By: Dereck Marwa
The McLean Theatre Company’s production of Big Fish has been selected to perform on the main stage at the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska from June 22- June 27. They are one of ten schools from across the country selected to perform a main stage show. Out of those ten schools, they are also one of five schools selected to perform on the main stage at the Lied Center for Performing Arts for an audience of over 2,000 people.
“It’s huge for us because it puts us on a national stage,” theatre director Amy Poe said. “Sometimes you think, ‘Wait, we think it’s really good, but maybe our family and friends are just being nice’ but to have somebody say ‘No, you’re top five in the nation’ makes us feel really, really great. [It shows] that what we spend all of our time doing is making a difference and actually working.”
As a part of the festival, there are a variety of activities going on all day every day that the students and teachers can participate in. There are countless workshops running daily that cover a wide range of disciplines, such as acting, dance, film, and tech theatre led by college professors and theatre professionals, some of whom have worked on Broadway.
“Last year, there was something really cool where one of the members of the original cast of Chicago on Broadway was teaching a dance workshop that I went to, so that was really neat.” senior Marielle Burt said.
“They had a workshop for aspects of circus performance, which was really interesting,” junior Jack Posey said. “Every day you had this new, exciting selection of options to explore.”
In addition to these workshops, there are several one-act plays performed by high schools from every state that will be running throughout the week-long festival. Juniors who wish to pursue theatre in college also have the opportunity to audition and interview for college theatre programs from across the country.
“There’s about 50 schools there, so if they like [the student], they will follow up with [them]. Some will offer [the student] a spot at their school, which happens rarely… but they will follow up with you, they will fight for you and try to get you in. So for a lot of people, it’s a great starting point for the college process.” Poe said.
This June will prove to be an exciting one and full of opportunity for the members of the theatre program, as they learn from and showcase their skills in front of some of the best and brightest theatre people in the country. They also hope to win a Cappie Award at the ceremony on June 7. There is no doubt that this immensely talented group of students will make their school and community proud.
