Troupe 830 showcased one act and received superior recognition
The Times
Pennsbury High School Thespian Troupe 830 returned from Lincoln, Nebraska and the International Thespian Festival (ITF) energized from a wonderful week-long participatory theatre experience and carrying an abundance of accolades.
Representing Pennsylvania’s State Thespians as a Chapter Select, Troupe 830 showcased its one-act performance of “Final Dress Rehearsal” which received high marks at the state thespian conference this fall, earning the cast and crew the coveted spot to perform at the festival. PHS was one of only 30 troupes performing on stage in the Chapter Select category.
Also prior to the festival, Individual Event (IE) auditions were held at PHS and overall superior finalists at the state conference were able to move onto the Festival’s National Individual Events (NIEs), which is an education program that offers Thespians the opportunity to receive constructive feedback on prepared theatrical material and technical designs.
The performance Individual Events include: monologue, duet acting, group acting, solo musical theatre, duet musical theatre, and group musical theatre. The technical Individual Events include: costume construction, costume design, lighting design, scenic design, short film, sound design, stage management and theatre marketing. This year was the first year that resumes were submitted to apply for tech positions on the commissioned show and the Playworks shows.
NIEs performers from PHS who scored superior at the International Thespian Festival include: Samantha Belinski, Robyn Kerachsky and Emily Tazza. Roxy Geers was PHS’ first national technical IE applicant. Her custom design was awarded superior rating. Njakiya Camara not only scored superior but received a perfect score from the adjudicators. Tazza was honored to be among 25 individuals called back for further consideration of a scholarship award of which nearly half fell into the technical category.
Several hundred students at the ITF from all over the nation auditioned for roles and tech positions for the prestigious Playworks and the ITF Commissioned Show. Several Pennsbury students were selected for roles including Shane Howell and DJ Tomalin, along with Zack Holzberg as stage manager for Playworks. Ally McKeever was featured as the lead along with Nicolas Fallacaro and Tessa McHugh for the Commissioned Show. These actors are now credited as the originators of these roles. Will Tazza was also chosen as technical director of the Commissioned Show.
For more than 50 years, ITF has been an enriching event for middle and high school students and teachers from across the United States and abroad. Participants learn new techniques and hone skills at workshops conducted by industry professionals and educators, audition before college recruiters and seek scholarship awards.
Produced by the Educational Theatre Association and held at the University of Nebraska from June 25–30, ITF showcases outstanding school theatre productions on four professional stages and offers a wealth of learning and presentation opportunities encompassing all theatrical disciplines.
PHS has a long history of participation in the Festival. Students entering PHS or anyone interested in learning more about the drama program, its long-standing tradition of excellence or tax deductible investments in its future is encouraged to visit pennsburydrama.com.
