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Hermleigh Junior High School students (l-r) Kobin Elder, Javier Del Real, Devin Hildebrand, Elida Hernandez, Chelsea Hawkins, Aidan Sanchez, Baeleigh Botts, Payton Rivera and Haygen Halkowitz rehearse a scene from The Diviners, their one-act play which will be performed at Hermleigh at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 and at the University Interscholastic League contest in Westbrook on Nov. 8.
Eighth grade students at Hermleigh ISD explore concepts of faith, loss and overcoming fears in their one-act play, The Diviners, which will be performed for the public on Nov. 6 before being presented in a University Interscholastic League (UIL) contest.
The play, written by Jim Leonard, is set in a rural town in the 1930s and centers on a boy named Buddy who suffered brain damage after he nearly drowned. A man named C.C. Showers, a former preacher trying to escape his past, comes to town and befriends Buddy. The two share their thoughts on God and family and C.C. tries to help Buddy overcome his fear of water.
Kelly Martin, theatre teacher at Hermleigh ISD, is directing the play and said she wanted a show that would force her students to step outside their comfort zones.
“I wanted to put some of the students, especially some of the boys, in challenging roles,” Martin said. “All these students were in one act last year but they all have bigger roles in this one than they did last year.”
The group of 15 students — 11 cast members and four crew members — has been working on the play since the first week of school. They will perform on the Hermleigh cafetorium stage at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 6. Tickets will be $5. The play will then be presented at the one-act UIL contest in Westbrook on at 1 p.m. Nov. 8.
Martin said one of the challenges the play presents is the emotion with which the story is told. She said the students have memorized their lines and stage directions, but said it will be their ability to portray the right amount of emotion that will bring the story to life.
“They haven’t yet connected with the play as emotionally as I want them to,” Martin said. “But that’s difficult. I hope we can reach (the audience) emotionally. If we can do that, there shouldn’t be a dry eye in the house.”
Cast members are Korbin Elder, Devin Hildebrand, Haygen Halkowitz, Tyler Thompson, Baeleigh Botts, Brittany Smith, Javier Del Real, Chelsea Hawkins, Elida Hernandez, Aidan Sanchez and Payton Rivera. Crew members are Paisley Coleman, Emma Dugan, Jordan Quinn and Mercedes Smith.