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The Troup High School theatre department has won the Region One Act Play Championship for their performance of “A Monster Calls.”

The play, based upon the novel with the same name, tells the story of 13-year-old Conor O’Malley who is having a difficult time. His mother is dying of cancer, the kids at school are bullying him, his best friend betrayed his trust, his dad only seems to care about his new family, and to top it all off, a monster is coming to visit.

“A Monster Calls” has also been adapted into a Netflix film, which features a giant Yew tree who comes to life and visits Conor to tell him a series of three stories, expecting the boy to tell the forth story, his truth.

“It is a moving tale, showing us that sometimes to protect ourselves from a difficult situation and from pain, we live in denial. But if we hope to heal, we must confront our fears and speak our truth, understanding that no one is a perfect hero or constant villain,” said THS theatre teacher and director Noel Jordan in a press release.

Several cast members also won individual awards in addition to winning Best Show on Oct. 26. The troupe won four All-Star Cast awards for Joshua VanLaarhoven (Harry), and RJ Ogletree, RJ Alexander, and Dakota Taylor (monsters), and Karla Constantino (Conor) was named the region’s best actress for the second year in a row.

The students will compete for the state title next Saturday in Tift County on Nov. 11.

A public showing of the award-winning performance is scheduled on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Admission is $5.