David Azcona’s (12) heart sank. The moment he saw the stage at Los Osos High School, he knew that the number of performers in the Three Musketeers sword-fighting scene would barely be able to fit. However, Azcona thought of the months on end that Westview Theatre Company (WVTC) had spent perfecting their sword-fighting sequence, and so he took a deep breath in, readying himself to perform.

For eight minutes, Azcona ducked, lunged, and slashed on stage, careful not to collide with the other performers. By the end of the scene, Azcona said he couldn’t have felt more proud of their adaptability. 

WVTC competed at the California Educational Theater Association’s (CETA) high school theater festival, Jan. 13-15. 

For two days, the students watched award-winning productions from other high schools, attended acting workshops led by industry professionals, and performed in the scene competition. 

Overall, WVTC placed second in the scene competition and won the Best Ensemble award. Additionally, fight director Johnathan McPherson (12) earned the CETA Adjudicator Award for his involvement with The Three Musketeers and WVTC vice president Azcona won the director award.

In the past four years, WVTC has only competed in the Fullerton Theater High School competition, so this is the first time students currently in the company have competed at CETA.

“I was pretty proud of our placement, considering we’re not a performing arts school,” Azcona said. “We didn’t have much experience doing live competitions, but we all worked really hard on our scenes, and I think it paid off.”

Prior to CETA, the theater company was visited by a number of adjudicators who ranked high school theater shows from across the state. WVTC ranked 7th out of 14 schools, qualifying them to bring a one-scene performance to the competition. 

According to Azcona, the actors all immediately knew they wanted to bring a sword-fighting scene from their most recent production of The Three Musketeers. 

“Everyone put a ton of work into learning the choreography,” Azcona said. “It was so much fun to learn and so different from the dance choreography we’ve done before, so we were all so glad to have another chance to show it off.”

WVTC president Shai Davis (12) said she was especially proud of the company’s Best Ensemble win, as she said it aligned with the team’s constant emphasis on promoting connectivity. 

“From all the hours we put into learning [fight] choreography and to the level of involvement we have with everything from set design to playbills, I’m incredibly proud that everyone in theatre puts this much time and effort into what we do,” Davis said. “We couldn’t have won a better award.”

As WVTC continues preparations for their spring show, Beauty and the Beast, both Davis and Azcona hope to apply the lesson they learned from CETA to take creative risks. 

“All the original and student-written shows were definitely very creative and beautifully told,” Davis said. “We’ve already had lots of really meaningful conversations about how we can move our theater company forward, and one way we’re looking to do that this year is to make the most of the facilities and support we have.” 

For Azcona, who hopes to professionally pursue acting in the future, he said that attending CETA was a valuable experience for learning acting techniques first-hand. 

“I definitely learned a lot by seeing the different actors and how they interpreted scenes or portrayed emotional beats,” Azcona said. “This was an unforgettable experience and I’m incredibly glad I got to see the work of some of the most talented theater students in California.”