By Matt Murphy, staff writer
Kenosha Unified School District is going to Nebraska. Yes our school district’s theater program is going to The International Thespian Festival for the eighth straight year.
This year our school district is taking two separate shows to Nebraska. Indian Trail will be taking last year’s show Hello My Baby, while Bradford is taking this year’s show The Little Mermaid.
This is a huge honor for our school district and the theater program itself. This is no small trip, considering more than 100 students participate and it costs more than $87,000 for the trip itself.
“This is the equivalent of the football teaming winning state,” said Robert Allen, Indian Trail’s stagecraft and acting teacher.
What makes the festival special is that it occurs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The festival is just an opportunity for our district to showcase the amazing talent our actors and actresses have, but they can also build on their acting skills and the crew can also learn about any interest they have in theater.
At the festival, there is an opening and a closing play on the main stage while other shows are performed throughout the day.
Other activities that take place during day are the workshops. The workshops offer something for everyone interested in theater, from special effects to dramatic acting classes.
“The best part of the trip is going to the classes,” said Haley Wepking, an Indian Trail senior.
The activities don’t stop there. After all the shows and workshops are over for the day, the Thespian Festival holds dances for the students from across the United States to connect and share experiences, as well as common interests.