By Kelly Kaup
Speech coach
Saturday, Jan. 22, was an exciting day at Montezuma High School, which again hosted more than 20 schools for District Large Group Speech competition.
Montezuma had seven teams participate and four will advance to the next level, the state contest.
The One Act Play performed The Wild Bunch Women: A Memory Play by Nelly E. Cuellar-Garcia. The group’s hard work paid off and they received two one ratings which advanced them to the state level on Saturday, Feb. 5.
Coaches Liz Van Gorp and Dianne Singleton combined to direct this fun western play about five cowgirls who get themselves in a bit of trouble with the outlaw Jesse James and his gang of bandits.
The play has all the elements of entertainment – love and loss, humor and despair. It’s a fun experience for both actors and audience!
The following students participated in the performance on Saturday: Maddy Fleming, Lydia Singleton, Faith Ferry, Lily Shoemaker, Laila Kercheval, Kaya Latcham, Linnea Gusic, Camryn Brennen, Aja Kapayou, Kailey Shaffer, Haley Vanderhart, and Kaleah Shoemaker.
I had the privilege of coaching musical theater and improv. The upperclassmen musical theater group made up of Faith Ferry, Linnea Gusic, Kaya Latcham, Isabella Roorda, Lydia Singleton and Justine Theis is state-bound after a fun performance from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Selections from Children of Eden showcased vocals and dance from upperclassmen Camryn Brennan, Maddy Fleming, Martavious Knox, Tia Shaffer, Kaleah Shoemaker, Lily Shoemaker, Madison Van Zee.
Freshmen Group Hayley Burnett, Addyson Probasco, Shiressa Wettering and Tayler Wickham gave their best performance yet of excerpts from West Side Story.
Three improv teams caused quite a bit of laughter as they made up five-minute scenes on the spot. Upperclassmen team Eli Bustamante, Laila Kercheval, Peter Roberts and Justine Theis made up a hilarious scene about teens teaching seniors how to use Twitter.
Two freshmen teams charmed judges with their wit and quick minds to move on to state.
The first made up of Leslie Lopez, Addyson Probasco and Taylor Wilcox. The second, Emily Jo James, Loki Harris and Tayler Wickham.
Montezuma Speech is excited to move teams forward to state competition on Saturday, Feb, 5th in Cedar Rapids.
Congratulations and good luck at State!
