CANNON BEACH — On Oct. 5, students from Astoria, Seaside and Warrenton high schools participated in a one-day workshop at the Coaster Theatre presented by the Arts Council of Clatsop County and put on a bit of the old Cockney accent.

Workshop instructors Bill Ham and Karen Bain said they were impressed by the talent of the students.

Bain, who taught a directing class during the workshop, said she was prepared to introduce concepts, only to find out students were already familiar with them. “I think that whoever’s teaching them is doing a really good job.”

Bain said she would urge the students to “stay open and make bold choices” on the stage.

Playwright and director Ham taught an improv class, and also found students knew many of the concepts.

“It was more just a case of marshaling the energy,” Ham said. “I’m really impressed with them. I would tell them to keep doing what they’re doing.”

Eva Bailey, a senior at Seaside High School, said she plans on studying acting in college. “Eventually I’ll need to learn a lot more about dancing because I love musicals,” Bailey said. “I just want to make sure that when I grow up, drama is a part of my life.”

Bailey said the dialect class would help in her role in Seaside High School’s, “Peter/Wendy,” an adaptation of Peter Pan.

Astoria High School junior Molly Oien said she hopes to pursue drama in “some form or other,” whether it’s with costuming, lighting or onstage.

Oien attended the workshop’s playwriting and dialect classes. “I feel like the thing we’re learning today at this clinic is that there is more than one aspect to theater,” she said. “It’s not just being onstage and performing. It’s also doing the lights, working on costumes or makeup. It’s a well-oiled machine.”

Oien will perform in Astoria High School’s production of “The Play That Goes Wrong,” about actors putting on a play called “The Murder at Haversham Manor.”

“The accent is going to be really helpful for that because all of our characters are supposed to have British accents,” she said. “I think we’re all kind of struggling.”

Marek Kephart, a junior at Seaside High School, said the Southern and Cockney accents are his favorites.

“I’ve messed around with accents before, but I’ve never really learned how to properly do them effectively,” he said. “This workshop really helped me think about developing that.”

Drama classes at Seaside High School emphasize on foundational skills, teacher Susan Baertline said.

Jim Hackwith teaches drama and stage at Warrenton High School, with the opportunity for all students to perform.

Hackwith said he encourages students to “understand what drama is all about,” with tools like blocking and improvisation.

Carter Baker, a junior in the production of “The Play That Went Wrong,” called the daylong workshop event fun and educational.

While he said he loves the idea of being an actor, this is just a hobby for now.

“You’ve got to have the right connections,” Baker said. “You’ve got to hit it big.”