Thespian Troupe #1966
Temple High School, Temple TX

Temple High School Thespians had more events qualify to advance to the 2014 International Thespian Competition than any other school at the 2013 Texas Thespian State Convention, held November 21-24 in Dallas.

Out of the 12 categories entered, 11 Temple events advanced to the international competition in Lincoln, Nebraska, in June 2014. Two other schools (Cinco Ranch and Flower Mound) each had 10 events advance, but neither of those schools was also performing a main stage show at convention.

Temple's entry in Group Musical was named one of the three Main Stage Finalists, and performed at a callback audition  Saturday morning at 8 a.m. CLICK HERE to see the YouTube video of the group's first-round performance for the judges.

Temple performed The Secret Garden musical twice on Saturday on the convention's main stage. Marsha Norman (shown at the right), who wrote the book and lyrics for The Secret Garden, recorded a special video message congratulating the students. The video was played for the students just before their first performance. (Click on her photo to view the video.) Temple's two performances were delayed because of technical problems with the host theatre (their lighting console would not maintain control of the lights in the auditorium). They tried three separate light boards, but couldn't get any of their boards to work properly. Temple ended up using the lighting console they brought (and had originally set-up backstage to operate just the moving lights) to run the lighting system for the entire theatre.

Several students auditioned for college and university representatives, and received many callback requests.

CLICK HERE for an album of photos from the convention.

Temple High School's production of The Secret Garden has been selected to perform during the 2013 Texas Thespian State Festival. The performances will be Saturday, November 23, in the Naomi Bruton Theatre, which is attached to the Dallas Convention Center and is the home of The Black Academy of Arts & Letters, Inc. The theatre seats 1747, so Temple students will be performing twice for the expected 3400 attendees. Performances will be at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Dallas performances are sold out -- no tickets are available.

SEND-OFF PERFORMANCE: The group held a send-off performance in the Temple High School Auditorium on Sunday, November 17, at 2 p.m. Thank you to the folks that attended to help support these students and this great accomplishment for Temple High School.

CLICK HERE for more details about the Dallas performances (including cast, production staff, rehearsal schedule, etc.)

Below is an article that appeared in the Temple Daily Telegram on November 10, 2013.

Temple High theatre students wil participate in the annual Texas State Thespian Convention in Dallas November 21-23. The students will participate in various competitions, attend educational workshops and will perform The Secret Garden on the convention main stage.

CLICK HERE to see the YouTube video submitted by Temple's Jared Smith for competition in the "Short Film" category.

CLICK HERE for more detailed information about the state convention.

Temple High School Thespians held their annual Halloween Party on October 27 at the Southerland home. Students participated in a costume contest (1st prize went to Scott Searles) and a pumpkin carving and story contest. They also brought canned food as part of a community-service project.

CLICK HERE to view a Facebook photo album from the party. (You don't have to be a Facebook member to view the album.)

The second show of the school year, Amadeus, will be performed on October 24-25-26 at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, October 27 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. The audience will be seated on the stage with the actors, so seating will be limited. The audience will enter through the glassed-in lobby (which is located between the stage and the band hall) on the west side of the building. General-admission tickets are available through students involved with the show, or online by clicking the "SeatYourself" logo on the right side of the page. 

At the opening of the tale, Court Composer Antonio Salieri (Josh Petersen) is an old man, having long outlived his fame, and is convinced that he poisoned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jared Smith). Promising to explain himself, the action flashes back to the 18th century when Salieri had not met Mozart in person, but had heard of him and his music. He adored Mozart's compositions and was thrilled at the chance to meet Mozart in person.

However, he is deeply disappointed to find that Mozart's personality does not match the grace or charm of his compositions. Salieri cannot reconcile Mozart's boorish behaviour with the genius that God has inexplicably bestowed upon him. He cannot believe that God would choose Mozart over him for such a gift.

Throughout much of the rest of the play, Salieri masquerades as Mozart's ally to his face while doing his utmost to destroy his reputation and any success his compositions may have. Salieri also humiliates Mozart's wife (Bonnie Langthorn) when she comes to Salieri for aid, and smears Mozart's character with the Austrian Emperor (Michael Guillen) and his court.

This provocative work by Peter Shaffer won the Tony Award for Best Play, and the movie adaptation won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

CLICK HERE for the Information Page about Amadeus  (cast, production staff, rehearsal schedule, etc.)

NEW  CLICK HERE for a Facebook photo album with Amadeus rehearsal and behind-the-scenes photos. (You don't have to be a Facebook member to view this album.)

Pictured above is an article by Rachel Lijewski that appeared in the Temple Daily Telegram on October 20, 2013.

Josh Petersen as Salieri during a rehearsal on the set of Amadeus.

The Venticelli (which means "Little Winds") are the purveyors of information, gossip and rumor. Pictured (from left) are Ben Clardy, Avery Ling, Katelyn Kennard, Scott Searles and Jacqueline Lock.

Temple's fall musical, The Secret Garden, will be performed September 26-29, 2013.

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door, and are available from students involved in the production or online. Reserved seat tickets (the first six rows) are $15 each and only available online by clicking on the "Seat Yourself" logo at the right. Evening performances (8 p.m.) will be Sept. 26, 27 and 28, with a matinee performance (2 p.m.) on Sept. 29.

Mary Lennox (Avery Ling), a young British girl raised in India, awakens one morning to learn that her parents (Zoe Mischtian and Spencer Mathesen) and nearly everyone she knows have died of cholera. She is found by a group of soldiers from her father's Army unit. She is sent to England to her only living relatives -- an embittered, reclusive uncle (Josh Petersen) and his invalid son (James Clardy), whom she has never met. Her uncle's deceased wife, Lily (Bonnie Langthorn), and Mary’s mother were sisters.

Because her uncle is still dealing with his wife's death, the household is managed by his brother (Chris Kleypas), who is also the doctor caring for the invalid son.

Mary learns of a secret garden that once belonged to her uncle's wife, Lily. After his wife's death, her uncle locked the garden door and buried the key.

Chambermaid Martha (Hannah Gilmore) encourages Mary to play outside, where she meets Martha's brother Dickon (Ben Clardy) and the head gardener (Jared Smith). The hunt begins to discover the secret garden and the mysteries it holds. Other actors at the house include a housekeeper (Eleni Boyle) and a school headmistress (Kinsey Boyd).

The house is persistently haunted by ghosts, people from Mary's life in India and from her uncle's past. Collectively referred to as "The Dreamers," these actors include Alex Clardy, Abby Denman, Michael Guillen, Remington Kent, Jacqueline Lock, Oliver Marshall, Marina Quintanilla, Scott Searles and Taylor Wilson.

Temple’s performance is being screened by representatives from the Texas Thespians for possible inclusion as a mainstage show in the group’s annual state convention in late November. If selected, the Temple students would perform before 3400 people in Dallas.

CLICK HERE for the INFORMATION PAGE about The Secret Garden, which contains a cast list, production staff list and rehearsal schedule.

NEW! CLICK HERE to see a Facebook Album of photos from the production. (You don't have to have a Facebook account to view this album.)

The ghostly figures of the "Dreamers" surround Archibald (Josh Petesen) at Misselthwaite Manor.

Register now to reserve your spot on a fabulous trip to New York City hosted by Temple Theatre Arts Teacher Natasha Tolleson. The 2014 trip will be Tuesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 15, 2014. The group's travel, hotel accommodations and airport transfers in New York City are being coordinated by School Tours of America. We will be flying out of Austin. There will also be a separate package of show and tour tickets (five Broadway shows and several tours). The total cost will be $1,945 per person (quad occupancy) or $2,395 per person (double occupancy). By using School Tours of America (STA), you will be able to register online, and make payments or partial payments through the company's website. You'll also be able to use a credit card for payments to STA. Final payment to STA will be due on or before March 15, 2014. Our trip number on the STA website is 6577

The registration fee is only $99.

CLICK HERE for the Information Sheet (PDF) about the trip.
CLICK HERE for the paper registration forms (PDF, large file).
STA website = www.SchoolToursOfAmerica.com

To contact Mrs. Tolleson when school is not in session, her personal email is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it