved in the show. As Stadler explained, IHSA forces the actors to rise to a professional level that is crucial for competition.

Following the showcase, WeGo Drama placed second in conference.

“I was definitely most excited for conference just because now we get to share our art with our Upstate Eight, and now looking forward to taking it to Sectionals to show so many more people and tell them the amazing stories,” junior August Gutierrez said.