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On April 26 at the Hogg Auditorium on the University of Texas campus in Austin the top eight 5-A plays competed in the UIL One-Act Play Finals for the State Championship. Out of the 260 5-A schools that began the contest in March, only eight made it to the State Finals in May. TWHS Theatre competed at State for the seventh time with senior Madeline Landers winning the top award as Best Actress. For the seventh time since 1990 when it won the State Championship with LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL directed by Sandra Erlandson and Connie Godwin, TWHS Theatre advanced to State, and is one of the few 5-A schools that has won the State title more than once, winning again in 2000 for THE SHADOW BOX directed by Sandra Erlandson, Carlen Gilseth, and Larry Wood. This year the cast and crew of fifteen students, who ranged in grades from 9th through 12th, performed ALL MY SONS by Arthur Miller, While they did not place, Jimmy Dolphin was named to the Honorable Mention All Star Cast as well as Landers winning Best Actress. Dolphin had won Best Actor at every contest level this year including District, Area, and Regionals as well as placing on the All-Star Cast last year at State. Landers played Beatrice this year in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and will play Sharpay in the upcoming TWHS show HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2. As a private acting student of Sandra Erlandson she has won numerous scholarships to acting programs around the nation and placement at top theatre schools. She has been accepted and will attend the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts where numerous TWHS students have attended, including a few who are now on Broadway. The 2008 UIL One-Act Play was directed by Sandra Erlandson, Carlen Gilseth and Erika Pirir, with technical direction by Tim Jackubek and assisted by Kami Jackson. Erlandson attests the advancement to State to the students’ dedication to the production, and their innate talent to portray mature, real characters. Also, the dedication and talent of the teachers, and the support from the administration of CISD and TWHS, including Don Stockton, Gregg Colschen, Bonnie Hilburn, Chris Povich, and Marguerite Weatherall, allows the play to be superior in every way. The continued support from the parents of the students also contribute to the success of the show and to the theatre program at TWHS.

The Cast and Crew of ALL MY SONS, TWHS 2008 entry in the UIL One-Act Play contest, will advance to the State Finals at the University of Texas in Austin on April 26. For two months, over 1,000 high schools in Texas have been competing in the One-Act Play contest, the largest in the nation. At State the top eight schools in each conference will compete at UT. TWHS will make its seventh appearance at the State Finals, most recently just last year with THE LITTLE FOXES, and winning the State Championship in 2000 with THE SHADOW BOX, and 1990 with LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL. On April 11 at Baylor University, TWHS also won the most awards of the six schools competing at the Regional level, with Jimmy Dolphin again winning top honors as Best Actor in the part of Chris Keller. Dolphin had previously won this award at every contest level this year, and last year in the role of Oscar Hubbard in THE LITTLE FOXES. Also placing were Maddie Landers, Kelley Peters and Connor McCollum to the Honorable Mention All-star Cast. Kirk Van Sickle was chosen as Best Crew member. Other members of the State bound ensemble are Zac Klammer, Erica Rascon, Craig Putman, Spencer Timm, Marisa Vasquez, Caitlin Ferraro, Sophia Chavez, Kris Jacobsen, Jessica Stanfield, and Joe Dougherty. ALL MY SONS by Arthur Miller is directed by Sandra Erlandson, Carlen Gilseth, and Erika Pirir. On a lighter note, Connor McCollum and Marisa Vasquez won the "Spike Tape Relay" pulling up the largest quantity of spike tape after the contest. This is the third year in a row that TWHS has won this fun event with McCollum participating each time.

This forty-minute show will be performed at the TWHS Theatre on April 17, 18. and 19 at 7:00 PM for the public. Tickets may be purchased at the door.




For the fourteenth time in nineteen years TWHS theatre has advanced to the UIL One-Act Play Regional Contest which is one competition away from the State Meet. The cast and crew of ALL MY SONS is now in the top twenty-four 5A schools in Texas. Competing in the Area Contest against TWHS College Park, Tomball, and Klein High Schools, TWHS advanced to Regionals with Klein and again won both Best Actor and Best Actress awards, plus four other acting awards. Maddie Landers won Best Actress and Jimmy Dolphin won Best Actor, duplicating their wins at the District contest last week. Kelley Peters and Connor McCollum made the eight member All-Star Cast, and Zac Klammer and Erica Rascon were named to the eight member Honorable-Mention All-Star Cast. Marisa Vasquez won Best Crew member as she helped to execute the technical aspects of the show. Returning from last year's cast of THE LITTLE FOXES that appeared at the 2007 State Meet are Dolphin, McCollum, Peters, and Klammer. All won numerous awards from District to State. Dolphin, McCollum, and Landers were also in the ensemble of THE CRUCIBLE that advanced to Regionals in 2006. Making up the rest of the ensemble are cast members Craig Putman, Joe Dougherty, and Jessica Stanfield. Other crew members are Caitlin Ferraro, Kirk Van Sickle, and Spencer Timm. Van Sickle and Timm were also in the State ensemble last year. Sophie Chavez and Kris Jacobsen are alternates in the ensemble. Professor Robin Robinson of Grayson Community College told the cast that they had an "incredible show" that showed “strong character work, subtle acting, and full commitment by everyone with "no weak link." She told Best Actor Dolphin that he should go on to be an actor. Robinson went on to compliment the costumes and the set of the show, as well as the lighting and music.

TWHS will meet five other schools at Regionals at Baylor University in Waco this weekend. The theatre department has been to State six times, most recently last year with THE LITTLE FOXES and won State in 1990 with LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL, and in 2000 with THE SHADOW BOX. ALL MY SONS is directed by Sandra Erlandson, Carlen Gilseth, Erika Pirir, and Tim Jackubek.

Public performances of ALL MY SONS will be April 17, 18. 19 at 7:00 PM. Call 936-273-8530 for more information.



TWHS Theatre Department will advance to the Area University Interscholastic League One-Act Play contest at Tomball High School on Saturday, April 5 where they will compete against College Park, Klein, and Tomball High Schools. In the District contest held at Magnolia High School TWHS performed ALL MY SONS by Arthur Miller, and advanced along with College Park. Stage Manager Caitlin Ferraro was named Best Crew member of their show. Zac Klammer was named to the eight member Honorable Mentioned All-Star Cast, and Kelley Peters was named to the eight member All-Star Cast. For the entire District 15-5A Jimmy Dolphin was selected as Best Actor, and Madeline Landers was Best Actress. Winning both awards is a particular achievement. Klammer, Peters and Dolphin are all returning members of last year's THE LITTLE FOXES that advanced to State where Dolphin was named to the All-star Cast. The critic judge, Jerry MacLauchlin, thought the play was filled with good acting with not a weak link, and thought that the show had a "good shot" at state. Earlier, Professor Carolyn Boone, adjudicated the show and said that this was the most mature cast she had seen and the show could "rock!"

Directors Sandra Erlandson, Carlen Gilseth, and Erika Pirir have been working on this show since December and are very pleased with the results. Other cast members of the ensemble are Connor McCollum, Joseph Dougherty, Craig Putman, Jessica Stanfield, and Erica Rascon. Crew members are Kirk Van Sickle, Marisa Vasquez, and Spencer Timm. Alternates helping with the show are Kris Jacobson and Sophia Chavez.

Public performances for the UIL 40 minute cutting will be held on April 17, 18, 19 at TWHS Theatre. Call 936-273-8530 for more information.




TWHS Theatre students placed the highest number of duet teams in finals at the Cypress Ridge State Qualifying Speech Tournament on December 1st with one team qualifying for State to be held in Dallas in March.

TWHS placed four teams out of the eight in finals. Jimmy Dolphin and Maddie Landers placed first, Zac Klammer and Sarah Feye placed 3rd, Connor McCollum and Kelley Peters placed 4th, and Marisa Vasquez and Jennyfer Vargas placed 6th. Feye and Klammer qualified for the state contest with their points from the last tournament in which they also received 3rd in finals. This is the fourth year in a row that Feye has qualified for state. She was ranked 3rd in the state in dramatic interpretation last year.

Will Rogers, a freshman, placed 6th in humorous interpretation finals for the second time.

On December 8th at the Spring Woods State Qualifying Speech Tournament, Jessica Canfield and Shelby Escamilla placed 4th in finals. This is the third time they have reached the finals round and hope to qualify soon.

For the last two years the TWHS speech and debate squad placed in the top ten at the Texas Forensic League State Contest. Student actors are coached by theatre teachers Carlen Gilseth, Erika Pirir, Kami Jackson and Tim Jackubek as well as directors Sandy Erlandson and Connie Godwin.
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