Marble Falls High School thespians qualify for international competition
The Marble Falls High School Thespian Troupe participated in the 2017 Texas Thespian Festival in Grapevine, where 11 of the 28 students qualified for an international competition in June 2018. The three-person set design team also finished second overall. Courtesy photo
FROM STAFF REPORTS
MARBLE FALLS — After a big display of their skills during the Texas Thespian Festival, 11 Marble Falls High School students are heading to the international festival.
“We are so excited about our performances this year,” theater director Jon Clark said.
The state event took place Nov. 15-18 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine.
The state festival, sponsored by Texas Thespians, draws more than 7,000 delegates a year, making it one of the largest such events in the country. The festival features competitions that allow students to show what they can do.
When people think of theater, their minds often focus on the actors on stage, but a lot of the stagecraft happens behind the scenes. The Texas Thespian Festival gives students involved in all facets of theater production a chance to shine.
The Marble Falls High School Thespian Troupe took 28 students to the festival, and 11 of them earned a superior rating, which qualifies them for the International Thespian Festival on June 25-30, 2018, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Three Marble Falls students earned perfect scores from the judges. Charles McLean and David Cowan earned a superior rating in Duet Acting with a perfect score and are now qualified for the national event. In Costume Design, Madisyn Caraway garnered a perfect score and superior rating to also qualify for the trip to Nebraska next summer.
Other students earning a superior rating and qualifying for the International Thespian Festival are:
• Christine Ashbaugh and Kali Thompson in Duet Musical;
• Gigi Goff and Sydney Kelley in Duet Acting;
• Derek Schumacher in Set Design;
• Connor Bingaman in Set Design;
• Finn Fischer in Costume Construction;
• and Ben Goad in Lighting Design.
This year’s state event also marked a first for the Marble Falls theater program as the set design team placed second.
“Our set design team composed of Ben Goad, Connor Bingaman, Finn Fischer, and Rowan Grossman placed second in state,” Clark said. “This is the first for a MFHS team to place a team in the top three in that state.”