DHS Theatre Spotlight Friday Night Sprites foundation to UIL Competition

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The curtain rose once again on the Devine High School stage as Director Jose Guardiola and his extremely talented cast performed Friday Night Sprites for their student body and then again for the community on October 28.
Though this production was not the school’s official UIL One-Act Play competition entry, it served as a vital opportunity for the program to fine-tune performance skills, explore new characters, and entertain the community before contest season begins after the Christmas break.
The online synopsis of Friday Night Sprites states it as a comedic play by Don Zolidis about a high school football coach in Texas who is at wits’ end frustrated by the lack of resources for his team. Meanwhile the theatre department has a large budget for its production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, pitting Coach against Director for adequate football funding.
Among the standout performers in Friday Night Sprites were real-life brothers senior Maverick Beaty and freshman Nolan Beaty, and talented senior actress Gwyn DeLeon.
Maverick and Nolan formed a comedic-duo whose shared passion for theatre brought a unique spark to the stage. With Guardiola’s creative direction and a cast that was obviously eager to impress, Friday Night Sprites delivered a heartwarming and high-energy performance for each their audiences.
With literally hundreds and hundreds of plays to choose from, Mr. Guardiola discussed what led him to pick Fridan Night Lights for this year’s pre-district presentation and spoke on his vision of DHS Theatre while Maverick, Gwyn, and Nolan also shared some of their personal thoughts as well.
Mr. Guardiola
“Every year we do a Fall Production, and that acts as a two-month long audition for the One Act Play. We take any and all students who audition because you never know where your talent will come from. As a result, I try to pick plays that require large cast and crew so we can have a spot for everyone who applies.
I chose Friday Night Sprites this year because it had room for the large cast and crew we have this year and it is also quite funny and relatable, especially to the kids who have been in theater for a while and know the struggles.
Such a large play with lots of moving parts required the students to take on responsibility for their assigned role, which allowed them to demonstrate the skills they will need for competition season. I will review how they took on that role, whether they were the lead actor or if their entire role was just putting a stool on stage, and evaluate how seriously they take their assignment.
We’ve had students with one line in the Fall Play get a lead role in One-Act because they did all they could with their one line and demonstrated the responsibility required of them for a competition. The Fall Play allowed me to see how the kids reacted under pressure, how they took critiques, and most importantly, how seriously they took their role, no matter what the size.
With every production we do, my central message is “Theater is fun! Come and join the family!,” which is why I try to do comedies every chance I get. Students having fun is the best advertisement in order to get more kids to join my program.
But this play in particular had a message that’s near and dear to me. I want the community to know that we are here and doing wonderful things, and we can continue to do more wonderful things with their support.
To quote our main character this year, ‘These kids work really hard, they deserve to have people show up to watch them!’”
Maverick Beaty
“Sharing the stage with my brother made this production a lot more fun and exciting for me. I am a senior and he is a freshman; this and the spring play is our only chance in high school to share stage time. I am extremely comfortable acting around Nolan, so that made it easier for me to step into my role as Coach Burnside. His character and mine had a fun little rivalry dynamic going on in the play, and I think casting real-life brothers as these roles was perfect.
It is bizarre to finally be a senior in high school, because that means I have been there longer than everybody else. As the lead in this play, I put my best effort into the role and lead by example. Drama is all about stepping into another person’s shoes and exploring how they would react under these various circumstances, and I try to keep that in mind as well whenever I am advising my brother or another underclassman.
Friday Night Sprites was special because, ultimately, it is a satire that comments on the budget and funding disparities between school organizations. It is a clever concept that lends itself to great comedic performances from our talented drama students. It is a funny little story with a large cast, so a lot of kids were given the chance to shine. We all worked extremely hard on making this play the best that it could be, so we greatly appreciated the Devine community coming out to show their support!”
Gwyn DeLeon
“My character, Ms. Davidson, was a bit more complicated than what met the eye. What was challenging to me was not saying the lines but saying them as if I had years of experience teaching and showing my helpful nature through her. My character was ‘volunteered’ to be a coach; therefore, I had to act as if I had never seen football before, so she was a bit nervous. However, she became more and more confident and learned to love the sport for the students.
Throughout my years, my biggest joy has been being under those stage lights. The way that the audience draws in and clings to the words. I love showing the audience just how much theater is an art. The warmth of the lights and the sound of laughter is something I will never forget.
This play had a lot of work that was put in by students like me who wish to see our community laugh and have lasting memories. I thank the Devine community for supporting our Theater which will help us put on more plays in the future!”
Nolan Beaty
“Well, since my character (Mr. Garber) and Maverick’s were both a key dynamic in the play, we had all the time in the world to rehearse these lines and scenes at home to make them as great as possible. I also found it easier to work with him since I am so used to him already, and we have phenomenal chemistry.
If one thing has surprised me throughout this fall season, it would definitely be how quickly we have to get down our lines and have to adapt and dive-deep into the nature of these characters and try to relate to them all in over a month. It, thankfully, has not slowed me down in doing the best I can.
What made Friday Night Sprites special is that it had the great message that things can be especially important in such different ways, and I really wanted the Devine kids to see this because Theater, specifically acting itself, is so dormant in both the middle school and the high school. I basically hope this play will make the Devine kids think about or appreciate theater more and join this terrific organization!”
In closing
As the cast and crew brought Friday Night Sprites to life, the production not only entertained but also strengthened the group’s chemistry and stage confidence heading into UIL competition season after the Christmas holiday.
Director Guardiola will continue to guide his students with passion and purpose, ensuring they gain valuable experience from every performance. With upperclassmen like Maverick and Gwyn setting the tone and underclassmen such as Nolan rising to the occasion, the theatre program appears poised for another memorable year under the lights.
’25-’26 Theatre Members
Director: Jose Guardiola On-stage performers: Maverick Beaty, Gwyn DeLeon, Nolan Beaty, Melanie Cardenas, Angelica Castillo, Jacelyn Delaney, Isabella Duron, Kayla Dzierzanowski, Viola Dzierzanowski, Miranda Guerrero, Natalie Gutierrez, Payton Hester, Jaide Hoover, Manuel Leal, Emma Martinez, Zack Martinez, Madelynn Mitchell, Dakota Nighswander, Isabella Perez, Ben Ramon, Phoenix Reyes, Nathan Sanchez, Angeliana Rendon-Zapata Stagehands: Jessica Ballesteros, Ryan Botello, Chris Flores, Mia Gonzales, Issac Medina, Stage Managers: Briana Balderrama, Kassandra Fajardo Lights: Taylor Garcia, Emma B. Gonzales Sound: Veralee Martinez, John Schroeder Props: Deidre Bishop, Alyzse Cumpian Costume/Makeup: Catherine Brown, Jenavive Esquibel.