Five Destrehan High School students and 13 Hahnville High School students earned Superior ratings for their performances and presentations at the International Thespian Festival, which was held at Indiana University in June.
Destrehan students Kannon Knott and Sophia Winingham, and Hahnville students Avery Oertling and Tyron Martin won Thespy Awards in addition to Superior ratings.
Tyron Martin was one of seven finalists for the Thornton Wilder Playwriting Prize for his play, “Safe With You,” which follows three friends as they react to an offhand comment that reveals underlying biases.
The International Thespian Festival is an annual festival for high school theatre students hosted by the Educational Theatre Association and the International Thespian Society. At the week-long event, students participate in competitions and perform stage productions.
“It was incredible to see our students taking advantage of opportunities that many people could have only dreamed of in high school,” said Megan Harms, the Talented Theatre teacher at Hahnville High Schol. “The whole experience was a testament to theatre education and how it can transform a student’s life.”
Hahnville High School students earned more Superior ratings this year than the theatre group had in previous years.
“We set incredibly high goals for the troupe at the beginning of the school year, and the students rose to the challenge,” Harms said.
HHS’s Talented Theatre was also selected to perform in the opening ceremonies of the festival.
“It was a complete whirlwind,” Harms said. “We deplaned in Indianapolis, jumped in the rental vehicles, and headed straight to a rehearsal with the entire group, the choreographer, and the director of the opening ceremonies.”
The group performed parts of “SIX,” a play about six queens and four ladies in waiting.
“The performance was incredible – the girls were true rock stars up there,” Harms said. “They performed where the Indiana Hoosiers play basketball to an arena full of screaming theatre kids. It was amazing.”
Two Destrehan students were selected to perform their scene in the festival’s closing ceremonies.
“So that meant that St. Charles Parish Public Schools was represented in the opening and the closing ceremonies of the festival,” Harms said. “We thought that was pretty exciting for our district and says a lot for the arts education we provide.”
Harms said the group raised a large amount of money to help defray the cost for each student to attend the festival.
“Our booster club worked tirelessly to fundraise, and we secured sponsorships from many local businesses,” she said. “It felt like a true partnership with our community, and I can say with certainty that our students represented the community with pride”
The list of sponsors included, Gallo Mechanical, LLC; Loyd J. Bourgeois, Injury and Accident Lawyer; Lance Marino, Clerk of Court; Boudreaux’s Collision Center; H & S Machine Tools; Pedal Valves, Inc.; Boot T’s Seafood; Grand Ridge Golf Club; Rickey Dufrene; Landry’s Outboard; Tab Troxler, parish tax assessor; Parish President Matthew Jewell; Sheriff Greg Champagne; Kinler Bellew Realty; State Farm – Keith Davis.
