By Taylor Seay

The Drama Department dominated the 2010 District Thespian Competition, finishing on top with a record four Critic’s Choice awards.

After their 10th appearance at the District Festival at the Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Drama director Rod Durham is thrilled at how talented his young students are.

“We’ve never had all Superior or Excellent marks,” Durham said. “I feel like this was our best showing yet.”

Leon entered 23 different individual events, winning 14 Excellent ratings, nine Superior ratings and four Critic’s Choices.

Critic’s Choice is considered the “best of the best,” picked by the festival judges.

Overall, Leon won four out of 14 categories.

Leon competed with 25 other schools in district one and, according to Durham, the Leon students had the best placing.

Drama’s one-act play, “Mandy Dear,” did not win a slot to compete at state.

However, Leon was honored in the individual acts more than any other school.

Senior Casey Leach was voted Best Actor for his performance in “Mandy Dear.”

Junior Ariadne Vickers-Davis won the title of All Star. The judges picked one All Star from each one-act performance.

The young actress was chosen as Leon’s starlet.

Vickers-Davis says she gets a little nervous when competing, but she finished on top nevertheless.

“Nerves are the worst,” Vickers-Davis said. “Because right before you go on, you feel like you’re going to forget all your lines or something terrible will happen, when in truth, you’re so ready.”

Leon’s Drama Department showed off its outstanding skill and raised the bar quite high for the future competitions, Durham said.

“We can always be better, be tighter, be more,” Durham added. “That’s what I love about the art form.

“You can never really be ‘the best.’ If you think that, you need to get out of the dramatic and performing arts.”