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 Temple High School advanced 10 students to the UIL 2013 Theatrical Design State Contest. Only one other school in the entire state (Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North High) had more students qualify for the state meet. The student designs will be on display May 20-22 at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin during the UIL one-act play state meet and are based on The Hobbit.
Temple students who advanced with individual design entries included Bonnie Langthorn (costume design), Megan Foutz (make-up design), Meredith Atkinson (make-up design), Carissa Breeding (set design), Ashlyn Craig (set design) and Michael Guillen (marketing design). Temple students who were part of the four-person group entry included Dana Lauchner (costume design), Madeline Kleypas (make-up design), Spencer Tolleson (set design) and Eric Southerland (marketing design). In the UIL Theatrical Design contest, schools are not divided into classifications. All schools (Class A through 5A) compete equally against each other. Each school may enter a maximum of eight individual entries and one team entry. This is the sixth year of the contest. Temple won the group state championship during the first year (2008). Temple also won 4th place in the state in group design for three years in a row (2009, 2010 and 2011). The UIL gives awards for 1st through 5th place in each category. |
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Auditions for The Secret Garden, the musical, will be Tuesday, June 4, at 4:15 p.m. in the auditorium. Callbacks will be Thursday, June 6 at 2 p.m. with the cast list being posted Thursday night. The "sing through" will be Friday, June 8 at 2 p.m. Parts are being cast before school is out so that actors can learn the music over the summer. Some music rehearsals will be held during the summer. Incoming freshmen may also audition for the show. Performances will be September 26-29, 2013. CLICK HERE for the information page about The Secret Garden. |
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Natasha Tolleson was featured in the May 2013 edition of Tex Appeal Magazine. The article, entitled "Drama Queen," was by Teresa K. Hernandez with photos by Priscilla Z Photography. Below are some excerpts from the article. Shakespeare once proclaimed that “all the world’s a stage,” and that is exactly what Natasha Tolleson is teaching her students at Temple High School. Natasha is the director of the award-winning Theatre Arts Department at THS, where she has been teaching for the last 22 years. The Theatre Arts Department definitely knows how to “break a leg.” It produces three to four major productions a school year and has one of the most advanced auditoriums and stages in the nation for a high school. It features a Meyer Constellation Electroacoustic Architecture system, which is computer-controlled to provide a quality acoustic sound to every seat in the auditorium. Natasha has spent a lifetime in the arts. In fact, she starred in her very first production when she was six years old and in the first grade. Natasha surprised her mother by playing the lead role of the teeny lady in The Teeny-Tiny Lady. She admits her appreciation for stage may have stemmed from the fact that she grew up watching the multi-talented actors on popular variety show comedies such as "The Carol Burnett Show," "Sonny & Cher" and others like them. "Aside from acting, it is important for the students to study architecture, history, social issues and customs, and fashion and hairstyles so that costumes, sets, and even hair and make-up are all accurately portrayed for the period of the production,” says Natasha. “We stay very busy. There are sets that have to be designed and built, costumes to be made for every production, and we compete in UIL competitions,” says Natasha. “We make all of our own costumes and we also rent our costumes to other theatres across the state.” Aside from teaching, traveling the state for UIL contests and producing multiple shows a year, Natasha spends her summers teaching at one of the premiere summer theatre training programs in Texas, the Tal Lostracco’s Summer Theater Camp at Southwestern University. This two-week theatre camp works to strengthen high school students’ skills relating to theatre, acting and technical theater. Natasha also has three children, ages 14, 18, and 22 with her husband Richard Tolleson, who is the director of the media and journalism department at Temple High School. Pick-up a copy of the May 2013 edition of Tex Appeal Magazine to read the entire article and check out the photos. |
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Natasha Tolleson, Temple's theatre arts department chairman, will be guest directing the play Shooting Star at Temple Civic Theatre. Evening (8 p.m.) performances are May 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25. Matinee (2:30 p.m.) performances are May 19 and 26. Student tickets are $10 each. Adults tickets are $20. College sweethearts, now in their late 40s, meet again as they are snowed in at an airport. Steven Dietz, playwright, is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. More details are on the Temple Civic Theatre website, www.ArtsTemple.com. |
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Temple High School Theatre Arts will present a final performance of its 2013 entry in the UIL One-Act Play Contest on Tuesday, April 23, at 7 p.m. in the Temple High School Auditorium. Admission will be $5 per person. The play is The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. This is the 21st year in a row that Temple's team was named district co-champion and advanced to the area contest. No other UIL team at Temple High holds such a record. The group was named alternate (third place) school at the area contest, which means out of the 254 schools that began the contest in the 5A conference, Temple ended up as one of the Top 36 schools in the state. 
From left: Bonnie Langthorn, Joshua Petersen, Madeline Kleypas, Spencer Tolleson, Lexie Tankersley, Meredith Atkinson and Michael Guillen.
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Temple High School's Literary Criticism Team will be competing at Texas Tech University in Lubbock during the UIL Region I Academic Contest April 19 and 20. The students advanced from the UIL District 8-5A Academic Meet where Joshua Petersen won 1st place in the district and Madeline Kleypas won 3rd place. Temple's "lit crit" team was named 1st place in the district and included Meredith Atkinson, Madeline Kleypas, Joshua Petersen and Spencer Tolleson. The students were coached by Natasha Tolleson. The UIL Literary Criticism Contest is a 90-minute test in which the student's familiarity with the concepts associated with literary analysis, authors and works that represent English-language literary history, as well as some of its classical and international influences, is assessed. The test is administered in three sections followed by a required tie-breaking essay that invites the student to exercise his or her skill in literary analysis.
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Temple's one-act play team was named alternate (third place) and did not advance from the area contest held Saturday, April 13 at Waxahachie High School. Madeline Kleypas and Spencer Tolleson were named to the all-star cast and Bonnie Langthorn received an honorable mention all-star cast award. Carissa Breeding was named to the all-star crew. The two schools that advanced to region were Arlington Martin and South Grand Prairie. APRIL 17 UPDATE: At the region contest in Lubbock, Arlington Martin (Children of a Lesser God) and Lewisville Flower Mound (These Shining Lives) advanced to the state meet. South Grand Prairie (Captains and Courage) was named alternate. |
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 Temple's one-act play, The Importance of Being Earnest, advanced from the 8-5A district contest held Thursday, March 28, at Midway's Performing Arts Center. This makes the 21st year in a row that Temple's UIL team has been the district co-champion.
Temple received more individual acting awards than any other school. Madeline Kleypas was named Best Actress in the district and Spencer Tolleson received Best Actor honors. Named to the all-star cast were Bonnie Langthorn, Joshua Petersen and Lexie Tankersley. Receiving honorable mention all-star cast honors were Meredith Atkinson and Christopher Kleypas. Temple also received the award for the Best Tech Crew, which included Carissa Breeding, Avelina Martinez, Alyssa Kerr, Dana Lauchner and Kassie Benner. The area contest will be Saturday, April 13, at Waxahachie High School. Here is the performance order and approximate times:
(1) 1:45 p.m. Arlington Martin, Children of a Lesser God
(2) 2:35 p.m. Temple, The Importance of Being Earnest
(3) 3:25 p.m. Arlington High, Boys Next Door
(4) 4:15 p.m. Grand Prairie, The Great Gatsby
(5) 5:05 p.m. Harker Heights, 33 Variations
(6) 5:55 p.m. South Grand Prairie, Captains and Courage
(The starting times were changed on April 1, so the above times are different than first posted.) At the beginning of the one-act play season, there were 255 schools in the Conference 5A contest. At the area level, only 64 schools remain (two from each district). Two of the six schools listed above will advance to the region contest at Texas Tech in Lubbock, April 16 & 17. At the regional level, only 24 schools remain in the contest. CLICK HERE to see a photos from zone and district. (You don't have to be a Facebook member to see this album.)
CLICK HERE to see photos from the play's rehearsal on April 11, 2013. |
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RESULTS: Advancing Schools: Austin Anderson (Moon Over Buffalo) and Round Rock Westwood (Moon Over Buffalo). Alternate School: Austin Bowie (Front). Best Actor: Adam Munoz (Westwood). Best Actress: Hanna Tyson (Anderson). All-Star Cast: Walden Hagelman (Bowie), Makenna Perkal (Bowie), Blake Robbins (Anderson), Dylan Gibson (Pearce), David Williams (McNeil), Abby Poch (McNeil), Megan McAllister (Westwood) and Haleyna Kociuk (White). Honorable Mention All-Star Cast: Christian Haddad (Bowie), Noah Villarreal (Anderson), Gage Robinson (Pearce), Chase Naylor (McNeil), Rodrigo Zaragoza (McNeil), Shelby Bursk (Westwood), Miguel Guerrero (Westwood) and Quinn Coffman (White). Outstanding Tech Crew: Bowie High: Brooklyn Boreing, Josh Flowers, Tess Craig, Catie Tijeria and Avery LaRue. Temple High School will be hosting a 5A Area One-Act Play Contest on Tuesday, April 9. The contest is for Region II, Area 1, which includes districts 9, 15 and 16. Performances begin at 3 p.m. and admission charge is $5 per person. Critic judge will be Kelly Parker, theatre professor at McLennan Community College in Waco. The schools, plays and approximate performance times are:
(1) 3:00 p.m., Austin Bowie, Front
(2) 3:50 p.m., Austin Anderson, Moon over Buffalo
(3) 4:40 p.m., Richardson Pearce, Asylum
(4) 5:30 p.m., Round Rock McNeil, A Flea in Her Ear
(5) 6:20 p.m., Round Rock Westwood, Moon Over Buffalo
(6) 7:10 p.m., Dallas White, An Evening of Culture: Faith County II Two of the six schools will advance to the region contest at Baylor University on April 19. CLICK HERE for a PDF file copy of the printed program for the contest. |
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Temple High's one-act play, The Importance of Being Earnest, advanced to the district contest from the zone contest held Tuesday, March 26, at Temple High School. The other advancing school from the zone was Belton High with Rabbit Hole. Temple's Lexie Tankersley (Lady Bracknell) was named Best Actress in the zone. Named to the all-star cast were Madeline Kleypas (Gwendolen) and Spencer Tolleson (John Worthing). Named to the honorable mention all-star cast were Bonnie Langthorn (Cecily) and Christopher Kleypas (Lane). CLICK HERE to see a YouTube video when Lexie's award is announced. Temple will compete on Thursday, March 28, at the District 8-5A contest at the Performing Arts Center at Midway Middle School. Performances begin at 4 p.m. and will run back-to-back.
District Contest Performance Order and Approximate Times:
(1) 4:00 p.m., Harker Heights High, 33 Variations
(2) 4:45 p.m., Copperas Cove High, Electra
(3) 5:30 p.m., Temple High, The Importance of Being Earnest
(4) 6:15 p.m., Belton High, Rabbit Hole Two of the four schools will be named District 8-5A Co-Champions and will advance to the area contest on Saturday, April 13, in Waxahachie. Midway Middle School is located at 800 North Hewitt Drive, Hewitt, TX 76643. CLICK HERE for a Google map of the location. Critic judge will be Rebecca Faulds from Tyler Junior College, where she has taught for over 15 years, directed many productions and conducted teacher workshops in make-up and sound. |
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Temple High School's entry in the 2013 UIL One-Act Play contest will be scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. The first round of the annual contest (zone) will be Tuesday, March 26, at Temple High School and Copperas Cove High School. The eight schools in Temple's district 8-5A were divided into two zones, and two schools from each zone will advance to the District Contest, which will be Thursday at the Performing Arts Center at Midway Middle School beginning at 4 p.m. Performances on Tuesday will begin at 4 p.m. with the plays running back-to-back. There is no charge for admission. Audience members may only enter and leave between performances. Competing at Temple High School, with approximate times, are:
(1) 4:00 p.m., Shoemaker High, The Death and Life of Larry Benson
(2) 4:45 p.m., Temple High, The Importance of Being Earnest
(3) 5:30 p.m., Midway High, Shakespeare in Hollywood
(4) 6:15 p.m., Belton High, Rabbit Hole Competing at Copperas Cove High will be (1) Copperas Cove, (2) Killeen, (3) Harker Heights and (4) Ellison. Critic judge for the Temple zone contest will be Rod Caspers, who currently serves as Executive Director of Creative Services for the University of Texas System, where he and his colleagues recently received five Lone Star Emmy Awards for creating and producing the PBS series, "State of Tomorrow." He has taught and directed at the the University of Wisconsin and the University of Texas. He has adjudicated UIL One-Act Plays for over 20 years, including the state contests in both Class 4A and 1A, and has directed over 100 productions. Mr. Caspers received his BA degree from Illinois State University in 1976 and his MFA degre from The University of Texas at Austin in 1984. CLICK HERE for the information page with cast list, production staff list and rehearsal schedule. 
This is a group photo from the One-Act Play Retreat, held March 18 and 19, 2013. For alternate versions of this photo, click HERE (#1) or HERE (#2). Either of the alternate photos will open a new window in your browser. Close that window to return to this page.
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2012-13 Highlights
Texas Thespians,
All-Star Thespian Troupe
Eight Events Advance to
International Competition
3rd Place in the State,
Thespian Team Set Design
Four Students Perform
in the All-State Play 10 Students Advance
to State Finals in
UIL Theatrical Design
(2nd Highest Number of
Any School in Texas)
21 Years in a Row
Temple's UIL One-Act Play team has been the District Co-Champion for 21 years in a row (as of March 2013). No other UIL team at Temple High holds such a record.
2011-12 Highlights
International Thespian
Champion, Costume Design
Texas Top 12, UIL 5A
One-Act Play Competition
(Out of 254 schools)
10 Students Advance
to State Finals in
UIL Theatrical Design
(Highest Number in Texas)
Texas Thespians,
All-Star Thespian Troupe
Eight Events Advance to International Competition
1st Place in the State,
Thespian Mask Making
Four Students Selected
for the All-State Play
2010-11 Highlights
International Thespian Champion, Sound Design
International Thespian Co-Champion, Group Acting
Texas Thespians,
All-Star Thespian Troupe
Nine Events Advance to International Competition
1st Place in the State,
Thespian Team Set Design
Three Students Performed
in the All-State Play
Six Students Advance to State Meet in UIL Theatrical Design
4th Place in the State,
UIL Group Dramatic Design
2009-10 Highlights
International Thespian Champion, Scenic Design
International Thespian Champion, Sound Design
State Finalist (Final 8),
UIL 5A One-Act Play Contest (Out of 255 schools)
4th Place in the State,
UIL Group Dramatic Design
Texas Thespians,
All-Star Thespian Troupe
Nine Events Advance to International Competition
More UIL Theatrical Design State Finalists than any other school in Texas
2008-09 Highlights
International Thespian Champion, Theatre Marketing International Thespian Champion, Stage Management Texas Thespians, All-Star Thespian Troupe Texas Thespian Champion, Group Musical Texas Top 12, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition (Out of 255 schools) 4th Place in the State, UIL Group Dramatic Design International Thespian
Top 2, Duet Mime International Thespian
Final 4, Group Musical
2007-08 Highlights
International Thespian Champion, Group Musical International Thespian Champion, Publicity Design Texas Second Runner-Up at the state contest, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition Best Performer in Texas, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition Best Actor in Texas, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition Texas State Champion, UIL Group Dramatic Design (Conferences 1A-5A) Texas Thespians, All-Star Thespian Troupe
2006-07 Highlights
Texas State Champion, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition Best Performer in Texas, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition Best Actress in Texas, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition Best Actor in Texas, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition
Other Years
2004
International Thespian Champion, Scenic Design 2001
Texas Second Runner-Up at the state contest, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition
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