The Western drama department’s one Act Show, “Horse Girls,” came in second place out of six at the annual VHSL One-Act competition. This year, Western hosted the first level of the competition.
The production was performed in front of judges on November 6th, receiving only positive notes. One judge commented, “I’ve seen ‘Mean Girls’ and I’ve seen ‘Heathers,’ but this was more like a female ‘Lord of the Flies.’ ”
Four of the actresses won honorable mentions for their parts, and the team moved forward to regionals on November 20th at Jefferson Forest High School. The show placed third at regionals, so they did not move forward to the next level of competition. In addition to regionals, the show performed in the WAHS auditorium on November 14th. Mary Kate Camblos, a sophomore audience member, recalled “It was a fun dark comedy and they did a great job with it.”
“Horse Girls” centers around 12 year old Ashleigh, the leader of a club revolving around horses. Ashleigh and her friends are content in their peaceful enjoyment of equines, until their world is rocked by a shocking development.
Dark humor twists the plot when the club, named “The Lady Jean Ladies,” discovers that the stables are being sold, and that the horses are to be slaughtered for meat. The stereotypical, pre-teen lives of the main characters are thrown into a world filled with drama, deception, and death.
This show featured the student talent of Elke Beaumont as Ashleigh, Sophia Christenson as Margaret, Trudy Brement as Brandi, Maddie Krause as Trish, Lilly Clark as Camille, Eunis Duncan as Tiffany, and Emmy Commisso as Robin.
The one-act did not just wow audiences, but became an object of pride for those who worked on it as well. Jacob Walton, a sophomore and president of the drama club who contributed to the show as a light technician, prop manager, and publicist is one of many cast members who hold favorable views of the show, Walton said, “The actresses did such an amazing job and I loved working on this show.”