30 South students attend Illinois Theatre Festival

Lyn Brush Entertainment Writer

For the first time in three years, the Maine South Thespian Society brought students to the Illinois Theatre Festival (ITF) to meet other thespians, attend helpful workshops, and see what other schools in the state are performing. This year, ITF was held at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“It was just so wonderful to see all of the students together at the festival again,” theater director Ms. Carrie Saurer said. “Having close to 5,000 theater students, faculty, and professionals all on one campus together was electric.”

Every year, the ITF puts on an AllState production, which involves top actors, musicians, and crew members from schools across the state. This year, the performance was “Shrek the Musical,” which featured two actors, seniors Maren Nazar and Finley Pullano, and one crew member, senior Maggie Hershey.

“The All-State musical is a highlight of the festival,” Ms. Saurer said.

Unfortunately, before this show began, a tragedy occurred. One cast member, Daniel Moshi, a senior at Leyden High School, passed out while rehearsing for choir in the weeks leading up to the performance and passed away later that day.

“He was incredibly talented and so valued by all of us, and an allaround amazing person and friend,” Nazar said. “Continuing the show without him was difficult because he will always be part of our company.”

In the wake of this tragedy, it was the support amongst the ITF community that allowed the cast to persevere and put on a successful show.

“All of the adults and students involved were constantly supportive and always pushed us to be the best we can be, on stage and off,” Nazar said.

Students also benefited from the collaborative nature of ITF.

“It was very interesting to see how different high schools are in Illinois, and all of the differences were celebrated in each and every performance,” sophomore Liz Bordini said.

Illinois is home to hundreds of fine arts departments, all of whom bring something unique to the table.

“There’s a wide difference in spaces, techniques used, and abilities all across the state,” technical director Mr. Patrick Sanchez said. “It is great to help others with questions and pass around ideas.”

In addition to performing and collaborating, ITF participants enjoyed the opportunity to participate in workshops.

“Throughout the festival, students were able to work with high school faculty, college faculty, and theater professionals from around the country in a variety of master classes on various topics of theater, including acting, directing, design, technical work, dance, directing, and theory,” Ms. Saurer said. “Because the workshops covered a variety of topics, students were able to tailor the experience to their interests and create a festival experience that is unique.”

ITF exposed students to new experiences, theater expertise, and lessons they may not have learned in a classroom setting.

“It’s an amazing experience for any fine arts student,” Mr. Sanchez said. “It isn’t just seeing plays—it’s going to workshops on art, music, anything in the Fine Arts area.”

The festival was a memorable experience for all involved.

“[ITF] taught me the meaning of hard work and good friends,” Nazar said. “This process helped build up my confidence in myself and made me feel more proud of who I am.”