Members of a local theater troupe were a tough act to follow at a national event where students competed for the Junior Theater Festival trophy.

The group’s director, Nathan Gerrells, has been working with the young people for the past several months in preparation for the event, which was held Jan. 16-17 in Atlanta.

“They did a wonderful job,” Gerrells said. “They deserved to win it.”

The 25-year-old director added that the local group — which meets twice a week at the Bowen Center for the Arts — was chosen in the top six out of 50 teams that came from all over the country.

For the competition, the young thespians chose to do several numbers from “Seussical,” a show based on the books of Dr. Seuss.

Dawson County resident Sean Newman was one of 26 from the local troupe who competed.

“It was an incredible experience,” said Newman, 15. “I think everyone on the team was exhilarated [after winning] ... we could finally breathe a sigh of relief after all that hard work.”

Gerrells credited the group’s choreographer, Carly Berg, for her work in the musical.

“She did an awesome job helping the kids learn the dances. She really knows her stuff,” Gerrells said.

The students competing were ages 7 to 18.

For more information about the theater group, call (706) 216-2787, or visit www.dawsonarts.org.