GRHS thespians perform "Lockdown" at festival

Members of the Green River High School theater department will present a play focused on a groups of students in a school lockdown situation during the Wyoming State Thespian Festival.

According to the high school's theater director Bradlee Skinner, "Lockdown" is entered in the proscenium category of the festival.

The category refers to the type of stage the performance takes place on. He said the Wyoming High School Athletics Association is hosting a hybrid festival, with live events taking place in Cheyenne.

The group will travel to Cheyenne to perform in person. The festival starts today and ends Saturday.

The play "Lockdown" focuses on a group of high school students and a teacher locked inside a classroom during a lockdown situation, which generally advise classrooms to lock their doors and those inside to sit quietly until the lockdown is lifted.

The students process the situation differently, with some thinking the event to be a drill while others grow concerned the situation is real and someone is trying to gun down students. Tempers flare as the situation weighs heavily on the students and teacher as a lack of communication from the school's central office and other external events force the group to grapple with the choice of opening the door or remaining inside.

In total, 14 students are involved in the performance, representing a mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores.

Skinner said the play also has a student director in Maddie Grubb, who he said is tasked with ensuring the students behave and act like students in a lockdown.

Students won't only be performing their play, but will have the chance to watch other schools perform as well.

"Students are going to watch a lot of theater," Skinner said.