Madison Newcomb won the Critic Choice Technical Theater award and also took home Best of Show for Costume Design in the recent high school theater competition held at St. Cloud High School. Sabrina Torres also garnered a Best of Show award for Publicity Design.

Several thespians performed well enough to state competition, which is scheduled to be held during Spring Break . High School theater will also be performing a musical coming up in January.

The troupe is permitted to take six events to states.

“We got more than six superiors so we don’t exactly know who is performing there yet.” Meghan Matthys (11) said. “We find out later this week who gets to perform at states.”

While preparing for states, the high-school theater members will also perform “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” for which auditions will be held in the near future.

“The auditions for the plays are relatively simple,” Matthys said. “All it takes is a cold read of the script, and [Director Maureen] Fallon decides the cast from there. For the musicals, we have to sing either “Happy Birthday” or “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee,” and then if you are given a callback, you do a cold read.”

The results of the district competition are as follows:

Natasha Mozdzen, Superior – Solo Musical; Sabrina Torres, Superior – Solo Musical; Deklyn Gardner, Grant Newcombe and Madison Newcombe, Superior – Small Group Musical; Devin Thrush, Superiors for Solo Musical and Student Directing; Natasha Mozdzen and Madison Newcombe, Superior – Student Directing Cast; Jade Norton, Superior – Student Choreography; Andrea Cumba, Rudi Larkin, Katia Mangual, Grant Newcombe, Gracie Moravecky, Devin Thrush and  Sabrina Torres, Superior – Student Choreography Cast; Meghan Matthys, Superior – Monologue; Jade Norton, Grant Newcombe, Superior – Duet Musical; Devin Thrush, Natasha Mozdzen, Superior – Duet Musical; Madison Newcombe, Superior – Costume Design; Sabrina Torres, Superior – Publicity Design; Haley Anderson, Superior – Costume Design;Jade Norton, Carsen Brown, Andrea Cumba, Deklyn Gardner, Harry Jachec, Rudi Larkin, Katia Mangual, Meghan Matthys, Gracie Moravecky, Raven Morgan,Madison Newcombe, Ethan Rebec, Devin Thrush and Sabrina Torre, Superior – Large Group Musical; Sabrina Torres, Madison Newcombe, Rudi Larkin, Gracie Moravecky, Grace Novak, Harry Jachec, Jade Norton, Ethan Rebec, Excellent – Pantomime; Genevieve Archibald, Meghan Knaple, Shannon Kay, Alexis Vander, Cierra Turner, Lily Winsten, Excellent, Small Group Musical; Raven Morgan, Harry Jachec, Excellent – Duet Acting; Madison Mills, Excellent – Costume Construction; Carsen Brown, Excellent – Costume Construction; Drea Cumba and Shannon Kay, Excellent – Improv; Cierra Turner, Excellent – Monologue; Meghan Matthys and Alexis Vander, Excellent – Duet; Genevieve Archibald and Meghan Knaple, Excellent.

By Kathe Schrader