After back-to-back regional and sectional championships, the York Community High School Speech & Drama’s Performance in the Round (PIR) piece, “Unless,” earned a state championship at the Illinois High School Association Speech State Final on Feb. 22 for the second time in three years. The team of nine students brought their 15-minute adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax” to compete against teams from across the state. The team will remount this production on Wednesday, March 5, at 7:30 and 8 p.m. in the Baker Auditorium. Tickets are free and can be reserved at www.YorkDrama.org.
“Unless” tells the story of a father and daughter navigating the complex world of environmental justice and moral dilemmas, through the lens of the beloved children’s story. In the end, the family is reminded that, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” The York PIR team features Aidan Espinosa (senior), Moon Felten (sophomore), Ava Glavinskas (sophomore), Alexa Klein (senior), John Poulson (sophomore), Liam Rees (junior), Quinn Tolman (senior), and Eva Vitellaro (junior), with Sophia Braafhart (sophomore) as stage manager.
“We could not be more proud of this exceptional team of students,” Matt Bourke, PIR director, said. “From the beginning, we set an intention to focus on telling a story we felt mattered and that others needed to hear, and I firmly believe they have accomplished that goal. Beyond anything else, our students shined in their commitment to honest storytelling and a deep appreciation for one another.”
While York’s team changes from year-to-year, they have begun to develop a distinct style of storytelling, with a focus on works that further the program’s message of “Be the good,” while creating exciting and inviting stage pictures for an audience.
“As we were considering the best possible piece to adapt this year, we kept coming back to ‘The Lorax’ for its timely message and the wild Seussian world we hoped to create,” Rebecca Marianetti, PIR director, said. “This larger-than-life tale, combined with the earnestness of a father reading his daughter a story before bed, helps frame this 50-year-old book within our contemporary context. We ask our audiences to laugh and smile at this sweet tale, but also to dig a little deeper into what they could do to help the greater good.”
Relevance and timeliness is always a goal for the directors, stating they find the power of theatre to be transformative when paired with a message an audience is willing to experience. Immediately when the piece was announced, students were ready to get to work.
“‘The Lorax’ is extremely relevant today,” Ava Glavinskas, sophomore, said. “Now more than ever, the current generation must act, and must help the environment. If we don't, we will lose our earth. Our PIR touches on these issues in a funny, sincere way, and is a story that needs to be heard.”
As this is the only team event in the IHSA State Speech Series, it is imperative that a team learns to work together and function as a cohesive unit. An emphasis is placed on ensemble-building above all else, a process that leads to actors trusting one another to make new choices, knowing they have each other’s backs.
“PIR is such an engaging and unique rehearsal process because it relies so heavily on ensemble connection and storytelling,” Alexa Klein, senior, said. “Our process was a lot of fun, especially creating a "Seussian" world by leaning into wacky physicality and exaggerated facials and vocal inflections. I think our whole ensemble has learned to trust one another and work as one unit to tell a story and pull the audience into the colorful world we have created together.”
One major tenet of PIR is the reliance on inventive storytelling as a group, not just individual performers. Contest rules place limitations on set pieces, props, lighting, and sound, so much of the work must be done by the actors themselves.
“I learned to work so closely with my friends and how to create a meaningful story through an almost blank canvas,” Aidan Espinosa, senior, said. “It was a lovely experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
The Illinois High School Association has run the Performance in the Round competition in conjunction with the Individual Events/Speech State Final since 1997. York had previously won the state championship in 2023 with their adaptation of “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse.” This is the second sectional and state championship for the team, though the team is much more proud of what they were able to do with their platform.
“All of the PIRs we competed against in regionals, sectionals, and state competitions were incredibly fierce, and we feel immensely honored with this award,” Bourke said. “But, in the end, we are most proud of the sportsmanship, kindness, and dedication our cast emulated at all levels,” Marianetti said.