On Thursday afternoon at Sulfur Springs High School, the curtains closed on the Tiger Theater’s company’s district performance of Silent Sky, a modern historical play by Lauren Gunderson. As the company took their set offstage and got out of costume, they knew they had brought to stage one of the strongest performances they ever had.

Apparently those judging the competition agreed.

From the awards ceremony, the Tigers took home four different individual awards. Lighting technicians Sydney Watts and Stephanie Jumper won all-star crew. Supporting actress Lia Graham won honorable mention all-star cast for her role as Margaret Leavitt and Jeremy Creek won all-star cast for his role as Peter Shaw.

“I was so proud of our group and how far we’d come since reading the script for the first time a few weeks ago,” Creek said. 

The crowning achievement, however, of the individual awards the company took home, was the best performer medal given to Maddie Frost. The best performer title is only given to two actors and/or actresses in the competition. With seven schools competing at district, Frost was chosen out of hundreds of others. 

“I felt this huge wave of accomplishment, and that every second of hard work paid off,” Frost said. “My favorite part of the show has been becoming a more experienced and well rounded actress. I’m excited to push myself further; I know I can do better, and I’m excited to get there.”

The actors weren’t the only ones recognized for their part in the production, however. The Tech Crew, consisting of lighting, sound and projection technicians, costume designers, set crew, stage managers, prop crew, etc., won the tech award, which honors the school with the best elements of theatre not including acting. 

Overall, the Tiger Theatre Company’s strong showing at District sends good signals for their coming competition at Bi-District. There, they will compete against five other schools, two who have advanced from their district, and three other schools. The last time the Tigers were at Bi-District was 2019, where the run of “The Crucible” was cut short. But with a solid show held up by strong actors and a dedicated crew, there’s a serious chance “Silent Sky” will take the Tigers far in the competition.