Greensboro, Ga. (November 4, 2019) – The Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) high school theatre troupe qualified for the GHSA State One-Act Play Competition for the second year in a row. On November 2, 2019, the troupe took their musical Quilters to compete against seven other schools for the state championship title: Irwin County, Echols County, Seminole County, Furlow Charter School, ACE Charter School, Rainey-McCullers School of Performing Arts, and Georgia Military College Prep. For the first time in LOA’s history, the troupe captured the state championship trophy with its riveting portrayal of the lives of pioneer women in the American West.

All three judges ranked the production in 1st place, giving scores of 97, 97, and 100. One judge left the troupe a heartfelt comment on his score sheet. He stated, “My grandmother was a big quilter and I miss her every day. Thank you for sparking the thousands of memories I had of her.”

In addition to winning the championship, “All-Star Cast Awards” were given to Rylie McDonald (junior) and Elisa Garcia-Carreras (freshman). The “Best Actress” award for the entire competition went to senior Helen Garcia-Carreras for her portrayal of Sarah McKendree Bonner, a pioneer woman who endures the harsh realities and abiding rewards of life on the frontier.

Following their state win, the troupe was invited to perform at the 2020 Georgia Thespian Conference (ThesCon) which takes place in Columbus, GA in February. To prepare for their trip to ThesCon, they will hold one last community performance of Quilters at Lake Oconee Academy on Tuesday, February 4, at 7:00 p.m. Discounted tickets will be available at the door for $5.

The cast, crew, and directors are listed below:

Cast: Natalie Ansley, Hannah Bell, Shelby Davis, Elisa Garcia-Carreras, Helen Garcia-Carreras, Gabby Gruszynski, Lauren Harris, Rylie McDonald, Amelia Moon, and Ashley Moss

Crew: Elizabeth Brosman, Belle Cawley, Elisha Copeland, Brenes Evans, Lillian Garcia-Carreras, Evan Gibson, Isabelle Hodges, Sarah Grace Ingle, and Lucas Minton

Director, Choreographer: Lora Garcia-Carreras

Assistant Director, Vocals: Kelly Ingle Accompanist, Vocals: Amy Reber

Theatre Tech: Kimberly Fleming

Lighting Consult: Vickie Spivey

Photo: The LOA theatre troupe captured the GHSA One-Act Play state championship title with its performance of Quilters. Cast members pictured are (front row, left to right) Gabby Gruszynski, Elisa Garcia-Carreras, Shelby Davis, Amelia Moon, (back row, left to right) Helen Garcia-Carreras, Rylie McDonald, Ashley Moss, Hannah Bell, Natalie Ansley, Lauren Harris.