Temple High School Theatre Arts will present its first production of the 2017-18 school year October 26-28 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 29 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Performances will be at the Temple High Auditorium, 415 North 31st Street in Temple. Tickets are available from cast and crew members, or online at SeatYourself.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare's most popular comedy, was written around 1594 or 1595. It takes place in a mythical Athens and in an enchanted forest. This work is widely performed around the world, and no wonder — it's about the world's most popular pastime, falling in love. But as Puck knows, falling in love can make fools of us all.

Theseus (Kadaron Sledge), the Duke of Athens is preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta (Sereniti Patterson), the Queen of the Amazons with a four-day festival. He commissions his Master of the Revels (Morgan Madsen) to find suitable amusements for the occasion.

An Athenian nobleman (Austin Boatman) wishes his daughter Hermia (Callie Ortega) to marry Demetrius (Seth Little), but Hermia is in love with Lysander (Gabriel Salazar) and refuses to comply. To escape the arranged marriage, the couple elopes into the woods, pursued by Helena (Adara Felix), who is also in love with Demetrius. A love quadrangle develops among the young lovers when mischievous Puck (Sierra Amalbart) plays Cupid.

Meanwhile, a group of amateur actors (Kerynn Eckenrode, Torrie Culp, D’Andre Wright, Caleb Gommert, Daniel Salazar and Chrissy Upchurch) rehearses a badly-written play they hope to perform for the duke and his bride. Soon all find their lives changed by the doings of Oberon (Anthony Williamson) and Titania (Grace Mellette), the warring king and queen of the fairies.

CLICK HERE for the Information Page about A Midsummer Night's Dream, which contains a complete cast and production staff listing.

Temple theatre students attended the annual UIL Student Activity Conference (Super Saturday) on Saturday, October 14, at the University of Texas at Austin. Students will also be visiting the Bob Bullock Museum and attending a performancce of The Wolves at the Hyde Park Theatre in Austin.
Below are photos of the group having dinner at Threadgill's.

Wonder of the World, by David Lindsay-Abaire, will be Temple's marathon play entry at the 2017 Texas Thespian Festival and Competition in Grapevine November 15-18. A marathon play is a 40-minute play (similar in length to the UIL one-act play).

In the play, nothing will prepare you for the dirty little secret that Cass (Adara Felix) discovers in her husband's (Gabriel Salazar) sweater drawer. It is so shocking that Cass has no choice but to flee to the honeymoon capital of the world in a frantic search for the life she thinks she missed out on. It's a wild ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel of laughs as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery that has her crossing paths with an alcoholic intent on barreling over the falls to spite her estranged husband (Grace Mellette), a lonely tour-boat captain (D'Andre Wright), and a pair of bickering private detectives (Callie Ortega and Seth Little), all of which pushes her perilously close to the water's edge.

Sierra Amalbert plays four characters — Barbara, a helicopter pilot, a waitress and Janie, a clown therapist. Kerryn Ekenrode and Torrie Culp also play waitresses.

Carlen Gilseth is joining the Temple High Theatre Department Staff in the Fall of 2017. He will serve as Temple's Technical Director and Assistant Director. He holds a master of fine arts degree in directing and theatrical production from the University of Texas at Austin. Most recently, he taught at Minot State University in North Dakota. Previously, Carlen taught many years at The Woodlands High School (near Houston), where he was named Texas Educator of the Year by the Texas Educational Theatre Association. He has taken several plays to the UIL State One-Act Play contest and was State Champion in 2000 for The Shadow Box. He served as State Chapter Director of the Texas Thespians from 2007 through 2011.

Under his direction The Woodlands won the International Thespian Society Outstanding School Award in 2000 and 2007. Carlen's wife, Connie, will teach theatre at Lamar Middle School.

Temple's former Technical Director Brad LaMotte has joined the Baylor University theatre department.

Eleven Temple Thespians are attending the International Thespian Society Convention in Lincoln, Nebraska. Students are competing in duet musical, group musical, lighting design and for college scholarships. Below are photos from their first day on the road to Lincoln.

LEFT: Temple Thespians at the Nebraska State Capitol.  RIGHT: "Don't Tell Mama" competitors.

Photo posted by the International Thespian Society in one of their photo albums showing some of the Temple students.

Temple's Ashlyn Medina won the Division 2 State Championship in individual hair and make-up design during UIL state finals in Round Rock April 14, 2017. Division 2 includes 5A and 6A schools. Her designs for Into the Woods were based on a Bollywood theme.

Temple's group entry won 5th place in Texas. It was focused on a film noir theme with an homage to German expressionism. Group members included Bianca Gutierrez (set design), James Equels (costumes), Bailee Poelker (hair and make-up) and Emma Tolleson (marketing).

Temple High School's production of Hedda Gabler advanced in the District 18-5A one-act play contest on March 21, 2017 at College Station High School. This means that Temple has been district co-champion for 25 years in a row. The other two schools advancing with Temple were College Station High (After the Fall) and Bryan High (Twelve Dreams). The next level of competition will be the Bi-District Contest, March 25, 2017 at Waco University High.

Temple's Emma Tolleson was named Best Actress in the district. Benjamin Clardy was selected for the All-Star Cast. Adara Felix was named to the Honorable Mention All-Star Cast, and Callie Ortega was named Best Technician.

CLICK HERE to see a Facebook album of photos from the play.

Performance Order on Saturday, March 25 at Waco University High:
   10 a.m. Lindale High, Medea
   11 a.m. College Station High, After the Fall
   12 noon Bryan High, Twelve Dreams
   1 p.m. Whitehouse High, The Caucasian Chalk Circle
   2 p.m. Temple High, Hedda Gabler
   3 p.m. Corsicana High, The Scottish Tragedy

Times are approximate as the performances run back-to-back. Plan to arrive early in case they are running ahead of schedule. Wendy Barrett will serve as judge. Three of the six schools will advance to the Area Contest on Monday, April 3, at Waco University High.