Canadian High School’s one-act play performance of The Sweet Science of Bruising was one of three plays chosen by judges to advance to the bi-district round of competition. Other schools advancing are River Road and Bushland.

“The cast and crew came out swinging and gave their best performance to date this week at district competition,” said Mistie Walser, director and CHS theatre teacher. “They swept up the highest technical award—Best Technical Crew—and six acting awards.”

The CHS cast and crew earned several individual honors as well, with Clara Pulliam, as Matty Blackwell, named as Best Performer; and Joy Stiner (Polly Stokes), Corbin Throgmorton (Paul Stokes), and Kaylee Scates (Anna Lamb), each named to the All-Star Cast.

Honorable Mention went to Will Fry, playing Professor Charlie Sharp; and Cade Dunbar in the role of Gabriel Lamb.

Crew members Ashley Perry, Avery Ratliff, Journey Wood, Annabell Gilmour, and Mason Drager won the Overall Tech Award.

Other cast members are Ella Walser as Violet Hunter; Addi Wall as Emily; Miranda Calabrese as Aunt George; Payton Wilkinson as Nancy; Xander McQuiddy-Gasparlin as Dr. James Bell; and ensemble players Nayroby Duarte, Alicia Munoz, Ethan Ferrer, and Easton Galla.

“I am incredibly proud of our performance,” Walser said, “and can’t wait to compete in the bi-district contest.”

Bi-district will be an extremely tough competition, she continued, adding that Canadian will face two one-act powerhouses—Tulia and Shallowater—at the next level.

In the UIL one-act play contest, similarly-sized Texas schools present an 18- to 40-minute play and may be adjudicated by a panel of three judges or a single judge. The contest is held on a single day and open to the public.

There are six possible levels of competition: zone, district, bi-district, area, region, and state. At each level of competition, a judge awards individual acting awards as well as selecting three productions to advance to the next level of competition, up to the regional level, where only two will advance to the state level. After the awards are announced a judge gives an oral critique to each of the schools.

The bi-district OAP competition will be held at Highland Park on Thursday, March 24. If Canadian advances, it will go to the area round at Seminole, on Saturday, April 2. Regional OAP competition will be held at Clyde on Thursday, April 21. The state contest will be held at Round Rock on May 5-7.

The Sweet Science of Bruising is an epic tale of passion, politics, and pugilism, set in London in 1869. Four very different Victorian women are drawn into the dark underground world of female boxing by the eccentric Professor Sharp. Controlled by men and constrained by corsets, each finds an unexpected freedom in the boxing ring.

PHOTOS BY LAURIE EZZELL BROWN | THE RECORD