Perry theatre has been named state champions for the fifth year in a row. There was pressure going into the competitions this year to hold the title, but with the talent in the program, it was not hard to do. Everyone who competed this year received either superiors or excellents, the two highest scores.

Perry Theatre Company, which encompasses both the competitive theatre and tech class, compete every year at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Arizona State Thespian Festival, and the Central Arizona Festival of Theatre (CAFT). They compete in various categories such as group musical, duet acting, solo and duo musical, and monologues. Tech competes in costume design and lighting, all of which help contribute to collecting points. Through the competitions, they are judged during each individual event which later contributes to sweepstakes points and ultimately determining state champs. The officers also attend Leadership Camp toward the beginning of the year, working to build relationships with one another since it is  an important part in working as a team.

“We decided before we went in that it was more important to have good relationships with each other then it was to win state,” Senior Mariah Moore said. “So we went in with that mindset but winning state is a bonus.”

Troupes earn sweepstakes points through the leadership they show, attendance to competitions, superiors rankings at competitions, and various other ways. Perry has an advantage to sweepstake points, as they attend the Utah Shakespeare Festival, an event no other Arizona schools attend. Moore, who became involved in PTC just this year, says the hardest aspect about competing is handling the nerves.

“You rehearse for so long and then you go in and you have performed it. That one performance is all you get,” Moore said. “You can’t let nerves or emotions affect anything, you just have to go in perform what you have practiced.”

To achieve high sweepstakes points, the expectations for Perry theatre are set very high but is a big contribution to the achievements of the program. When the school opened back in 2007, former theatre and film studies teacher Jim Fountain laid a strong foundation to the theatre program today.

“He has a really really deep understanding and set the tone,” Principal Dan Serrano said, “And Mrs. Marquis and Mr. Duren have taken over.”

The theatre program has continued to grow since then. Theatre teachers Shawna Marquis and Randy Duren, have taken over the program and cultivated it even more. The three directors have put on many shows including “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Hairspray,” “Wizard of Oz,” “Addams Family,” “Almost Maine” and “Footloose.” “Addams Family” showcased at the State Festival in 2014, where they got to perform in front of thousands of people from across the state. Hours of time have gone into each of the productions to showcase the talent the school has.

Moore also credits the theatre program’s success to the directors who have taught and shaped the actors who participate in the it.

“We do participate in so many competitions. We have a lot of talent here and great directors. Professionalism. Our directors hold us to that expectation and we have to meet it,” Moore said.

Perry alumni Noelle Soucek was active in the theatre program during her entire high school career. She was a freshman the first year that theatre won state.

“I remember the program grew a lot in my four years,” Soucek said. “We wanted people to realize that theatre isn’t full of nerds, it’s actually a really cool art that we all loved.”

Perry remains reigning state champs and will continue to succeed in the years to come. Theatre will be performing their spring musical, “Mary Poppins,” next month on April 13, 20, 21, and 22 all at 7 p.m and a 1 p.m matinee on Sat. the 22.