This past weekend, the drama department traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, for the South Eastern Theatre Conference. The convention celebrates the works of high school and community theatre across a ten state area. Bob Jones was one of two selected high schools representing the state of Alabama for the one-act play competition. Bob Jones made it to SETC with the award-winning play “The Bell Witch”, written by our very own B. Dwayne Craft. Huntsville came with a punk rock concert play based on the infamous Lizzie Borden ax murders called “LIZZIE”.

SETC was a five day festival in which students could attend acting and playwriting workshops, as well as explore the local area before performing “The Bell Witch” for the final time. In order to avoid disqualification, the entire set needed to fit into a 10-foot by 10-foot square, and the play needed to be performed in under 45 minutes. The final time was 43 minutes and 46 seconds. The judges adored the show, giving praise to the “deep and emotionally engulfing story” as well as “outstanding performances across the board”. “The Bell Witch” won several awards during the awards banquet. In the All-Star Cast category, Addie McAbee, Corey Tolbert, Justin Peel, Michael Willis, and Shelby Kilpatrick all won medals for their various roles. “The Bell Witch” also won Best Costuming for their timely attire set in the late 1930s.

Though they did not win Best In Show, as they had at state level competition, Mr. Craft reminded the students of why they put all of the long hours of work into perfecting their show, “The real trophy is the person standing next to you on stage, that friend that will always have your back. The real trophy is the team of people standing next to you to accomplish something great. There is no piece of plastic that should be able to take your personal value away from your art.”

“The Bell Witch” is near and dear to the hearts of every actor, director, technician, stagehand, costumer, and make-up artist who worked on it. It was with a deep sense of pride that they were allowed the opportunity to travel and perform for a larger audience outside their auditorium walls. The Drama department thanks their wonderful teachers Mr. Craft and Mrs. Davis for teaching them what it means to work as a team and for building memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you for all you do. We love you.