Cleveland Drama Club Places 1st at Contest

Performing selections from award-winning Broadway plays, as well as an original look at a piece on the coming of the millennium, the drama club at Cleveland High School took the first place sweepstakes award in the Southern California Fall Drama Festival last weekend.

“We’re very proud to have won the sweepstakes trophy,” said Cleveland’s drama and speech coach, Sarah Rosenberg, “especially noting how difficult the competition is and what fine students represent Southern California.”

The 38 students performed scenes from the Broadway musicals “Beauty and the Beast” and “Rent,” as well as “Eating Raoul.”

Cleveland students competed against student actors from 60 public and private schools last Saturday at North Hollywood High School.

Cleveland students took first place in the categories Group Drama, Children’s Theater and Technical Theater.

The students took second place in the Humorous, Anything Goes and Translation categories. For the Translation category, the group performed a play originally written in French.

Senior Noe Corral, 17, said his group made the finals in the pantomime category but was disqualified on a technicality.

He and other students said they often feel as if they are performing under added pressure because Cleveland has won the competition several times before.

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Jessica Rosenberg, 16, said competition is fun because drama students can be very encouraging.

“But it’s a little nerve-racking because the competition was really intense,” said the junior, who also is the drama coach’s daughter. “There are a lot of good schools.”

Sarah Rosenberg said the students do well because of the determination they bring to the competition.

“It’s the number of hours they spend in rehearsal,” she said. “They’re very dedicated, and it seems to make the difference.”