MFHS thespians advance to bi-district with ‘Moby Dick—Rehearsed’
The Marble Falls High School theater program’s one-act play finished first in district competition March 5 at Burnet High School. It advances to bi-district March 29 in Waco. Photo by Malin Nelson
The Marble Falls High School theater program performs its one-act play “Moby Dick-Rehearsed” at bi-district competition following a first-place district finish March 5 in Burnet. The young thespians are eyeing a third straight trip to state, but returning with the title this time.
Marble Falls’ bi-district performance is 2 p.m. March 29 at Connally High School, 901 N. Lacy Drive in Waco.
Originally a two-act play by Orson Welles, “Moby Dick—Rehearsed” follows a theater troupe as they dramatize Herman Melville’s classic novel about a ship captain’s pursuit of vengeance against a giant whale. To meet University Interscholastic League one-act play competition standards, Marble Falls condensed the production into a 40-minute performance, cutting subplots and secondary character arcs and carefully selecting scenes that could be effectively staged within guidelines.
“When you fall in love with a full-length play, it’s hard to strip it down to its bare essentials,” MFHS theater teacher Jonathan Clark told DailyTrib.com. “But this adaptation is truly a collaborative effort: Our upperclassmen provide feedback, suggest script cuts, and every company member plays a role in shaping the final production.”
Marble Falls has made some changes this year in its quest for a state one-act play title after placing eighth in 2023 and third in 2024.
“This year, we’re implementing more professional attitudes,” said sophomore cast member James Lawrence, “taking a more head-on approach before competing at district and utilizing the 100-plus hours of rehearsals. … I think that’s definitely helped our company for the better.”
Junior Malin Nelson, who has worked technical for the plays since his freshman year, sees this season as pivotal for the program.
“This year has been going very well with everyone’s script analysis and acting, also trying new things in class to help us improve,” he said. “All of it has really helped and will build us up for the future.”
The cast and crew’s connection to the play has also strengthened the performance.
“Everyone has kind of liked the story the whole way through, so I think that helps our morale,” Lawrence said.
The students take pride in the theater program’s ability to bring together a committed group of performers willing to put in the work required for success.
“The program is really good at finding people who actually enjoy doing what we do for as long as we do it,” Lawrence said. “Most other extracurriculars wouldn’t have their students put in an hour of rehearsal on weekends, but we put in eight hours.”
While proud of their district title, the troupe remains focused on the competitions ahead.
“I think we’re all proud of becoming district champions, and, hopefully, we get state champions—knock on wood,” Nelson said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written by DailyTrib.com intern Jack Smith, a junior at Marble Falls High School. Smith is participating in the DailyTrib.com 2025 Spring Journalism Internship and will periodically contribute reports, features, photos, and stories on his school and community throughout his time with the publication.