Avoyelles High wins "Superior" at state Drama Fest

     After coming close in the past, and taking a couple of individual top awards, the Avoyelles High School drama troupe took home the “Superior” rating in this past May’s Drama Festival at LSU in Baton Rouge. 

    Avoyelles was the only “superior” in its region.

    “We’ve worked hard and the students deserved it,” drama teacher “KK” Lemoine said.

Each school’s drama team was given 20 minutes to “wow” the judges. AHS performed an abbreviated version of the first act of their Spring production, Promedy.

   “We were competing against bigger schools, and the kids were terrific,” Lemoine said.

    Lemoine said she began building the drama program at Avoyelles six years ago. Two years ago, the school took a second-place honor -- an “Exceptional” rating.

    “Drama Festival is a state competition, so you have to place at the regional competition to be eligible to participate at state,” the teacher continued. “We have placed at regionals six years in a row.

    This is the school’s first Superior for the team competition. Marcus Johnson took the first-place honor for extemporaneous speaking three years ago and Lena Lemoine received the Superior for original oratory at this year’s state competition.

This year’s drama team included Amber Barnes, Markiesha Alexander, Lena Lemoine, Kristen Dupont, Jade Bordelon, Katelyn Laborde, Brittany Juneau, Zayira Quiroz, Breanna Bordelon, Melissa Messer,  Te'Andrea Reed, Otis Jacobs, Logan Firmin, Shamar Pierite,  Matthew Shallington, Larry Martin, Alex Dufour, Conner Gauthier and William Barr.

    Shamar Pierite was the student director while Alex Dufour served as stage manager and William Barr was the sound and lighting technician.

   The drama program has produced a Spring play for the past five years. Past performances were  Dracula, Much Ado About Murder, Just Another High School Play  and Big River.