The Valencia High School Theatre Department was awarded first place at the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California (DTASC) Fall Festival from among more than 70 participating schools.

The event, held at Canyon High School, featured performers from drama departments across Southern California competing in a wide variety of categories.

Festival categories included both individual and group performances, comedic and dramatic performances and some technical categories.

Valencia High School placed in seven categories, received one honorable mention and was ultimately awarded the festival’s top prize for the first time in the drama department’s history.

“Stephen Whelan and all our theatre directors do a great job bringing out our students passion,” said Dave Caldwell, spokesperson for the William S. Hart Union High School District. “This win truly reflects the dedication that they have not only for the craft, but for their students as well.”

While Valencia High School had a strong performance, they weren’t the only Santa Clarita high school to earn a top spot in some of the festival’s other categories.

Saugus High School placed first in both large group dramatic as well as large group comedy. The Saugus students also placed fifth in the musical category and received an honorable mention for the overall award.

Golden Valley High School achieved fifth place in the large group dramatic category and Canyon High School was given an honorable mention for graphics and publicity.

The next scheduled DTASC event is the Shakespeare Combined Festival in April, to be hosted by Citrus Hill High School in Perris, California.

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