The Habersham Central High School Stage Raiders are heading to State after winning first place in this past weekend’s Georgia High School Association One Act Region Competition. The acting troupe, under the direction of fourth year drama teacher Jeremy Bishop, won for their production of the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King by Sophocles.
Habersham Central beat out nine other high schools for the win on October 24 at West Forsyth High School in Cumming. Stuart Hoag who played the title character in the HCHS production was named to the All-Star Cast.
The Stage Raiders last won Region in 2009 under the direction of Jenny Sanders. This is the first time Habersham Central has taken top honors since being moved into region 6AAAAAA. Bishop calls it “the largest and most competitive” one act region competition in the state.
“We are over the moon,” Bishop says describing his and his students’ reaction to winning. “As a judged event, these competitions can be real heartbreakers. I’m still having a hard time taking it in, honestly.” He adds, “The student’s reactions are more fun – they screamed, laughed, cried – I think a few still have not come down off the adrenaline. Most of all, I’m proud of the work we have done and happy to have it recognized.”
Bishop says he’s looking forward to what the future holds for the theater program at Habersham Central.
“This has been the single best group of kids I have had the pleasure of directing. With few exceptions, they have been focused, hard-working, optimistic, and generally a genuine pleasure to work with. We grappled with a very challenging piece, and the kids rose to the challenge admirably. Remarkably, the class is also very young – almost half the group are sophomores. If this is what they are capable of now, I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for the Stage Raiders!”
The Stage Raiders will compete against the eight other Region winners at the GHSA One Act State Competition on November 7 in Perry, Georgia.
