Several students from Thespian Troupe #1692 at Merrillville High School recently attended the State Thespian Festival on January 24-26. The three-day event, held at University of Indianapolis, is a gathering of high school theatre students across the state of Indiana. In total there were 24 schools and over 500 students at the conference. Among the events available students watch plays from other schools, participate in workshops, and compete in Individual Events in performance, technical theatre and design. Students may also audition for colleges and compete for scholarship opportunities.
Several of Merrillville High School's students were recognized for their acumen in the Individual Events portion of the festival. Students can achieve an Excellent or a Superior rating (Superior being the higher of the two). Listed below are the students who gained this achievement and the event in which they competed:
EXCELLENT
Cassidy Koontz -Solo Musical Theatre (Advanced)
Kiera Shackelford -Solo Musical Theatre (Advanced)
Anna Davis & Hope Krajnak -Duet Acting (Advanced)
Rebekah Mongold, Kiera Shackelford, Will Akins -Group Musical Theatre (Advanced)
SUPERIOR
Cree Smith -Monologue (Advanced)
Tyreak Thomas -Solo Musical Theatre (Novice)
Will Akins -Solo Musical Theatre (Advanced)
Additionally, Senior Will Akins received callbacks from 6 universities and was offered two scholarships for Theatre Education valued at over $10,000.
Merrillville High School Thespian Troupe #1692 is sponsored by Tom Mackey, Theatre and English educator at MHS.