Junior high cast earns honors at district one-act contest
Albany Junior High theater students delivered a strong showing at the 2025 UIL district one-act play contest on Nov. 13 with their performance of The Book of Dog by Jiggs Burgess.
The production earned Best Performer for Parker Rose, Honorable Mention All-Star Cast for Patton Smith, and the Tech Award for sound technician Iathan Torres.
Director Nickie Leveridge, in her first year leading the junior high program alongside Kay Leigh Oliver, praised the students for their commitment and rapid growth.
“This was the first year for Kay Leigh and me to do this, and I’m very proud of how the students stepped up,” Leveridge said. “They put this show together in just six weeks, mainly during class time and every Tuesday for a month, and this ended up being one of their best performances.”
Leveridge said the judge noted the group’s strong energy but encouraged a slower pace to allow comedic moments to land. “We learned that we need to slow down a bit,” she said. “We were allowed 40 minutes on stage and we finished in 28, so we have room to stretch.”
Despite not placing in the top three, Leveridge emphasized how pleased she was with the students’ effort and progress. She said planning is already underway for next season.
“Next year we’re starting much earlier,” she said. “We’ll choose a show sooner, begin in the second week of school, and schedule more clinics where people come in and critique. We want to build our junior high program so it spills over into the high school program. Our goal is to have a very successful theater arts program at Albany Junior/Senior High School.”
The 2025 cast included Luke Smith, Sammy Holson, Wyatt Alexander, Creed Spencer, Lyla Orsagh, Gibson Ware, Burkley Yeates, Parker Rose, Artie Bell, Willa Early, Patton Smith, Ryan Brokaw, Paxton Pipes, Presley Rosales, Corinne Evans, Lilli Ford and Karter Thompson. Crew members were Cooper Roysdon on stage and curtain, Adrian Salazar on lights and Torres on sound. Alternates were Javien Rodriguez, Cinch Holson and Kealey Rogers. Leveridge, Oliver, Cali Rose and Michael Leveridge directed the production.
