Every December, Fine Arts students can look forward to two highly anticipated events.  The first is The Epcot Candlelight Procession, at Disney’s Epcot at Orlando, FL. Students perform for Epcot guests in a dazzling holiday spectacle, in which A-list celebrities tell the story of Christmas to a backdrop of festive holiday tunes sung by a choir. The second activity that occurs is the District 13 One-Act Competition, where multiple schools in Broward County present short plays, and students are judged based on their performance. This year, both events fell on the same day, Wednesday December 13, 2023. STA’s talented young musicians had a busy day, jumping on a bus immediately after their One-Act play performance to travel to Epcot and perform in Epcot Candlelight. 

Epcot Candlelight in 2023

Epcot Candlelight is a yearly performance that always takes place in the Christmas season. The event features a guest of honor, usually a celebrity, that hosts the candlelight. This year’s Epcot Candlelight was hosted by world-renowned actor, Brendan Fraser. Brendan Fraser told the audience the biblical tale of Mary and Joseph’s trek to Bethlehem, where baby Jesus would be born and bring hope and joy. After one of his speeches, The Voices of Liberty (a choir consisting of Disney cast members), an orchestra, and even students coming from a variety of high schools, performed numerous songs consisting of Do You Hear What I Hear, What Child Is This, Silent Night, and many more songs. 

District One-Act Competition

The District One-Act Competition is a competition, where schools from all over the district put on a play. During the performance, students work together combining their talents, ranging from acting, design, and technical skills. In the competition, the students that perform are judged and scored, and the plays that receive a superior score may be selected to enter into the state competition. This year, STA’s troupe 5999 performed The Roots of Red: The Tale Before the Hood, written by the Lovewell Institute of Creative Arts. Troupe 5999 (STA) faced many obstacles including cast members who were absent at the show for sickness and other reasons. The remaining students tried their best to fill in the missing roles, and the students who attended gave a commendable performance, where they won excellent in every category. Multiple thespians were recognized for their achievements. These students included: Alexi Arocho who won the All-Star Actor Award, and Kelly Induisi and Mia Palmieri who won the All-Star Technical Achievement.