Chelsea Srutton and Caleb Kimbro

Writers

Each year, drama students are exposed to various speech categories available for competition through an annual occasion called Demonstration Day.

This year, Demonstration Day was hosted by the Marlow drama department on Thursday, Sept. 19.

Demonstration Day provided a showcase of performances from all participating schools, including prose, original oratories and a diverse selection of monologues.

The Marlow Outlaw Speech Team (M.O.S.T.) and Stagecraft prepared tirelessly for the event that 26 schools attended, a few being Lawton MacArthur, Guthrie and Cheyenne.

After having coordinated it all, director of the Marlow drama department Paula McConnell described the difficulties of preparing for the major event.

“The most interesting and fascinating part was also the most stressful, and that was the management,” said McConnell.  “Getting 18 buses parked, getting 26 schools plus Marlow into an auditorium our size, getting everyone seated, accountable, and seeing the show.”

Organizing such an event at Marlow is no easy task.

Students spent hours rehearsing and preparing their performances to their level of satisfaction.

Senior and second year drama student Caleb Warren described the difficulties of preparing for Demonstration Day.

“The most stressful part was making sure that everything was ready and prepared just the way we wanted it,” said Warren.

Each drama student had a goal for the event; whether it was simply hoping to remember their lines or have fun, each aspiration was specific to the individual.

However, Demonstration Day was not just about M.O.S.T.

Demonstration Day was also hosted for new drama students in Western Oklahoma, giving them an opportunity to watch accomplished students who placed at state competitions.

State champ and third year drama student Elena Holguin expressed the goals she has for newcomers.

“My goal is to get more kids from other schools interested in speech and debate,” said Holguin.  “Hopefully they see that we have a passion for it and that it reaches different types of people.  I hope that more people are willing to get involved in their own drama department.”

Despite the stressful matters the drama department encountered throughout the preparation period, the students expressed their positive outlook on the turmoil they confronted.

First year drama student freshman Maya Cantwell described her favorite aspect of Demonstration Day.

“I really enjoyed watching the comedic performances; they were really funny,” said Cantwell.  “I also liked the duets.”

Reflecting on the experience of preparing for Demonstration Day, Holguin stated that the process went by much smoother with teamwork.

“We had been working on this since last spring, so it had been quite a journey.  I’d say my favorite part was, it’s a little bit weird, but getting to stress together,” said Holguin.  “We wanted it to be good.  It was a bonding moment because it was so fun and we stressed over it, but in the end, it was amazing.”

Having embraced each second of the performance, second year drama student and sophomore Landry O’Neal spoke about the growth in teamwork within M.O.S.T.

“From participating at demo day, I learned how valuable teamwork is.  Everybody on M.O.S.T. is hardworking and talented,” said O’Neal.  “We all have strengths and weaknesses, but whenever we all work together on such a big thing like demo day, it doesn’t feel like we are individuals on a team.  It feels like we are all people who are working to achieve a goal.”

Reflecting on the hours spent practicing dance moves, remembering contest pieces, and creating stages that allow viewers to completely focus on the production, the drama department felt satisfied with their performance.

With the assistance of individuals who placed at state, the presentation of various contest pieces ended successfully with drama novices excited to begin preparing their own.