The theater UIL One Act cast and crew will perform Pinocchio at the Regional level of the One Act competition April 13 at the University of Texas at Arlington.

“I’m shocked and amazed,” director Ryan Heitzman said. “I’m grateful for and very proud of my cast. This is a very interesting story to tell, and so I’m grateful for our kids to be able to take the stage and shine like they always do. Any chance that we have to be on the stage is a chance we will always relish.”

On April 9, the cast and crew met with two other groups that are going to Region competition to critique each other: the team of The Book of Everything, from 4A Lebanon Trail High School, and the team of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, from 5A The Colony High School. The three schools will not be competing against each other.

“I have to say, we definitely weren’t expecting [to advance], so it’s an amazing surprise,” One Act director Christine McClung said. “This is truly the little play that could. It’s a play that keeps on going, and it’s an absolute blessing to continue working on it everytime we advance.”

If theater advances past Region, they will move on to State. Last year, the One Act play company advanced to and placed at state.

“I am astonished and incredibly surprised,” senior Caleb Geddie said. “I’m really happy. Honestly, words can’t even express how I feel right now. I’m ecstatic that we’re advancing, and I hope that we can do the best that we can. I’m so proud of Hebron. I love getting to tell this story because who knows how it will affect audience members or people watching our show, and it’s thrilling to do that everytime we perform.”

The One Act cast has won a number of awards including junior Logan Wynn for Outstanding Technician, senior Geddie & Samantha Herndon for Honorable Mention All Star Cast, junior Caitlin Kresta for All Star Cast, and junior Joseph Hoffman for Best Actor.

“I am ecstatic right now, and a part of me can’t believe we’ve advanced this far. All of our rehearsal really paid off,” Hoffman said. “It’s such a great thing that we all get to spend a little more time in this family that we’ve created. I feel great about the story that we’re telling, and I think that it’s very telling that we advanced, because we have such a strong story. So many people in this cast get to really zone into it, and tell it to its full potential. It’s great that we’ve got yet another day to tell our story.”