Bloomington High School
Bloomington High School’s Theater program is the school’s largest extracurricular organization.There are two curricular courses offered as well as an after school actor studio. Throughout the school year we produce six performances. Our program offers opportunities for students interested in all areas of theater including lighting, sound design, costuming, wardrobe, props, hair and makeup, and stage management. We partner with community organizations like Hairmasters Studio, Gamma Phi Circus, and donate to St. Jude. Our program is committed to inclusive and diverse storytelling.
The story of The Yellow Boat is a glorious affirmation of a child's life and the strength and courage of all children. This dramatization is based on the true story of David and Sonja Saar's son, Benjamin, who was born with congenital hemophilia and died in 1987 at the age of 8 of AIDS-related complications. |
Normal Community High School
The Normal Community theatre is an active extracurricular program serving over 2,000 students. We produce a fall play ‘in the round’, a full proscenium winter/spring play, team up with the music department for a spring musical, and finally Shakespeare Shorts, the end product of the Advanced Acting and Directing class. In between there are opportunities for student written/directed/produced plays as The Underground, completely student led and occurring at various times of the year.
Ghosts in the Machine: What do you do when someone you don’t know texts you? And what if the person who has that number can prove it wasn’t them - it was their phone? This is the premise for this sometimes funny, sometimes serious, fast-paced mystery about eight high school students who have to reach beyond their comfort zones to help each other, and themselves. |
Normal West High School
Normal West performs one non-musical play in the fall of each school year. Auditions occur shortly after school begins in August and the play generally performs some time in October. Our last few productions have included Harvey by Mary Chase, The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project (which was chosen to perform at the Illinois State High School Theatre Festival in 2018), Rumors by Neil Simon and Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
She Kills Monsters She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed young playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all. |
University High School
University High School theatre arts. We are artists striving to act well our part as Troupe 1156 of the International Thespian Society. Our program generally consists of three mainstage productions with a Fall play, Winter Shakespearean play, and Spring musical. We also have taken productions to TheatreFest as well as overseas to Scotland for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (twice!).
The 39 Steps Inspired by Hitchcock's classic tale and performed as a live period radio play, this romantic thriller is a fast-paced ride through the signature world of the Master of Suspense. Richard Hannay is visiting 1930s London when he meets Annabella Smith, who is on the run from foreign agents, after a disturbance at a music hall. Later that night, Annabella is murdered and Hannay must then try to break the spy ring and prove his innocence. From an epic train chase to a feisty love interest, Hannay has his work cut out for him as he searches for the truth about The 39 Steps. |
Illinois State University - THE385
Capstone course in Theatre Teacher Education sequence: philosophies of theatre education, teaching strategies, professional organizations, related field experiences which include directing in a local high school.
- "Another Lady Sports Play" by Brooke Smith, Directed by Sarah Esparza
- "The Edge of Noir" by Gary Peterson, Directed by Da'Mara Smith
- "Bad Auditions on Camera" by Ian McWethy and Carren McWethy (McCrossen), Directed by Cody Rogers
- "10 Ways to Survive Life in Quarantine" by Don Zolidis, Directed by Gwen Sinclair
- "500/501" by Taylor Sklenar, Directed by Clay Czlapinski
- "Down Came the Rain" by Burgess Clark, Directed by Leeann Garlish
- "CO-VID" by Jeremy Kareken, Directed by Justin Smith
- "10 Ways to Survive the End of the World" by Don Zolodis, Directed by Jack Colombo