The One-Act Play cast members and Coach, Loretta Knodel loaded up the van and trailer and headed to State in Rapid City at the end of the school day on Wednesday, February 2.

There were schools from all over the state. AA, A, and B schools were all gathered in one place. They spent their time watching other schools perform and listening to their critiques to help them learn more about being on stage and also give them different ideas for the technical part of theater. They also held practices and a character building session in their hotel. They got in a couple hours of shopping at the mall, and two hours at the water park in their hotel.

They performed Saturday afternoon on the biggest stage they had ever been on and to the largest audience they had ever had (more people in the audience than the population of Avon.)

There we’re 16 class B schools at the festival. Five of those schools were awarded a Superior Play award. The Avon cast came home with a plaque for the group and a gold medal for each member of the cast and crew.

When Coach Loretta Knodel was asked about the experience she replied: " I am still on a high and cannot believe it! We wanted our play to be meaningful and give hope to those who have lived in the wake of addiction. We never expected a packed house (700 seats and people standing) and certainly did not expect a standing ovation! The play was emotional enough for my students, and that magnitude of applause took us over the edge."