Competition season has arrived for students involved in the theater department, with student actors recently having the opportunity to compete at Oregon’s Regional Acting Competition, which acts as a qualifying competition for the State Acting Showcase. 

The Regional Acting Competition is one of the largest theater competitions in the state and performers compete in numerous categories, including different types of acting and musical theater. Sophia Burden, junior, attended the Regional Acting Competition and performed in both solo and group acting, and musical theater categories.

“My favorite [category] is solo musical,” Burden said. “Mostly because I’ve been acting and doing performance for so long and I’ve always done musical theater, so it just hits home for me.”

She has attended the competition three times, while her first experience was virtual due to COVID-19, both years she has attended since have been in-person and she has participated in the Regional Acting Competition all three years she has been eligible. 

“I went last year when it was in-person again,” Burden said. “And then freshman year when it was online. That was a weird experience I just [have] to say.” 

After a successful Regional Acting Competition, Burden has qualified for the state competition and will be competing again at Oregon’s State Acting Showcase, which will be held at Oregon’s State Acting Festival on April 13-15, 2023. The State Acting Festival is the signature event for thespians in Oregon and the highest level of in-state competition for student-actors.

For more information about Burden’s experience at the Regional Acting Competition and about her experiences in the theater department, listen to her appearance on the latest episode of the West Linn Weekly Wake Up, hosted by print editor-in-chief Audrey Lippert and web editor-in-chief Karina Rower.