East High theatre program secures multiple wins at state competition

The Eastside Players, Madison East High School’s theatre team, took home several awards at the 2024 Wisconsin Interscholastic Speech and Dramatic Arts Festival in November.

The team’s production of playwright Tim Kelly’s one-act, “Country Gothic,” received the festival’s top prize, the Critic’s Choice Award. The group also received awards for outstanding ensemble, outstanding technical theatre and outstanding directing. Students Ana McCallum-Moore and Marcus McCaleb were each named outstanding actors.

More than 1,800 student-competitors from high schools across Wisconsin participated in this year’s competition, which took place at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts. In total, there were 43 one-act performances spread across the festival’s three days.

“Advancing to the state competition is a tremendous accomplishment in and of itself,” said Paul Milisch, East High’s theatre instructor and director of this year’s performance. “The dedication, perseverance and commitment that our team poured into this production served to make our entire East High community proud, and it was my great privilege to have been along for the ride.”

Eastside Players is composed of the following East High students: Zavier Alexander, Lili Baker, Quince Clark, Dominica Costanzo-Adkins, Kalea Cummings, Esme Deadman, Sycamore Felland, Jase Frost-Ohlsen, Eli Hermann, Lucy Hillebrand, Cora Holden, Chloe Johnson, Teagan Kluetzman, Madeline Lehmen, Mark McCaleb, Ana McCallum-Moore, Lincoln Miller, Faerie Mlatawou, Louis Morgan, Ariana Nathan, Autumn Salas, Milena Schucknect, Joe Sprader, Summer Vanatta, Scarlett Welch, Scarlet Wellens, Julia West.