Will Work Side-by-Side with Broadway Professionals
Kendall Swendsen, Troupe 7014, Seven Lakes High School
Just 28 students, representing 13 states and Canada, have been chosen as the cast and crew for the opening performance of the 2017 International Thespian Festival (ITF) being held June 19-24 in Lincoln, Nebraska. They were chosen from a field of more than 120 applicants.
Brett Rose, Troupe 7050, Cypress Woods High School, Cypress, Texas and Kendall Swendsen, Troupe 7014, Seven Lakes High School, Katy, Texas will both be part of the crew.
The International Thespian Festival is a celebration of student achievement in the performing arts, produced by the Educational Theatre Association and attended by more than 4,000 students and teachers.
For the past five years ITF has opened with a show cast by audition from among the thousands of current members of the International Thespian Society–the honor society for drama students founded in 1929– in high schools across the country and around the world.
The 2017 show is We Tell the Story: A Celebration of the works of Ahrens & Flaherty and will feature the works of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, lyricist and composer known for Once on This Island, Ragtime, Anastasia, Seussical, and more.
Being selected for this show affords students the opportunity to perform and work alongside Broadway talent including writers, actors, and musicians. Students and artists rehearse and produce the show in only 48 hours.
EdTA Executive Director Julie Theobald says, “The Educational Theatre Association is committed to continually raising the bar for Thespians and connecting them with talented professionals. In 2017 those professionals include Producer Eric Cornell (Anastasia), Artistic Director J. Jason Daunter (Wicked), and Musical Arranger/Supervisor Jason Yarcho (Wicked), among others.”