The year was 2008; just a year and a half after the school opened its doors to students for the first time. With the oldest class being just sophomores, the impression the theatre program left on its 3A competitors was big when the One Act Play group made it to State.  Five years passed and the theatre department had not made a return trip to State until now.

The theatre program’s OAP “Sweet Nothing in My Ear” has traveled through four levels of UIL competition and finally reached the final stage.

“It’s exciting to be a part of this as a freshman,” freshman Olivia Whitehead said.   “Definitely a great way to start high school.”

Each stage of UIL, the students and directors have taken home many awards, including Best Overall Tech at every stage.

“This being my first year as a director for Lovejoy, it’s safe to say it could not have been better,” tech director John Davenport said.  “We’ve come so far and the kids surprise me with the level of professionalism they have at all times.”

With this year’s OAP being so different from the school’s past plays, students and directors are proud with the amount of hard work and dedication that’s been put into the production.

“I’ve been working with some of these students for six years, and I’m very pleased with the dedication and leadership they’re showing through this experience,” director Jessica Brewster. “We’ve got a month before State, and there’s still work to be done.”

This being the first year for the school to be in 4A, the theatre program has officially made a name for themselves.

“To me, that’s the thing I’m most proud of,” junior Chochy Luce said.  “It’s our first year in a new and bigger division, and we’ve come this far.  We can’t wait to show people at State why we’re there.”

State competition is May 22-23 at UT Austin.