The great philosopher George Burns, who was also famous for, among other things, a couple of television shows and movies in the early days of those media, once had this to say about actors: “Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”

To be sure, the best actors make us believe they have become the characters they inhabit onstage. Their emotions resonate with sincerity, their movements feel natural and their predicaments seem real to us.

The competitive theatre team at Nansemond River High School is, apparently, quite good at all this, having placed second in the Conference 10 Theatre Festival in January. Their performance at that festival earned the young thespians the right to participate today in the 5A South Regional Finals in Richmond, a competition in which they will be participating for the fifth year in a row.

It normally takes a troupe of actors working in concert to put on a quality production, and this troupe has done fine work with its performance of “21 Chump Street,” a 15-minute musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton” fame.

But in the end, acting is an individual effort, and three Nansemond River actors were named All-Conference for their performances: seniors Savannah Miller and Jaiyla Lewis, and freshman Armon Davis.

These young actors have much respect for their teacher, Dr. Joleen Neighbours — and well they should. Neighbours, who has built a perennial performance powerhouse at Nansemond River, has pushed and prodded these young talents until they are among the best in the state. Nobody gets a pass for poor acting in her programs.

We think the preparation will serve them well in Richmond today. Good luck, young thespians. Remember, “The play’s the thing….”