TEMPLE, Texas — Seventeen Temple High School Theatre Arts students qualified to advance to national competition after receiving superior ratings at the Texas Thespian contest last month. The students competed in the contest during the organization’s annual convention November 15-18th in Grapevine.
Students earning superior ratings (the highest possible rating) during the competition qualified to advance to national competition. Temple High School qualified a group musical team made up of Skyler Gordon, Avery Tarbet, Major Linzy, Emily Rodness, Avery Morris, Sydney Fisher, Maxwell Jaffers, Kyra Williams, Chase Herrington, Jayden Malani, Aiden Wozniak, Olivia Blankenship, and Kolbie Tichnor. Students qualifying in technical design categories include Alyssa Maggitt, Alyssa Aleman, Danae Hardister, and Antonio Gordon as Temple was recognized in stage management, set design, lighting design and marketing design.
“I was really excited because I felt like we prepared so much this year, myself, the students, and the directors,” said Kayla Stewart, director of Temple High School Theatre Arts. “I am very proud that we earned as many awards and accomplishments as we did, and I think that is a testament to their hard work Our seniors in leadership positions have worked really hard with our underclassmen to prepare them to step into leadership roles next year and understand what goes in to having this kind of success.”
Other highlights from the convention for Temple High School include first place team finishes in hair and make-up and the Lip Sync Challenge. Temple also recorded second place finishes in mask making and dramatic design team. Jaffers was honored as a superior performer and Morris was named as an outstanding performer as Temple HS presented “A Bright New Boise” as part of the convention’s marathon play performances during the event.
“We were staying here after school for weeks preparing for this show and I don’t think a day went by that we weren’t thinking about Texas Thespians,” Gordon, a senior and multiple-time national qualifier, said. “Qualifying for nationals never gets old and it is fun to see the others qualify after working so hard.”
“We were all just cheering when we found out because it was really exciting,” said Linzy, a sophomore and first-time national qualifier. “Especially with this being my first time to qualify for nationals and knowing how much work went into it, this is very rewarding.”
More than 10,000 students attended the Texas Thespians Conventions in Grapevine and San Antonio this year. The Temple national qualifiers will also be recognized at the December meeting of the Temple ISD Board of Trustees.