The competition also provides exposure opportunities for those seeking further involvement in the theatre arts, and junior Jake Kerstine competed and won a perfect score and a Mainstage callback for his rendition of “Michael in the Bathroom” from Be More Chill.

“The main thing that you can get is visibility,” Kerstine said. “There’s a lot of important people from all over the state, and some people come from different parts of the country to like workshop and do different things. They are there at the ceremonies, so if you get the opportunity to perform in front of them, they might say, ‘Hey, I really like this guy. Let me go and talk to him and see if I can give him another opportunity.'”

Along with Kerstine, senior Camille Dobrient chose to compete for the chance to perform simply for their passion for acting and theater. At the competition, Dobrient won National Qualifying in Solo Musical and Best Performer from her performance as Katherine Howard for SIX and her rendition of a song from Bring it On.

“I had decided before I knew we were going to be performing our show and I thought it would be a good opportunity to show off my skills I guess and I enjoy performing,” Dobrient said.

The thrill of performing is something Kerstine said he is familiar with, too, and this has been a constant in his life.

“I find a lot of joy in acting and singing,” Kerstine said. “I think theater and singing has been the main continuity throughout my life that I’ve been like, ‘this is my safe haven. This is what I love to do.'”

Students earn awards based on various aspects of their performance, like voice, stage presence, musicality and more, and Dobrient believed her connection to the audience made her stand out in the crowd of talented performers.

“All six of us in SIX we were all were really talented, and we put on a great show together,” Dobrient said. “I felt like I connected with the audience a lot, and I was getting a lot of reactions, especially from such a big crowd, and it was helping me feed off of them, and I just was really caught up in the emotions.”

Kerstine said he feels a similar personal connection with the audience, as well as choosing pieces that complement the performer, are ways to distinguish oneself.

“I have always loved doing the comedic stuff,” Kerstine said. “Making someone laugh is one of the most powerful things that you can do. Really workshopping to find the right piece for me was a main part of how I was able to select the right piece so I could show them my best work.”

While the students took home several awards for their hard work, Rodriguez said this was a huge win for the school and program which was because of the students.

“They had to perform in front of 9,000 theatre students collectively within two different performances, so it was the biggest performances that they’ve ever had,” Rodriguez said. “It was fun to kinda watch them command that room and just have a good time.”