35 LZHS students attended the Illinois High School Theatre Festival from January 9 to January 11 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
This event takes place annually, with this year being the 49th year of it running. The Illinois High School Theatre Festival is handled by the Illinois Theatre Association. High school theatre programs across the entire state are invited to attend. At the festival, attendees can attend workshops, which expand their knowledge of technical theatre and theatre. They can also attend shows, which are produced by other high schools within the state. Emilia Zukowski, senior, attended some of these shows.
“I attended four shows in total: I saw the All-State Show, which was ‘The Prom,’ I saw ‘Trap,’ I saw ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,’ and I saw ‘Six.’ I got to see these shows with a lot of my friends, ” Zukowski said.
Attendees have to sign up for these shows in advance, and tickets usually sell out quickly. However, one show stands out among the rest. The All-State Show is a show that showcases the skills of the most qualified student thespians from across Illinois. The show they performed this year was “The Prom;” the show changes yearly. This makes the All-State Show something to look forward to on a year-by-year basis.
“I definitely enjoyed [‘The Prom’] this year, and [I am] kind of sad that I [do not] get to go next year, because the All-State Show is ‘Newsies,’ Zukowski said, “and [that is] my favorite show ever.”
The workshops, on the other hand, were an opportunity to learn more about subjects that people wanted to know more about. Lily Kinsey, senior, signed up for the ballroom dancing workshop and others.
“I went to a ballroom dancing workshop, because a lot of us technicians really wanted to just hang out and have fun,” Kinsey said. “It was really informative and a really good workshop. I had a lot of fun [and] I learned a lot of things that I just never knew about dancing in general.”
These workshops are directed by adults who have extensive knowledge in technical theatre. The workshops that technical theatre club members attended had a direct impact on their knowledge of technical theatre. This knowledge can be applied to the productions at LZHS itself; Kinsey is the Stage Manager of Romeo and Juliet.
“I went to a color theory for lighting design workshop, which, especially since I’m stage managing a really lighting-heavy show this year Romeo and Juliet, I wanted to get a better idea of why you would use certain lights for different scenes,” Kinsey said.
The Illinois High School Theatre Festival is an opportunity for members of Drama Club to further their understanding of Theatre that not all schools in Illinois get. Ultimately, for most students, it ends up being a fun time for them to look forward to.
“I guess [I am] really glad that our school has the opportunity to go to Theatre Fest. [It is] a really cool thing to get to do, and I know a lot of schools [do not] get to go,” Kinsey said. “So [I am] just really glad I got that opportunity and that I got to go with such amazing people.”
