Durant High School’s Drama Department may be small, but they are comprised of talented thespians who recently competed in two competitions and came away winners. Next production Thursday-Saturday, April 26-28.
This has been an exciting year for the Durant High School Drama Department. They have staged several great productions and have won several prestigious awards.
The Drama Department, led by Ed Mason, participated in the One Acts competition at USF and received a “Superior” rating, the highest rating that can be achieved. The play they performed was Magic Fairy written by Dara Murphy.
Because of the “Superior” rating, the students were invited to the state competition held at The Straz Center in Tampa in March. According to Gina Harber, Durant’s Drama Booster Club president, “We were invited to perform because we received a ‘Superior’ rating at One Acts. Only the top five schools with a ‘Superior’ rating are invited to perform.” This is the first time that Durant’s Drama Department competed.
Harber’s daughter, Sydney Harber added, “I love performing. That’s why I’m here. Although Durant has a smaller drama department than some of the other schools, there are more opportunities for me to perform and what I love.”
Next up is a production of The Diary of Anne Frank. But this is no ordinary production. For the first time, four departments will come together to stage a one of kind production. In celebration of Holocaust Week, the Drama
Department, Holocaust class, the American Sign Language class and the Culinary class have merged their talents and energy to present one of the premiere plays about the strife of the Jewish people during WWII.
“Dee Justice, the Holocaust class teacher, approached me last year and put the idea before me,” said Ed Mason, Drama director. “I thought it was a great idea.”
Durant High School, located at 4748 Cougar Path in Plant City, will present The Diary of Anne Frank from Thursday, April 26-Saturday, April 28. Curtain is at 7 p.m. for all shows. Tickets are $5 general admission and can be reserved by contacting Mason at edward.mason@sdhc.k12.fl.us or by visiting www.theatredurant.com.
