On March 11 at 7 p.m., the Tompkins Theatre Company gathered at Morton Ranch High School to put on the show they had been preparing for months, The Giver. The Giver, originally a novel by Lois Lowry but adapted for the stage by Eric Coble, is set in a dystopian future where jobs are given at a ceremony of twelves. The Giver focuses on a young boy named Jonas who receives memories and slowly learns about the world he lives in. At the competition, Tompkins performed seventh in the series of one act performances placing fifth in the district.
“The Giver was one of the most unique one acts I have ever taken part in. The Theatre Company created an amazing show and I will always be proud of what we did,” said sophomore Rodrigo Colunga.

UIL One Act is a competition for theatrical one acts, or shows that must be completed in 40 minutes. Tompkins has participated in the district wide competition for four years, and has been preparing since the end of their last production, Little Shop of Horrors.

“You get super close with the cast and crew and I felt very lucky to have formed so many friendships during this experience, we made an unforgettable show together,” said Colunga.

The cast and crew came after school everyday for at least two hours in preparation for the show. Along with rehearsals to perfect the one act, they also took time to build up their cast and crew into a more family like group, by going out to Main Event for a day out.

“Despite not advancing in this year’s UIL One Act competition, the memories and the show we put on was worth it. Being in this cast taught me so much about theatre and I could not gain this experience anywhere else,” said Colunga.
Placing fifth with The Giver does not allow them the opportunity to advance in this year’s competition. The skills taken from this event will transpire into other theatre opportunities and will help prepare students for any other opportunities to come in the future.