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Last year, Grimsley High School’s theater students made the trek to Washington, N.C., to participate in the N.C. Theater Conference High School Play Festival.

This year, they won’t need to travel so far. Grimsley was chosen to host one of the 2009 Central Regional competitions, one of eight regional events across the state.

Free and open to the community, the regional competition runs from 1:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 30 and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 31. An awards ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31.

“As I talked with other teachers, I found that we were not the only ones in that situation,” theater teacher Matthew Ringrose said of traveling so far last year.

Some students traveled by bus for more than seven hours. Ringrose talked with the artistic director of NCTC about opening more host sites for the event, specifically in the center of the state, and started the process of offering Grimsley as a site.

“Due to the size of our auditorium and the quality of our facilities, Grimsley hosts many major events such as All County Chorus and All County Band and Jazz Band Clinic,” Ringrose said. “Having this event at Grimsley is allowing other schools in Guilford and surrounding counties to compete who do not normally attend such festivals due to the high cost associated with travel.”

The festival is open to any high school theater program, public or private, that pays dues and registration fees.

Each school that participates may enter up to two one-act plays. Grimsley will perform “Mere Mortals” by David Ives, which will be directed by theater student Sarah Jacobs. The second play is a small-scale musical revue called “Songs for a New World” written by Jason Robert Brown.

Grimsley students will be actively involved in hosting the festival, greeting visitors from other schools, running lights and sound and working backstage to oversee technical aspects. Several students also are involved in getting the stage and facilities ready for the competition.

“Every opportunity for Grimsley to host an event of this magnitude is always a positive thing,” Ringrose said. “It provides positive attention for the school and the students.”

He also believes the festival will provide a great learning experience for all involved.

“These festivals show students what other schools are doing in regard to theater and what you can be capable of even in high school programs,” Ringrose said. “I also hope that it will give them a sense of pride in their school and allow them to be gracious hosts.”

Contact Jennifer Atkins Brown at 574-5582 or jennifer.brown@news-record.com