This fall, Ridgeview Theatre students took first place for the first time in the Drama Teacher’s Association of Southern California (DTASC) Fall Festival. Students competed against around 80 other schools in Southern California, and did so completely online.

        Drama student Theodore Walker has been in the class since his Freshman year, and one of the actors a part of the Small Group Comedy scene that was placed first. “That’s the first time we’ve ever gotten first place at DTASC, so it was kind of a big moment for us,” says Walker. “I think this year since we don’t have the ability to have physical movement and add more to our character that way, we really had to become more in tune with our characters.”

        Another student who was in the comedy scene is VaLynn Transmeier. “I was watching them say the names and they got to second place and didn’t say our school, and I started freaking out because placing first in DTASC is such a big deal. I was in shock. ” Transmier says that they were able to set themselves apart by making the online setting work for them. “We used the fact that everything was online to our advantage. And we made it look like it was a conference on zoom rather than the other ones who were trying to perform a scene that was made for a stage, not little boxes.”

      The Theatre class has a history of consistently improving each year, placing highly, always giving their very best. “Even though a category loses one year, I always notice the next year we come back even stronger and we actually get that place again. So I do believe next year they’ll be able to reach that goal again, and maybe even surpass it,” says Walker. Transmier thinks that students can achieve high placings again.“The highest group we had placed my first year was third place, last year Small Group Comedy placed second place, and this year we were first, and I think it’s just a matter of work ethic and having that mindset that this is what you want will definitely help people place higher,” Transmier says.

      These students are people who love what they do and give it their all. Equally as inspiring is a teacher who loves what they do, and gives the students their all.  Drama teacher Jennifer Resolme has been teaching Theatre for 21 years and is in her 16th year at Ridgeview. “I love being in a creative environment and that I am surrounded by incredibly talented, fun-loving, hard-working students who take their craft very seriously,” says Resolme. “Theatre relies on making human connections between actors and with the audience so it was especially difficult to get past that and prepare for a virtual acting experience,” says Resolme in regards to the challenges this year brought to preparing for the performance.

       “We have been going to this highly competitive festival for eight years. After the first two years, we started to have all of our groups place in the semi-finals, then the next year we had at least half of our groups get to finals (top ten) and now for last four years we have had at least one group get top four and win a trophy, and finally this year we got first!” Resolme says. “We just keep getting better and better and I’m sure the legacy will continue. It is very important to all of my actors to keep our standards high and to work as hard as possible to achieve greatness.” she adds. This competition is certainly a tough one, but to students who strive to challenge themselves in acting it’s a perfect opportunity.

     Here’s Resolme’s advice to them. “Don’t be afraid to truly throw yourself into the character 100%,” says Resolme, “Go full out and commit to rehearsing your scene until it is perfect!”