As soon as the month of March begins, it is non-stop moving for the Group Interpretation and Contest Play casts. In the middle of March, both G.I. (Group Interpretation) and Contest Play sectionals were held at Sterling High School

  Both are competitions that have five judges. These judges decide the top three G.I.’s and top two contest plays to move onto the state level. 

  G.I. is a 30-minute story told only on a set of blocks, instead of a stage. No costumes or props are to be used, so most groups strive to create images with their cast. 

  This year, the S.H.S. G.I. was “Peter and the Starcatcher.” This was known to be a Tony Award winning play, and follows the prequel to “Peter Pan.” 

  Contest Play is a 40-minute show, where the set has to be built and taken down within 20 minutes. Unlike G.I., the cast is able to wear costumes. 

  This year’s Contest Play was “The Mercy Seat.” This two-man show follows a man and his mistress post 9/11.

 Sectionals took place on March 21, with eight schools participating in G.I. and four in contest play. After all performances, awards took place to honor the winning teams. 

  For G.I., Sterling placed second, and for Contest Play, Sterling placed first. But our competition didn’t end there. 

  The following weekend, state was held at Burbank Reavis, where both teams competed that Friday. Though both teams did not move forward, the students were satisfied with their performances.

   Despite the team’s losses, S.H.S. was still recognized as a State Champion of the technology used in Contest Play. This is referring to all of the lights, projections, and sound that was showcased within the competition. 

  Senior James Bentkowski states he was “proud of all of us for winning the award, especially against Chicago schools.”

  While the placements did not go as planned, S.H.S. is still immensely proud of their state achievement.