Rossview High places 2nd in one-act festival, to represent Tennessee at conference

CLARKSVILLE, TN – The Rossview High School Playhouse recently competed at the Tennessee Theatre Association Secondary Theatre One-Act Play Festival at ETSU on 20 October 2023. Under the direction of LuEllyn Boyer Wilcox, their show, Second Samuel, placed 2nd and they will represent the state of Tennessee at the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) in Mobile, Alabama in March 2024.

The cast was also recognized with the Best Newcomer Award, Best Actor (Gavin Weddington), and Best Supporting Actor (Ezekiel Michel); with Elena Zimmerman, Katie Stafford, and Jeremy Annel named to the All-Star Cast!

SETC is the largest theatre organization in the United States and counts the entire 10 state southeast region of the country as member states. Two schools from each state are selected to represent their state in the SETC Secondary Theatre One-Act Play Festival. In its 75-year history, this is the first time a Clarksville-Montgomery County School has been selected to represent the state of Tennessee at SETC.

While this is the first time the Rossview Playhouse has been selected to represent the state at a national level, they are no strangers to competition. The Rossview Playhouse has a rich history of competing in the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League (THSSDL) and has won 1st place in THSSDL’s one-act play competition 4 times with multiple Best Actor and Actress Awards over the years.

Competing at SETC will be different because it is the first time the program will contend with programs from other states. A Tennessee school has only won the one-act festival once in the past 75 years, but the cast and crew of Second Samuel are hoping to change that. Mrs. Wilcox shares that, “Second Samuel is about a small southern town in the 1940s who are forced to confront their beliefs and fears when a shocking revelation is revealed when Ms. Gertrude, a pillar of their community, passes away. In the end, the town realizes that the way forward is to love one another.”

In order to get to SETC the cast and crew have to raise $21,000 to cover the cost of convention registration, transportation, and lodging. If you are interested in supporting the Rossview Playhouse and the cast and crew of Second Samuel, please reach out to their director, Mrs. LuEllyn Wilcox at LuEllyn.Wilcox@cmcss.net.