Hand in hand, we are praying for the win. The whole worth of this year’s work comes down to this one moment, and the competition is steep. The announcer calls out “Alabama,” for the overall win all while we anticipate the results with sweaty palms and teary eyes.  It comes down to Bob Jones and Spain Park. Half of us are crying, while the rest are either praying or sharing comforting thoughts.  I hear the announcer call out “The Standard Deviation.” It’s chaos. Ear bursting screams, warm, tight embraces, and sobs from the shock – all at once. That one moment made the entire trip worth it all; I don’t think I’ve been that happy in a long time. 11^th grade techie, Sierra Anderson shares, “[The win] was the single greatest moment of my life. When they announced ‘The Standard Deviation,’ I felt a rush of adrenaline and tears and just plain euphoric. Finally, my work was good enough to win. I felt- and still feel- like I can accomplish anything.”

While the main focus of SETC is the one act shows, there is much more to SETC than meets the eye.  Along with acting workshops, students also have the opportunity to audition for college theatre scholarships. Students are required to prepare one sixty second monologue to perform in front of over 100 college representatives for scholarships.

11th grade actor Maggie Martin states that the auditions are, “A good learning experience.” Although the process can be disappointing for some, auditions can prepare students for the reality of theatre. However, some students are able to benefit from scholarships to aid in tuition for theatre majors.  Another major aspect of SETC is the extensive amount of workshops. The convention offers a variety of classes from dance to Shakespeare to learning British accents. Anyone can benefit from the vast amount of opportunities available at SETC.