Congratulations to Jeanette Arvay and all the cast and crew of The Crucible: Stan Adkins, Ted Gwara, Charles Francis, Roddey Smith, Daniel Stone, Joey White, Drew Kennedy, Keith Hair, Allison Arvay, Jaclyn Hall, Ali Collins, Elizabeth May, Laura Hubbard, Kendal Titus, Dana Witkoski, Deanna Santoro, and Mary Tilden. Also representing Dreher were Rebecca Rogers, Caitlin Merck, Lindsay Lesesne, Nick Adkins, and Lee Harrington.

February 17-19, 2006, Dreher's Drama Department and the Dreher 3-D Players channeled the spirits of Medieval traveling bards and took their talents to Spartanburg, SC. There, they competed at the SC International Thespian Society (SCITS) competitio n which joined forces this year with the Palmetto Dramatics Association(PDA.

Jeanette Arvay, director of Dreher's Drama Department, explains, the event is a "weekend of high school theater competition judged by professionals. The actors perform pieces in their individual areas with a one act." Each school has 40 minutes to set up and perform their piece. This year, there were 22 one-act plays creating 36 hours of drama!

Twenty-six Dreher students participated. The Dreher group staged Act 3 of Arthur Miller's powerful play, The Crucible. Their performance earned a superior rating and placed first in the state in overall one-act competition. Excellent Actor Awards went to seniors Drew Kennedy and Elizabeth May, along with an Honorable Mention award to senior Allison Arvay and the Accusing Girls. Allison also earned a $500 college scholarship from SCITS.

Jaclyn Hall, Elizabeth May, and Lee Harrington will advance with their individual events to the nationals this summer. May also earned a superior rating on her make-up design with actress Ali Collins as her model. The most memorable prize to Arvay was the praise the group received from the judges. "One of the judges told us, 'Since you all are obviously actors, take it to the next level, and don't show the obvious.'"

The Dreher Drama Department later masterfully performed The Crucible in its entirety February 23-25, delivering one of the best shows ever during this writer's three year tenure at Dreher. Many audience members and classmates spoke of "getting chills" and "being really moved" by their portrayals.

The Crucible is no simple play to tackle. "Arthur Miller is difficult to learn," Arvay acknowledges. "At SCITS, we did line readings in the hall, Zaxby's...anywhere." The performance came together beautifully despite some nervousness and apprehension. When asked how they managed, Ms. Arvay says, "They started listening to each other...and to me. It was phenomenal."

Congratulations are in order for Jeanette Arvay and all the cast and crew: Stan Adkins, Ted Gwara, Charles Francis, Roddey Smith, Daniel Stone, Joey White, Noah Fram, Drew Kennedy, Keith Hair, Allison Arvay, Jaclyn Hall, Ali Collins, Elizabeth May, Laura Hubbard, Kendal Titus, Dana Witkoski, Deanna Santoro, and Mary Tilden. Also representing Dreher in an outstanding manner were Rebecca Rogers, Caitlin Merck, Lindsay Lesesne, Nick Adkins, and Lee Harrington.