Terra Nova sweeps its audience away to the continent of Antarctica and tells the moving story of five Englishmen in their struggle to reach the South Pole in 1911. This award-winning play performed by the Drama Department of East Henderson High School will debut at Playhouse Downtown, on Thursday, January 19, at 7 p.m. The show will be a benefit to further the success of these high school drama students.

Starring in this imaginative and distant adventure are Wendell Rieger, Blake Smith, Devin Smith, Stuart Dunlap, Corey Boeh, and Jesse Allard. Corey Cox oversees as stage manager. The students have already received numerous awards for their performances, including scholarships, and are eager to move to the next level of competition.

These actors belong to East High’s Advanced Drama class, and many are participants of the Flat Rock Playhouse YouTheatre program. During their October performance at the North Carolina Theatre Conference’s High School Play Festival, the group competed against other groups from across North Carolina. East’s dynamic performance won the award of Most Distinguished Play, earning them the state championship.

In addition to Terra Nova winning this prestigious award, the play also won awards for Excellence in Make-up, as well as Costumes and Outstanding Achievement in Ensemble Acting. Individual students from the ensemble were also recognized. For their performances, Stuart Dunlap won Excellence in Acting while Blake Smith picked up an Outstanding Achievement in Acting. Corey Cox won an Excellence in Acting award for her performance in Chamber Music. Blake Smith was also honored with a $20,000 scholarship offer from a choice of three different colleges.

“During the NCTC Festival, we competed against eight regional sites, 85 schools, and 11 productions, so we feel that this honor recognizes our entire community as a place that supports the arts and nurtures those talents in our schools," says Zach Walker, an East High Theatre Arts teacher and Playhouse board member. "The primary concern now is raising the $5,000 necessary to get the group to the Southeastern competition. Ticket purchases for the Playhouse Downtown performance will help our troupe compete on a national level, and allow the seven East Henderson students to audition in front of nearly 100 colleges and universities for scholarships, job opportunities, and other theatre related careers all across the country."

The players of Terra Nova are currently gearing up to represent the state of North Carolina at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, where they will compete against top plays from ten other states in the southern region. The competition will take place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this March.

The drama group is accepting donations from the community to help meet the expenses associated with the next level of competition. There will be an opportunity to show support for the East High Drama students at the show. Donations can be made either in person or by mail to East Henderson High School c/o Zach Walker, 110 Old Upward Road, East Flat Rock, NC, 28726. Please make checks out to East High Drama.

Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown will host a presentation of East Henderson High’s Advanced Theatre production of Terra Nova on January 19 at 7 pm. The evening will also feature the entire class in Rutherford Wolf. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, with concessions sold between shows. For more information visit Please visit flatrockplayhouse.org.