The Gloucester High School Drama Department One Act Play is headed to state competition again.

For the fifth time, and the third time in a row, students under the direction of drama teacher Clint Alexander have won top honors in the Virginia High School League Regional and Super Regional One Act Festivals, competing at the Class 5A level.

Their play, “Our Place” by Terry Gabbard, now has a chance to win statewide. Last year, the cast and crew placed third in the state for their play “Water Down” in a competition held just before the pandemic hit.

The Super Regional One Act Festival was slated to be held at Gloucester High School this year, said Alexander, but because of pandemic restrictions in a lot of districts, it was decided that all entries this year would be filmed and submitted digitally.

Alexander said that “Our Place” has five different storylines and was chosen to enable the actors to rehearse in smaller groups that were safer during the pandemic. All rehearsals ...