The Cultural Center will set the stage for more than 400 high school students as the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History hosts the annual West Virginia State Thespian Festival April 6-8, 2006. Drama students will perform, attend workshops and be judged on their technical theater skills.
The Festival begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 6, and ends with an awards ceremony at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 8. At that time, five outstanding play performances, four scene performances, technical theater winners, an all-state cast and two $500 scholarships to individual students will be announced. The Thespian Teacher of the Year also will be acknowledged.
Twenty-two schools from six areas of the state will participate in the Festival. There will be 14 plays and 16 scene entries judged by five guest adjudicators. Fifteen theater professionals will provide technical theater adjudications and lead students in workshops.
Technical theater categories include costume, lighting, mask and scene design; make-up; playwriting; properties; publicity; puppetry; stage management; and tech rodeo. Twelve workshops, held Thursday through Saturday, will round out the Festival. Topics include “Broadway Boogie,” “Dancing for Two Left Feet,” “How to Create Award-Winning Make-Up,” “How to Make Award-Winning Masks,” “Introduction to Color in Light,” “Introduction to Moving Lights,” “Puppet Pizzazz,” “Stage Management Fundamentals,” “Theater Games” and “Voice for the Actor.”
For more information about the 2006 West Virginia State Thespian Festival, contact Pat Cowdery, festival events coordinator for the Division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 130 or Bethany Cline, program specialist, at ext. 171.
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. Visit the Division’s website at www.wvculture.org for more information about programs of the Division. The Department of Arts, Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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Contact:
Ginny Painter
Deputy Commissioner/Communications Manager
Phone 304.558.0220 ext. 120
E-mail ginny.painter@wvculture.org