40 minutes, a hundredth of a second over and walk off stage empty handed. March welcomed UIL season to campus and the Starlight Theatre Company introduced “The American Clock” to the competition.

 
“In the midst of the musical Mr. Bazan and I are reading a new script almost every night in order to come to a consensus about one that will work for the company,” STC director Betsy Cornwell said.

 
While theatre spring shows are still in the works the UIL cast and crew work quickly to bring together a contest worthy show within weeks.

 
“Hearing what the judge has to say, rather than not knowing what the audience really thought about the performance, is a huge difference with UIL productions,” senior and STC president Dane Ralph said.

 
During usual productions the directors can go backstage and help out if there’s ever a problem, but with UIL it’s a different story.
“Our stomachs are turning because the stress is not knowing,” Cornwell said. “You’ve done your best and that’s all you can do, but it’s nerve racking and if something major happens the kids have to deal with it.”

 
On Thursday, March 20 the UIL cast advanced from the Zone to District level in the competition and again on Saturday, March 29 the cast advanced out of District and will be headed to Temple for Area in just over a week.
“Advancing out of Zone was rewarding, but it’s not the luck of the draw as much as it is that judge like what they saw,” Cornwell said. “I mean our students are good and they deserve that recognition.”

 
The challenges brought about by the UIL regulations affect more than just the actors.
“This will be my second time stage managing, my first time being Miss Saigon.” UIL stage manager and junior Catie Tijerina said. “There’s a lot more pressure for UIL because of the time restrictions and that there’s less room for error.”
After the Zone and District levels of the competition the cast won various awards from ‘Best Actress’ to ‘Outstanding Technical Crew’.
“Up until about a week before Zone I didn’t think we were going to advance, but during the week we really stepped it up and by the day of I definitely think we deserved the award,” Catie Tijerina said.

 
This year marks the 26th year that the Starlight Theatre Company has participated in the UIL competition. The production, “The American Clock”, was written by Arthur Miller who also wrote the “Crucible”. The play shows the lives of one family during the Great Depression and the various people around them that are affected during the decade.

 
The company will perform, along with all other spring shows, April 10 and 11 after school in the auditorium. Attending audience members can purchase tickets in the lobby.