May 21, 2025
In May 2025, alumni and theatre educators Cody Edgar (B.F.A. 2015), Susannah Cole (B.F.A. 2017) and Blade Healey (B.F.A. 2012) led their high school theatre programs to the One-Act Play State Championship. Serving as teachers and directors, they took an active role mentoring their students to reach the highest level of this high school theatre competition. Edgar shared some insight into his process and path to the State One-Act Play competition.
The annual One-Act Play (OAP) competition is a branch of the Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) in which high school theatre programs from around the state rehearse and perform 18-40 minute long plays for adjudication. Judges select the most outstanding productions to advance through multiple levels of competition, culminating in the State OAP Championship. In preparation for the OAP season, theatre educators select plays that fit their students’ strong suits. They also serve as directors and mentors throughout the rehearsal process as their students take on performance, management and technical theatre roles.
Edgar provided a window into his process as the Head Theatre Director at Dawson High School, which advanced to the 2025 OAP State Championship:
Share your name and how many years you’ve been a teacher/theatre director.
Edgar: "My name is Cody Edgar and I am the Head Theatre Director at Dawson High School in Pearland, Texas. This was my ninth year teaching and my sixth at Dawson."
Talk about your experience working on UIL One-Act Play this year. What did your rehearsal process/preparation look like?
Edgar: “We reached the State level of competition with our UIL One-Act Play, W;t by Margaret Edson. The rehearsal process was fast and furious as we had about four weeks from the close of our winter musical to get it ready. W;t is an acting-heavy show with an emphasis on realism, so working with the cast to achieve those real connections was a very rewarding challenge. We had our first competition on March 11, 2025 and then continued until the end of May. We spent a long time refining the play every step of the way and, ultimately, I think it was the small changes that made us successful.”
What does it mean to you to have advanced to the State UIL OAP Championship this year?
Edgar: “It meant the world to go to State this year. Watching my kids take in the experience and perform at the highest level was a dream. I think it taught them so many lessons not just about theatre but about life and taking care of yourself so you can be the most fulfilled version of yourself. This process also brought them so much closer together, as they got to explore Austin and visit the UT Department of Theatre and Dance together.”
Are there any lessons you learned in your time at UT that have helped you succeed as an OAP director and theatre teacher?
Edgar: "UT shaped me tremendously as a theatre educator, specifically in how to bring a group together under a unified and clear vision. When you make a show, you have a million things to accomplish, but the main one is bringing the group together as a collective to strive for a common outcome. With teachers like (former faculty) Joan Lazarus and Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, I was championed to make kids feel like they belonged to something bigger than themselves, while also reminding them how valuable they are as individuals."
Edgar and his students at Dawson High School competed in the 6A Conference along with Susannah Cole, who directed North Forney High School’s advancing production of The Angels of Bataan. In the 4A Conference, Blade Healey directed Van High School’s advancing production of The Ferryman.