HOUGH THEATRE CALLS "ACTION!" WITH NCTC KICKOFF

August 27, 2024 - Jordan White (12)


Hough Theatre is back in action! This past week has been a productive one for students participating in Hough’s NCTC production, with rehearsals on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The North Carolina Theatre Conference (NCTC), an organization dedicated to the strengthening of NC’s vibrant theatre scene, is holding their annual High School Play Festival on November 8-9. During this event, high school students across the state are given the opportunity to represent their school by performing a select theatrical work, whether it be a play or a musical, with a time constraint of 45 minutes per school. Each of the schools’ performances are then evaluated by a group of judges and scored in a variety of different categories, with the top productions advancing to the state level. 


Luke Tyrell (12) and Jordan White (12) performing in last year's NCTC show 17/18.

Both are returning for The Layover.

Hough is gearing up for the competition with a 40-page play titled “The Layover”. This play takes place at an airport terminal, as the title would suggest, and centers around a young woman by the name of Dana who encounters two strange yet friendly men during her layover. Though light-hearted comedy is sprinkled throughout this piece, it turns out to be a thoughtful allegory with a profound plot twist near the end. The group of 17 juniors and seniors working on this production includes director Anna Murray and stage manager Lauren Kronk, along with actors Avery Baker (DANA), John Harris (MICHAEL), Whittier Henry (GABE), Luke Tyrell (FRANK), Sam Kaplan (EDITH), Emily Vesely (JESSICA), Kai Metzler (CHRIS), Jack Raymond (RICK), Madelina Figueroa (JACKIE/FLIGHT ATTENDANT), Andi Guadarrama (STEPHANIE), Jordan White (AARON), Reese Lyman (ALEX), April Klein (CHARLIE), and Erin Acker (FLIGHT ANNOUNCER/TRAVELER).


The past week of rehearsals has seen the entire play set and performed a handful of times, and has been a great bonding experience for the cast as well as a smooth reintroduction to Hough Theatre’s atmosphere for all the students involved. There will be a few pickup rehearsals here and there before Hough takes this production to the festival in November. Next up in line for Hough Theatre is the Fall Play. Yesterday, it was announced the production would be an adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. If you enjoy acting, backstage work, or want to be more involved with the theatre program here at Hough for any reason, see how you can get involved with the play! More information can be found on the Hough High School Theatre Instagram page.