Several Penn Manor High School theater students are attending the Educational Theatre Association’s Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Neb., June 22-29.
The national festival offers workshops, master classes, audition opportunities and performances for nearly 3,000 participants from across the United States.
Abby Geiger was selected to represent Pennsylvania in the festival’s opening production with Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman (creators of “Hairspray,” “Catch Me If You Can” and “Smash”) and professional performers from the cast of “Wicked.” Later in the week, she’ll audition for colleges and participate in the student leadership program as a student state thespian officer.
Penn Manor’s Tyler Horn, Ben Moore, Alyssa Fetterolf, Emily Carello and Charlene Wade-Davis will compete in a “tech challenge” at the festival. The theater tech crew members will compete against other teams to complete specific tasks, such as hanging and focusing lights, tying knots and completing costume changes, in a set time according to detailed instructions.
The students qualified for the challenge by placing second in a similar competition at the Pennsylvania State Thespian Conference in December.
Also attending the festival is James Reilly, who graduated from PMHS June 3. He will audition for scholarships offered by Educational Theater Association to students who plan to study the performing arts in college.
Congrats to all these students representing Penn Manor’s theater programs!