The University Scholastic League, or UIL, sends athletes, musicians, actors, and even dancers to state and regional competitions all over the state of Texas.

Starlight Theatre Company moves from the musical jungle to the competitive stage as they set their sights on Spring UIL.

“We always hope to go all the way to state,” theatre teacher and director Kalyn Holloway said. “And this year we have such a good group of students I feel we can go all the way.”

With over 14,000 students competing together and more than 40 productions carried out within merely three days, the STC will have to reach their fullest potential to place well enough in the five preliminary levels to qualify for state competition.

STC members that participated in UIL last year weren’t as content with their results compared to how well the program has done in the past, each year has proven to be a chance for improvement.

“Last year we went to district, but the year before that we made it to state,” Holloway said. “It’s my 5th year and this program, I’ve watched them all grow up.”

As students come on and off this stage throughout their adolescent years, each aspiring talent reveals itself and this year some of Holloway’s students are pursuing their theatrical dreams in college.

According to betterhighschools.org, far too many students are not receiving an education that adequately prepares them for life following high school.

The STC is always prepared for the unexpected and especially regarding UIL, planning things in advance is the key to being efficient and successful.

“We usually have a couple scripts ready. For UIL specifically, scripts have to be approved before hand,” Holloway said. “So we had a pretty good idea of what we had, however, I don’t know cast yet that will be known soon.”

There are multiple factors that the common student wouldn’t think to consider about performing on stage. It requires understanding and appreciating theatre and that doesn’t always come naturally. Knowing this, the STC directors hire a specialist to annually come in to speak to and inspire their students.

“Well there are a lot of rules and guidelines that we have to follow, we practice our acting, the timing of setting up and tearing down our various sets,” Holloway said. “We work with a clinician who tells us what should be ‘here’ or ‘there’ and what we might want to add or take out.”

Students that wanted to participate in UIL were given the opportunity to audition and initially see a glimpse of what they would be performing. For sophomore Mateo Martinez having a role that connected with his real life was important.

“I was hoping to get the brother, Bartley, in Cripple of Inishmaan,” Martinez said. “I am an older brother but I also like being a side character as I’m kind of used to it.”

For Martinez another aspect of the show that appealed to him was the background Irish heritage because he loves to produce different dialects which he hopes to use in the future of his acting career.

“Far too many students are not receiving an education that adequately prepares them for life following high school,” according to betterhighschools.org.

For sophomore Megan Russell being in one of the shows wasn’t so much of a career choice as it was for entertainment. UIL competitions give students confidence, encouragement, and time to practice real life skills like effective communication and time management.

”It was sort of on a whim but I was looking into the theatre shows for this time of the year and saw the spring UIL coming up. I thought that they would be cool thing to try for the first time.” Russell said.

Even those without a specific role in mind desire to be under those spotlights, as well as that there are various technical and design aspects of the STC’s productions that appeal to students.

“I wasn’t trying for a particular role,” Russell said. “To be honest I hadn’t expected to be on the callback list after the auditions.”

Experiencing unique surroundings and new people on campus is a great way to adapt to high school for newcomers, it can also work as the perfect distraction for an overwhelmed upperclassmen stuck in a tiresome routine.