O'Connell High School Drama Department - Chevy Spotlight

While there are no head to head competitions the success of the O'Connell drama department is something the Buccaneers hang their hats on. Soundbite: Ben Coulson We just all take pride and work together to make it a really good department and sometimes we try to rival that of the public schools in the area. Soundbite: Tyler Tobleman Sr. This is a way for everyone to get together and have fun and put on productions and everyone here seems to enjoy it and wants to be a part of it. When Tyler says everyone, he's not too far off approximately 25 percent of the student body is in the drama department. Most members of the crew are involved with other activities, so the often the first time the cast is completely together is the day of the performance. Sound Full "Let's bring the lights down" Soundbite: Scotty McKinley/O'Connell Drama Department Director The challenge of putting on a play with all the difficulty we run into sometimes and the unique challenges we face, bring out my competitive side. I love to see if we can push it through and right before the plays go on every time I'm panicking thinking oh my goodness we're not going to be able to pull this off, we're not going to be able to pull this off and every time we bring it, and it always ends up pretty good, always spectacular. The spectacle has been taking place since the drama department began in the late 60's. Current Director Scotty McKinley took over for program founder and longtime director Patricia Telchik. I'm fortunate to have these kids to work with it because they're the ones that do it. I just kind of stand out here push them in each kind of direction but I'm blessed. It's really a good chance to step out of my comfort zone and do something I don't usually do What's also unusual is seeing a small school put out such big time productions. The Galveston O'Connell Drama Department this week's Chevy Spotlight.