Frisco ISD middle school actors and technicians delivered standout performances at the District-level UIL One-Act Play and Theatrical Design competitions, earning top honors and demonstrating months of creative growth.
Six schools advanced from the FISD middle school UIL One-Act Play Zone Contests to compete at the District level Feb. 14 at Lebanon Trail High School.
In the UIL One-Act Play competition, students take on every aspect of production — from acting to technical theater — presenting a full performance within a strict time limit before a panel of theater professionals.
Directors like Cecily Maucieri of Hunt Middle School say experience is invaluable.
UIL competition “gives middle schoolers a low-pressure introduction to what competitive theater will look like in high school,” she said. “It helps build confidence while encouraging students to push themselves creatively. I've seen more growth during UIL season than any other time of the year.”
That creative push is exactly what Hunt student Lilly Emsoff loves most about theater.
“My favorite part of theater is getting to watch everything come together perfectly after lots of challenges and hard work,” said Lilly, who won first place for hair/makeup design in the Theatrical Design Competition. She said she was surprised by her award but really proud, “because I worked super hard on my designs, and I had a lot of fun doing it.”
Both Lilly and her teacher said they love the sense of community built during the competition process. Teachers and students like them make the whole process a success, said fine arts coordinator Cade Butler.
“I was blown away by the Frisco ISD theater community — their commitment to each other, their encouragement of students in this artform and the competitive, exciting atmosphere they created,” he said.
Congratulations to the following students and schools, and their dedicated directors!
One-Act Play Results
1st Place - Trent
2nd Place - Maus
3rd Place - Stafford
Best Performer Awards
Endslie Keeley - Trent
Campbell Yarbrough - Maus
Honorable Mention Acting Awards
Ensemble - Stafford
Aria Anand - Maus
Myla Ingle - Roach
Anushka Joshi - Vandeventer
Alex Lobato Mecinas - Griffin
Connor Lowe - Trent
Tinley Vaughn - Roach
Nikhil Velvaluri - Vandeventer
All Star Cast Acting Awards
Madison Alston - Griffin
Bailey Cooper - Trent
Taya Cousin - Roach
Drayden Gleisberg - Stafford
Amanda Jenkins - Vandeventer
Viviana LaRocco - Maus
Alice Nguyen - Maus
Maverick Wynne - Stafford
All Star Technician Awards
Hana Jefferson - Trent
Tabitha McDaniel - Roach
Zach Soda - Maus
Samaira Verani - Vandeventer
Krisalyn Zuluaga - Griffin
Best Crew Award
Stafford
Theatrical Design Contest Results
Set Design
1st Place: Anabelle Phee - Pioneer Heritage
2nd Place: Krisilla Joseph - Pioneer Heritage
3rd Place: Abigayle Christensen - Roach
4th Place: Mila Beuhler - Pioneer Heritage
5th Place: Viha Varthi - Hunt
Costume Design
1st Place: Tanisha Sinha - Nelson
2nd Place: Emma Anand - Maus
3rd Place: Angela Liu - Wester
4th Place: Laurel Zhang - Roach
5th Place: Anwita Verma - Scoggins
Marketing Design
1st Place: Sarah Santana - Fowler
2nd Place: Ananya Goel - Fowler
3rd Place: Miwa Suzuki - Scoggins
4th Place: Shivani Krishna - Cobb
5th Place: Julia Phillips - Roach
Hair/Makeup Design
1st Place: Lilly Emsoff - Hunt
2nd Place: Riley Myers - Roach
3rd Place: Harshika Suresh - Roach
4th Place: Mia Munoz - Pioneer Heritage
5th Place: Amanda Ray - Nelson
Congratulations on a wonderful day celebrating middle school theater programs all across Frisco ISD.
- Rachel McReynolds