http://[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qexXGUrpsSs&w=560&h=315]

To be or not to be … as the 2016 OAP, Rivers of Ink, moved on to Area competition, the pressure was high to stay in the running. Rehearsals continued through the night before in the hotel hallway to fine-tune every possible movement. For students who enjoy the rush of being on stage and pulling off a great show, it was time to work their magic.

“To be able to do what I like and compete in it excites me,” freshman Noah Rubel said. “It pushes me to be the best can be.”

Even with two wins under their belt, the actors and crew knew that anything could happen, especially with several actors not arriving back in Houston after baseball and softball games until after 1:00 am, with Rivers of Ink scheduled to compete first. The actors were not the only ones under pressure, though.

“Whenever something goes wrong you think you have no way of fixing it,” freshman Stefani Trejo said. “If we mess up, the cast gets messed up, and then the whole play is gone astray. So there is a lot of stress on Tech and that is what keeps me going. To work as a team to make our plays the best.”

While the play did not advance to regional competition, the students are not done acting for the year. Sound of Music is scheduled for next month.

“Its really fun that we are doing an OAP competition and a musical,” sophomore Lilah Molina said. “Both performances are really important to me, and I’m excited that I have good roles in both plays.”