Colonel Players present fall production at KTA competition in Harlan County

This past Saturday, the Whitley County Colonel Players drama team performed their fall production, Back Cover, at the Kentucky Theatre Association’s (KTA) East Regional competition in Harlan County.

Back Cover tells the story of a teenager named Madison who is forced to relocate to New York City after her parents’ unexpected divorce. After finding a shoebox full of old letters belonging to a woman named Jessica, Madison makes a connection that will change her life forever. The play’s program describes it as “a story of loss, courage, humanity, and the painful – but wonderful – experience of growing up.”

The Players first presented Back Cover last Thursday and Friday in front of friends, family and supporters inside the cafeteria at Whitley County High School.

“They work really well together,” said drama coach Sarah Draper of this year’s Colonel Players troupe. “There is a lot of chemistry there, and most are seniors. They have really grown. Opening night can be a little rocky, but they just get better every time after that.”

Whitley competed against six other schools at the weekend regional, and while they were not one of the three schools selected to advance on to state-level competition, Draper said that she was very proud of the way that the team performed.

When asked about the play selection for the fall regional, Draper explained, “We’ve had it planned since last spring. You usually want a drama for KTA, because they are moving, and they best showcase the kids’ abilities for the judges.”

With several seniors on stage this year, Draper said that there are some possibilities of seeing Colonel Players performing at the next level in the near future.

“We definitely have some who want to perform collegiately,” Draper said. “If any students are interested in collegiate theater, or working in professional theater one day, it is important for them to get started in a high school program so that they can learn the basics of acting.”

Draper also mentioned the Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) program as another potential avenue for high school students to gain access to educational opportunities in theater, including earning valuable scholarship opportunities. More information on the GSA program is available online at kentuckyperformingarts.com.

Rachel Meadors, who graduated from WCHS and went on to contribute to Kentucky Shakespeare and a production at the Kentucky Performing Arts Center, said, “When transitioning from high school to collegiate and professional theatre, I’ve found that they’re all very different but the experiences build on one another.”

“Participating in high school theatre at Whitley imbued a love for the craft in me and made me extremely adaptable,” Meadors added. “I learned people skills, management of time, people and resources, organization, problem solving, and much, much more.”

With their KTA fall regional competition now behind them, the Colonel Players will move on to making preparations for a special Christmas production. Draper said those efforts will get underway after the upcoming fall break for Whitley County Schools on Oct. 9-13.