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The competition is part of the , hosted by the West Virginia Theatre �����Ƶsociation, which includes several activities for high school thespians, like the one-act competition, a tech competition, a monologue slam and other opportunities for students to both learn and show off their skills. This year�����Ƶ�s festival will be hosted Nov. 18 at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Dunfee said, following the Winter Festival, the class will compete again at the regional conference in February, and if they win, they will be able to move on to the state conference.

�����Ƶ�We have worked on (the one-act) primarily in class, and a lot of these kids have never acted before. And then some of them have been leads in multiple shows, so it�����Ƶ�s quite a diverse group. A lot of them are (in) tech, so they get a chance to act on stage, too,�����Ƶ� Dunfee said.

The play centers around a young prince who is placed under a curse where he must travel to find three oranges, each containing a princess, and fall in love with them. Over the course of the play, two of the oranges are lost, and he is left with only the third orange.

�����Ƶ�I saw a group in Texas do it ... and I just thought, �����Ƶ�This is perfect for the kids, because they love comedy,�����Ƶ������Ƶ� Dunfee said. �����Ƶ�There were enough parts for everybody. And then, of course, the tech side, the stagecraft classes, have enjoyed the part where they�����Ƶ�re building the book that sets up behind it and all the boxes and creating the costume looks. So it was a good choice for them.�����Ƶ�

In a technical sense, Dunfee said the students are learning about commedia dell�����Ƶ�arte, an Italian form of theater, and are learning to incorporate what they�����Ƶ�ve learned about its history into the play to ensure it is performed the way it was written. Still, Dunfee said the play is modern and mostly uses historical names and themes.

�����Ƶ�They�����Ƶ�re definitely on board. And I will say, if they weren�����Ƶ�t, we wouldn�����Ƶ�t have been able to get this far, because putting something together in two months in a 45- to 55-minute class period is next to impossible. But they�����Ƶ�ve worked really hard, and they�����Ƶ�re bought in, and I think they�����Ƶ�ll do really well,�����Ƶ� Dunfee said.

She said the most significant part of theater is having a sense of community, and having the ability to be around other theater kids at competitions will allow them to make connections for the future.

�����Ƶ�For a lot of them, they�����Ƶ�ll continue working in community theater or maybe some semi-professional aspect of it, but just for them to have that sense of community within the state of West Virginia, because art in the state of West Virginia is very important,�����Ƶ� Dunfee said of taking students to competitions.

Huntington High junior Kathlyn Meek, 16, plays the character Creonta, who�����Ƶ�s a witch guarding the oranges. Meek typically works in the tech department with HHS Theatre, operating the lighting board and hanging and focusing the lights on and off stage.

Meek said through performing in the one-act, she has had the opportunity to learn more about how her light positioning affects the actors and those backstage. She said she has also learned more about backstage operations in general, which she can take with her back to the light booth.

Meek said she enjoys the one-act storyline because it�����Ƶ�s not only funny, but it�����Ƶ�s also based in history.

�����Ƶ�I�����Ƶ�m really excited to compete. I�����Ƶ�m competing twice because I�����Ƶ�m doing a tech thing as well, but I�����Ƶ�m excited because a lot of my friends are in this show, and we are doing really, really well, and I�����Ƶ�m very proud of everyone,�����Ƶ� Meek said.

The next full production HHS Theatre will perform will be �����Ƶ�It�����Ƶ�s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play�����Ƶ� in December. Dunfee said the show will have exactly the same plot as the classic film, but all of the sound effects will be made on-stage and in the moment, and the students will change their voices to play multiple characters.

She said the stage will also be set up to look like a traditional radio station, and her class has received help from the Museum of Radio and Technology in learning about the history of radios and how to ensure their set will look authentic.