Welcome to our Website

     Thanks for visiting our website. We're planning a website revision for September 2008, so please check back. As you may know, Temple High School's auditorium will be undergoing renovations for the entire 2008-09 school year, so we'll be performing in other venues until the auditorium re-opens, scheduled for Fall 2009.
     This website had 88,792 hits recorded during June 2008. Our highest month ever (when we were preparing to compete in the state one-act play contest) was April 2008 with 293,579 hits recorded.

2008 International Thespian Champion, Group Musical
2008 International Thespian Champion, Publicity Design
2008 Texas Second Runner-Up at the state contest, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition
2008 Best Performer in Texas, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition
2008 Best Actor in Texas, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition
2008 Texas State Champion, UIL Group Dramatic Design (1A-5A)
2007 Texas Thespians, All-Star Thespian Troupe
2007 Texas State Champion, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition
2007 Best Performer in Texas, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition
2007 Best Actress in Texas, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition
2007 Best Actor in Texas, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition
2004 International Thespian Champion, Scenic Design
2001 Texas Second Runner-Up at the state contest, UIL 5A One-Act Play Competition
 

Tentative Schedule for the Coming School Year

     Here are some tentative dates for the Temple High School Theatre Arts 2008-09 school year.
     September 2 & 3 -- Open Auditions for Picnic
     September 11 -- Nomination deadline for Homecoming King and Queen
     September 25-26-27-28 -- Performances of Picnic, location to be announced
     September 29 & 30 -- Open Auditions for the musical Into the Woods
     October 6 & 7 -- Open Auditions for Pride & Prejudice
     October 4 -- UIL Student Activity Conference (Super Saturday) at UT Austin
     Weekend of October 11 & 12 -- Attend performance of Urinetown  at Baylor University
     October 17 & 18 -- Polyfoniks Dinner Show
     Date to be added for the Thespian Halloween Party
     November 13-14-15-16 -- Performances of Pride & Prejudice, Cultural Activities Center
     November 20-23 -- Texas State Thespian Festival, Fort Worth
     December 1(?) -- Deadline for submissions for the UIL State Theatrical Design Contest
     Date to be added for the Thespian "White Elephant" Christmas Party
     January 15-16-17-18 -- Performances of Into the Woods, Cultural Activities Center
          (Please note the spring musical is several weeks earlier than usual because of changing locations)
     January 22-25 -- Texas Educational Theatre Association (TETA) Convention, Houston
     Date to be added for the Middle School One-Act Play Contest
     Date to the added for UIL One-Act Play Zone Contest (needed if all eight district schools enter)
     Date to the added for UIL One-Act Play District Contest, location to be decided
     April 9 -- UIL One-Act Play Area Contest, Leander Performing Arts Center
     April 24 -- UIL One-Act Play Regional Contest, Baylor, Critic Judge Jim Mammarella
     May 7-9 -- UIL One-Act Play State Contest, Austin, Critic Judge Bob Singleton
     May 9 -- UIL State Theatrical Design Awards, Austin
     May 15 & 16 -- Polyfoniks Spring Show
     May 23 -- Senior Breakfast and Thespian Annual Banquet
 
     (Show titles and dates are subject to change.)
 
 

Temple Thespians Invade Lincoln, Nebraska for
International Competition, June 23-29

     Temple Thespian Troupe members will compete at the International Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln June 23-29. Temple had several competitors advance from the state convention (held last November in Fort Worth) to the international contest.
     Temple will compete in these events: group musical, monologue (Emily Kleypas), publicity (Alexandra Tolleson), costume design (Thumper Gosney) and scenic design (Nathan Graham). The first round of competition is Tuesday, June 24, with callbacks and results announced later in the week.
     The group will attend several workshop sessions at the festival and will also see shows performed by many other high-school groups. These shows will include Chicago, Hairspray, Sweeney Todd, Little Shop of Horrors and Noises Off.

     CLICK HERE to see the Group Musical contest entry from Lincoln, Nebraska, on June 24.

WEDNESDAY (JUNE 25) UPDATE -- Alexandra Tolleson won the International Thespian Competition in Publicity Design for Tartuffe.  Thumper Gosney (costume design) and Nathan Graham (scenic design) also competed, but were not selected as first place. Only first place names are announced in the technical competitions.
     Emily Kleypas competed in monologue, but was not selected for a callback in that contest. There were 65 entries in the monologue contest, and only five received callbacks.
     Temple's Group Musical entry was selected as one of two schools for "private callbacks" before a judging panel. The judges will select which troupes perform on main stage before the entire convention. Temple was the only high school called back. The other callback was a middle school troupe. If selected, Temple's group musical entry will perform twice Friday morning before the entire convention in two different auditoriums.
     The last contest Temple won at the International Competition was in 2004 for Scenic Design.
     Four incoming seniors (Corrie Hermans, Emily Kleypas, Alexandra Tolleson and Shalyssa Wright) all participated in college auditions. Each girl performed a brief audition before college and university representatives. The universities then issued callback invitations to those students they would like to visit with personally. All four Temple girls received multiple callbacks from the schools, with Emily receiving the most at 16.

THURSDAY (JUNE 26) UPDATE -- The judging panel for callbacks selected Temple's Group Musical entry as the 2008 International Thespian Contest Winner, and the group will be performing twice Friday morning for the entire convention (2600 people) in two different auditoriums. It is extremely rare for one troupe to win two international awards at the same festival. The convention program lists 280 Thespian Troupes as attending the festival, with the furtherest listed as from the United Arab Emirates.
     The group musical participants are directed by Natasha Tolleson and include Chris Burrow, Anya Godigamuwe, Corrie Hermans, Cory Kosel (soloist), Farrell Matthews, Elizabeth Pasichnyk, John Patterson, Scott Ray, Matt Rublee, Stephanie Scherer (soloist), Trenton Schneiders, Samantha Sheffer, Rachel Ann Stonestreet, Sarah Jo White and Shalyssa Wright. Phillip Vriseno operates the musical accompaniment.
     Nathan Graham received several callbacks from his technical theatre college auditions on Wednesday afternoon.

     CLICK HERE for the ThespianR.Us Snapfish group room to view photos from the Nebraska adventure. More photos are being added everyday.
     CLICK HERE to see a rehearsal of the Group Musical before its callback performance.

     CLICK HERE to leave a message in our guestbook.

     CLICK HERE to read an article from NYTimes.com about this year's festival in Lincoln.

Group Musical winners and Publicity Design winner at the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Display for the 2008 International Thespian Winner in Publicity Design by Alexandra Tolleson

One of the shows the group attended was And Then They Came for Me, which involved Eva Schloss (pictured with Temple's Claressa Caswell). Eva is a Holocaust and Auschwitz survivor, a childhood friend of Anne Frank, and become Anne's stepsister when Eva's mother married Anne's father, Otto. Eva took questions from the audience following the very moving play. The university scheduled a book signing Saturday afternoon, but for a convention of over 2600 people, the Nebraska Bookstore ordered only 50 copies of Eva's book, so they were sold out before the signing even began.

Group Returns from NYC on June 16

     Natasha Tolleson and students returned to Texas on June 16 after spending a week in New York City on their Broadway Adventure Tour. (The group actually didn't arrive in Austin until Tuesday, June 17 at 1:15 a.m. because their plane was delayed 4.5 hours because of weather.)
     While in NYC, the group toured Radio City Music Hall, the NBC studios, the Metropolitan Museum, the American Museum of Natural History and explored many parts of Manhattan, including Central Park, SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, Wall Street and the Staten Island Ferry.
     The entire group saw In the Heights  (winner Tony best musical, best choreography, best original score), The 39 Steps  (best lighting, best sound), August: Osage County  (Tony best play, best leading actress, best featured actress, best director), Spring Awakening  (best musical last year) and A Catered Affair. Individual members of the group saw Les Liaisons Dangereuses (best costume design), Young Frankenstein, Boeing-Boeing  (best play revival, best leading actor), The Country Girl and The Marriage of Bette and Boo.
     August: Osage County also received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
 
 

Student-Directed Play Ends the School Year

     Chris Greene and Anthony Guillen directed Walkin' Backward  to close the 2007-2008 school year at Temple High School. The play may have been the final theatrical production to be presented on the current Temple High stage, as the auditorium will undergo a year-long renovation during the 2008-2009 school year.
     The play's cast included Joey Jaworski, John Patterson and Chris Burrow.

     CLICK HERE to see photos and videos from the production
 

Annual Thespian Banquet held Saturday, May 17

     The annual Thespian Banquet was held Saturday, May 17 on the Temple High School Stage.
     CLICK HERE for more information and a list of awards presented.
     NEW   CLICK HERE for photos from the banquet.
 

Temple's One-Act Wins Second Runner-Up at State,
Cory Kosel Wins Best Actor in Texas and
Outstanding Performer in Texas for 2nd Year in a Row,
Temple's Group Design Team Wins the State Championship

Temple students had tremendous success at the 5A UIL state contest April 24-26, 2008 in Austin. The group is pictured above Sunday morning prior to returning to Temple. Click on the photo for a larger version.

The one-act team is pictured above on Thursday, April 24, just after the luncheon and before they boarded the bus for Austin. (Click the photo to see them "Go Mad".)

     Temple High School was named Second Runner-Up at the state championship meet for the University Interscholastic League One-Act Play Contest held April 26 at Hogg Auditorium on the University of Texas campus in Austin.
     In the 5A division, 260 Texas high schools began the one-act competition this year at zone and district levels, and Temple finished the season as the #3 school in the state out of all those 5A schools.
     At the state contest, Cory Kosel received both the Best Actor in Texas and the Outstanding Performer in Texas (Samuel French Award) for the second year in a row.
     Emily Kleypas was named to the state all-star cast (1 of 8 such awards in the entire state) and Trenton Schneiders was named to the honorable mention all-star cast (also 1 of 8 such awards in the entire state).
     Eight schools competed in Austin for the state championship. Mansfield High School's production of Epic Proportions won the state championship. San Antonio Churchill's production of Da  was named state runner-up. The other five schools (The Woodlands, Houston Cypress Creek, Austin High, Humble Atascocita High and Flower Mound) were not ranked.
     Temple's team had a very long day on Saturday. The group left the hotel at 5:30 a.m. to go to Hogg Auditorium to unload set pieces and props. Later that morning, dramatic design critiques were held. In the afternoon, Temple had its 45-minute rehearsal time on the Hogg stage and then performed around 8:30 p.m. that night. The awards ceremony lasted untll after midnight, and then the judge delivered his critique to each of the eight schools. After eating a very late dinner, the team returned to the hotel around 3 a.m.
     Critic judge for the state championship contest was Royal Brantley, professor of theatre and head of the Department of Art, Theatre and Dance at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX. After receiving his BA, he served as a professional intern and company member at the Dallas Theatre Center where, through Trinity University, he earned his MFA. He has directed over 70 productions at WTAMU.

     Valhalla intertwines two stories: the life of Ludwig of Bavaria (the 1880s Mad King responsible for building a series of storybook castles inspired by Wagnerian operas) and James Avery (a wild Texas teenager of the 1940s).
     Click here for the cast and production staff list.

NEW   CLICK HERE to see the Team's Trading Cards from the trip to the State One-Act Finals.
 
NEW   CLICK HERE to see photos from the team's trip to the State Finals.
NEW   CLICK HERE to see production photos from a complete rehearsal of the show.

You can leave the team a message by signing our GUESTBOOK!

Temple's Group Design Team Wins the State Championship

     Temple's group design team won the state championship. The group entry for Hamlet  included a coordinated set design, costume design and publicity design. Temple also had state finalists for individual publicity design and individual costume design. Dramatic design students attending the state meet included Claressa Caswell, Stephanie Ewing, Molly Farrell, Lauren Mann, Brynn Maxfield, Yvonne van Hoss, Tyler Weldin, Evan Wright and Lance Zaremba. They are pictured above with Dramatic Design Teacher Natasha Tolleson.
     Results were announced April 26, 2008 during the awards ceremony for the one-act play. In dramatic design, there are no classification divisions, so Temple won the state championship over all the 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A schools that entered the contest.
     The play to be used for next year's dramatic design contest will be Phantom of the Opera.
 

(From left) Cory Kosel, Natasha Tolleson, Rachael Petersen, Greg Stanley and Trenton Schneiders pictured with the trophy, medals and Samuel French Award from the one-act state championship contest.

                      Temple's one-act team trophy

STATE CONTEST, April 26, University of Texas at Austin
     Photos from State

REGIONAL CONTEST, April 11, Baylor University
     Photos from Regional
     YouTube video of announcement of Temple advancing to state
     YouTube video of announcement of Nathan Graham named to All-Star Tech Crew
     YouTube video of Spike-Tape Contest with Tyler Winkler and James Roeder
     YouTube video (time lapse) of taking the set down after rehearsal
     YouTube video in the lobby following the announcement of the results

AREA CONTEST, April 3, Waco High School
     Photos from Area
     YouTube video of announcement of the two advancing schools
     PDF file of the WordSearch puzzle from Area

DISTRICT CONTEST, March 28, Cultural Activities Center in Temple
     Photos from District
     PDF file of the printed program distributed at District
     YouTube video of announcement of the two advancing schools
     PDF file of WordSearch puzzle from District

PRIOR TO THE DISTRICT CONTEST
     YouTube video (time lapse) of putting together the set
     NEW   Production Photos from the March 26th rehearsal
     Photos from the One-Act Retreat, March 17-18
     Photos from Cedar Park High festival, March 15
     Photos from McLennan Community College festival, March 14, in Waco

SCREENSAVER  CLICK HERE to install the Valhalla Screensaver for Windows (link repaired)

"We're raising the stakes . . . GO MADLY to State!"

260:64:24:8:1        Please Sign Our GUESTBOOK!

CLICK HERE to download a PDF copy of the program from the Final Performance on Monday, May 5, 2008 in the Temple High School Auditorium Also available is the PDF file from the "Send-Off" Performance on April 23.

Performance Schedule from the State Championship Contest

Saturday, April 26, Hogg Memorial Auditorium, Austin

SESSION ONE
     (1) Winston Churchill High (San Antonio), Da
     (2) Cypress Creek High (Houston), The Elephant Man
     (3) Mansfield High, Epic Proportions
     (4) Stephen F. Austin High (Austin), ... And the Rain Came To Mayfield   Google Books
SESSION TWO
     (5) The Woodlands High, All My Sons
     (6) Temple High, Valhalla
     (7) Atascocita High (Humble), Fuente Ovejuna
     (8) Flower Mound High (Lewisville), The Rimers of Eldritch   Google Books

Yesireebob, Temple is going back to Austin for the state championship contest.
Cory Kosel holds the plaque the team received at the regional contest at Baylor.

 
A portion of the Valhalla set.

King Ludwig of Bavaria (Trenton Schneiders, left) and his mother (Megan Foster).

James Avery (Cory Kosel, left) and Henry Lee Stafford (Anthony Guillen) portray two World War II soldiers in Bavaria reading a letter from a girl back in Texas.

King Ludwig of Bavaria (Trenton Schneiders, left) and Princess Sophie of Austria (Rachael Petersen) are excited to find out they both love Lohengrin, the "incredible, perfect opera."

Sally Mortimer (Emily Kleypas, left) and James Avery (Cory Kosel) discuss her upcoming wedding to Henry Lee Stafford.

Ruthless!  Going to the State Contest Again? Maybe!

     Clifton High School (District 12-2A) has advanced to the regional 2A contest with Ruthless!, the show that Temple introduced to one-act competition and won the state championship with in 2007.
     Clifton is in the same district with Bruceville-Eddy, Moody, McGregor and others.
     At their area competition, Clifton's Michael Gardner was named best actor, Cara Scott was named best actress, Ty Evans was named to the all-star cast and Bennett Schmidt was named to the honorable mention all-star cast. Also, Leah Blanton was named to the all-star tech crew.
     The play is directed by Jodi Williams and Chanda Robertson.
     Clifton will perform Friday, April 11, at Tarleton State University in Stephenville.

     Pictured in the photo shown at right (from The Clifton Record ) are Michael Gardner (top left) and Ty Evans (top right), Bennett Schmidt (bottom left), Kathryn Asikis (center). Cara Scott (bottom right) and Chelsea Erickson (front).

UPDATE: We were sorry to hear that Clifton did not advance to the state championship contest, but congratulations to the group for making it all the way to the Final 24 (regionals).
 

One-Act Play Featured In
Front-Page Article on February 28th

     Temple High's School entry in this year's UIL One-Act Play competition was featured in a front-page article on February 28, 2008, in the Temple Daily Telegram.
     The article, by Ryan Renfrow, begins, "The Temple High School Theater Department isn’t playing around. The department has more than a dozen one-act-play district championships, countless regional and area awards, and holds last year’s trophies for state champion and best actor and actress."
     It also features a photo of Megan Foster on the front page, and a photo of Cory Kosel when the article continues on another page.

     CLICK HERE to go to the article on the Temple Daily Telegram website.

    

Bonham Wins Middle School One-Act Play Contest

     Bonham Middle School of Temple received the first-place trophy at the 4th Annual Middle School One-Act Play Contest hosted by Temple High School theatre arts on February 22 and 23, 2008.
     Six middle schools participated in the contest, including the three Temple ISD middle schools plus two schools from the Round Rock ISD and one from the Copperas Cove ISD. Natasha Tolleson served as contest director and Greg Stanley was the critic judge. Temple High theatre students served as the contest staff members.
     Bonham's entry, Crimes of the Heart, directed by Kristy Easley, also received the Outstanding Technical Crew trophy. Bonham's Maddie Kleypas was named best actress from all six plays. Other Bonham students receiving awards included Mikah Young, all-star cast; Shaley White, all-star cast and Spencer Tolleson, honorable mention all-star cast.
     Lamar Middle School's entry was directed by Dana Luce. Lamar students receiving awards included Meredith Howell, all-star cast; Katelynn Hill, honorable mention all-star cast and Marjorie Hernandez, honorable mention all-star cast.
     Travis Middle School's entry was directed by Suzanne Besser Housewright. Travis students receiving awards included Meredith Atkinson, all-star cast; Suzann Shultz, honorable mention all-star cast and Taylor Tisdale, honorable mention all-star cast.

Thespian Photos Posted at Snapfish

     A group room has been created at snapfish.com for the posting of photos from Temple High School theatre productions. In the group room, you may view photos, purchase photos and other items, download high-resolution photo files and much more. You must join snapfish.com to participate in the room, but the membership is free and you receive 20 free prints when you join. All the photos we are uploading to the snapfish group room are high-resolution photos (not the low-resolution 72- pixels-per-inch web page photos.)
     The web address for the snapfish group room is:
          http://thespiansrus.snapfish.com/snapfish

     We've begun to add photo albums to the site, and will add more as they are edited and uploaded. Coach Matt Corley has taken thousands of images from productions, and we will be posting those as quickly as possible.

Temple Advances to State Finals in
UIL Theatrical Design Competition

     Temple High School students in Natasha Tolleson's dramatic design class have advanced to the state finals in the University Interscholastic League's Theatrical Design Contest. This contest is not broken down into school-enrollment divisions, so Temple students were competing against other theatre students from 5A schools down to 1A schools.
     The submission deadline was December 1st, and Temple's entries were judged against over 200 other entries. All schools created designs for the same play, Hamlet, with the instructions that the play would be produced "with a futuristic 'medieval fantasy' setting. It should be 'dark' in texture and color and mood."
     In the preliminary judging, only those entries receiving "exemplary status" were advanced to the state finals.
     In the individual publicity design contest, Stephanie Ewing advanced to state as one of only 13 students in the entire state to receive an exemplary rating.
     In the individual costume design contest, Lance Zaremba advanced to state with 22 other Texas students.
     Temple also advanced to state in the group design contest, which included a coordinated set design, costume design and publicity design. Only 15 other schools received the exemplary designation and advanced in group design. Dramatic design students included Claressa Caswell, Molly Farrell, Lauren Mann, Brynn Maxfield, Yvonne van Hoss, Tyler Weldin and Evan Wright.
     The state competition, held at the same time as the one-act play finals, is April 25-26 in Austin.

Zombie Prom Was A Tremendous Success

     Zombie Prom, a zany rock musical that includes many stereotypical characters from the 1950s doo-wop "rebel with a cause" drive-in teen flicks and spoofs comic books from that era, was a great success at Temple High. The show ran February 7-10, 2008.
     After being pressured by her parents and her principal, good-girl Toffee (Rachael Petersen) breaks up with rebellious bad-boy Jonny Warner (Trenton Schneiders), who is so distraught that he takes a headlong dive into a waste silo at the nearby Francis Gary Powers Nuclear Plant.
     Jonny comes back as a teenage nuclear zombie, attempting to win back the girl of his dreams and return to school. However, Principal Delilah Strict (Megan Foster) will not allow Jonny back into Enrico Fermi High, and threatens to cancel the senior prom if he's seen at the dance.
     Meanwhile, Exposé Magazine Editor Eddie Flagrante (Cory Kosel) runs the zombie story in his magazine, and goes toe-to-toe with Miss Strict in an effort to get Jonny back in school.
     Did Jonny win back the girl of his dreams?
     Was he allowed to finish his senior year?
     And what happened at the senior prom?
     You would know the answers to these questions and more if you attended. . . Zombie Prom.
 
Thanks to our Advance Ticket Locations

     Thanks to these businesses that served as ticket locations this year:
     PRECIOUS MEMORIES, 1404 South 31st Street, Temple, 778-2422
     TEMPLE VETERINARY HOSPITAL, 2211 South 57th Street, Temple, 773-1411
     NIFTY'S 50'S & 60'S CAFE, 4011 South General Bruce Drive, Temple, 899-8500
   

Photos from Temple Telegram Publicity Shoot Behind the Scenes Photos NEW!  MORE Behind the Scenes Photos (Added Feb. 10) NEW!  February 10th Photos (Added Sunday, Feb. 10) Videos on YouTube          Feb. 6 Live Television Appearance on KWTX-TV  NEW!          Rehearsal Feb. 4: Opening of Act Two          Behind-the-scenes at the Live TV Appearance          "That's the Beat for Me" from rehearsal, Feb. 6          Cory waiting for photographer, January 28 ZOMBIE PROM LINKS (Click the link to select)      Cast & Production Staff Listing and Rehearsal Schedule (updated February 6)      Rehearsal Schedule (changes made January 30)      Information Sheet about the annual musical production

Cover of the Zombie Prom Souvenir Program On sale in the lobby during performances Limited quantities available

Here's the library display window created by the publicity crew.

 
Broadway Tour Scheduled for June 10-16, 2008

     Natasha Tolleson, Temple High theatre arts teacher, will again sponsor a Broadway Theatre Tour to New York City June 10-16, 2008. Laurent Nahon, who has been the group's tour guide during many trips to NYC, has started his own tour company, and arrangements are being made through Laurent.

     The tour includes:
          • Round-Trip Airfare to New York City
          • Six Nights at a Theatre District Hotel
          • Transportation between the Airport & Hotel, both ways
          • Attendance at Five Broadway Shows (Three top-price seats, Two mid or rear mezzanine seats)
          • Two After-Show Chats with Cast Members
          • Two Broadway Inside Classes
          • Tours of NBC Studios, Radio City Music Hall and Harlem’s Apollo Theater
          • Visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and American Museum of Natural History
          • 90-Minute Waterways Cruise around Manhattan
          • Breakfast Every Morning
          • Walking Tours of the Theatre District,SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Center
          • MetroCard (seven-day unlimited ride)
          • Services of Laurent Tours Leader daily
          • All applicable taxes and fees
          • Basic Protection Accident and Health Insurance
 
     The tour is open to current high school students, as well as adults and college students.
     Rates begin at $2,425 per person (four persons per hotel room). You can click the brochure shown above to download a PDF of the brochure with complete information. An initial payment of $500 per person is due to Mrs. Tolleson by December 15. Total payment must be completed by March 15, 2008.
     Please contact Natasha Tolleson for more information.

     CLICK HERE to download low-resolution PDF file of the above flyer. Printed copies of the flyer are also available from Mrs. Tolleson.

     Want to learn about the last Broadway Trip? CLICK HERE to read about the 2006 Tour.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
CLICK HERE to download our informational brochure in PDF file format. (You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view or print out this PDF file.)
      It's a large file (821K) so it may take a while to download. It's 16"x10" size so it requires oversized paper to print it out on one piece of paper. Because of the large file size, we've saved the photos at "on screen" resolution so the PDF would download quicker.
      The double-sided brochure contains photos from many shows, information about the program and facilities, and quotes from past students and other theatre professionals.

UPDATED JANUARY 2008
 
 
 
 
 

Temple High Students Excel at
Texas State Thespian Convention

     Temple High Thespians traveled to Fort Worth November 15-18 to compete at the annual State Thespian Festival. This year's theme was "Wild About Theatre -- Unleash Your Inner Thespian!" The program lists 152 troupes as attending this year's festival.
     One part of the convention was competing in the Individual Events Showcase. The best entries in each category were advanced to the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska, in June 2008.
 
     The following entries from Temple advanced to the International Festival:
     Monologue: Emily Kleypas with scenes from Romeo and Juliet and Agnes of God
     Duet Acting: Chris Greene and Anthony Guillen with a scene from All My Sons
     Group Musical Theatre: Chris Burrow, Anya Godigamuwe, Corrie Hermans, Cory Kosel (soloist), Danny Martinez, Farrell Matthews, John Patterson, Scott Ray, Matt Rublee, Stephanie Scherer (soloist), Trenton Schneiders, Samantha Sheffer, Rachel Ann Stonestreet, Sarah Jo White and Shalyssa Wright singing "Coffee Break" from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
     Costume Design : Thumper Gosney with Tartuffe
     Publicity Design: Alex Tolleson with Tartuffe
     Scenic Design: Nathan Graham with Tartuffe
 
     After being advanced to international competition, the Group Musical entry was called back before a panel of judges who would select which school's group musical entry would appear on the mainstage in front of the entire convention. Five schools competed in the callback audition, and Temple was chosen.

     Temple also claimed third place in the Texas Techie Relay. Danny Martinez, John Patterson, Scott Ray and Lance Zaremba participated in a timed relay race involving a variety of technical theatre skills.

     Temple was once again named a Texas All-Star Thespian Troupe. Shivani Patel lead a group that included Anya Godigamuwe, Adam Nottingham, Rachael Petersen, Stephanie Scherer, Rachel Ann Stonestreet and Alex Tolleson to design a display about Temple High's theatre program.
     A panel of three judges reviewed the entries, and troupes that receive at least a 90% rating (out of 100%) were named All-Star Troupes. This year, seven troupes received the designation out of the 152 troupes attending the convention.
     All three judges gave Temple a perfect 100% score!

     Temple High School Theatre Arts Directors Natasha Tolleson and Greg Stanley also conducted a workshop session entitled "Publicity to Sell Your Theatre Program and Your Show."

     CLICK HERE to see photos from the convention.

     CLICK HERE to see a YouTube video of a rehearsal immediately before the "Coffee Break" callback audition.
     CLICK HERE to see a YouTube video of the callback performance before the judges.

Thespian Holiday Party on Thursday, December 20

The Thespians celebrated Christmas with a Holiday Party on Thursday, December 20th in the Gosney home (the Chinese Mansion). The party included a "white elephant" gift exchange. Click on Megan's bow to see photos from the event.

Molière's Comedy Tartuffe
Performed November 8-11

     Molière's Tartuffe, the second production of the 2007-2008 school year, was performed Thursday-Saturday, November 8-10 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 11 at 2 p.m. in the Temple High School auditorium. Tickets were $7 in advance and $10 at the door.
     Tartuffe, set in Paris in the 1740s, is a farcical comedy by Molière. Many say it is his most famous play, and this production promises to be "the best Molière you will see this year."
     Orgon (Chris Greene), a wealthy family man, takes in a stranger named Tartuffe (Cory Kosel), who he meets in church and appears to be an extremely pious and devout man. Orgon regards him almost as a saint, and places the needs of Tartuffe above those of his family.
     Despite the protests of his sensible brother-in-law (Evan Clawson) and his son (Anthony Guillen), Orgon determines that his daughter (Emily Kleypas), who is in love with Valère (Trenton Schneiders), shall marry Tartuffe instead. The daughter's maid (Megan Foster) encourages her to stand up to her father, but she refuses.
     All of Orgon's friends and family, except Orgon's mother (Alex Tolleson), regard Tartuffe as a con man.
     When Orgon's wife (Rachael Petersen) seeks out Tartuffe to beg him to refuse her daughter's hand, he attempts to seduce her. The son overhears and denounces the impostor, but Orgon banishes his son and signs over all property to Tartuffe.
     Orgon's wife devises a way to expose the hypocrite by having Orgon hide under a table while she speaks to Tartuffe. Witnessing the impostor's sexual advances toward his wife, Orgon's eyes are opened a little too late. When Tartuffe realizes his hypocrisy has been discovered, he promptly evicts the family from their home. He also reports that Orgon possesses papers of an exiled friend, hoping to have his former host arrested.
     The King's arresting officer (Nathan Graham) arrives at the home to settle the conflict.
     Other cast members include Tartuffe's manservant (Danny Martinez), a baliff (Matt Rublee) and Orgon's mother's maid (Corrie Hermans). Servants include Chris Burrow, Zack Dragoo, Anya Godigamuwe, Farrell Matthews, Rachel Ann Stonestreet, Phillip Vriseno, Sarah Jo White and Shalyssa Wright.
     Shivani Patel is stage manager.

     CLICK HERE for the Cast and Production Staff List (Updated October 23)

     CLICK HERE to see photos from the costume parade and publicity-photo session.
     CLICK HERE to see a portion of a Tartuffe  rehearsal on YouTube.

     NEW!   CLICK HERE to see some behind-the-scenes photos from Tartuffe (added November 5).

     NEW!   CLICK HERE to install the Windows Tartuffe Screensaver starring "Wiggy".

October Events for Temple Thespians

     In addition to rehearsals for Tartuffe, Temple Thespians had a busy October.

        
     Saturday, October 13 -- UIL "Super Saturday" Student Activity Conference in Austin
          NEW!   CLICK HERE to see photos from the trip to Austin
     The group attended an evening performance of Inherit the Wind at 8 p.m. at the Austin Playhouse.
     To read more about the play, visit the Broadway website or view the Broadway website's study guide.

    
     Saturday Evening, October 27 -- Halloween Party at the Bales' home.
          NEW!   CLICK HERE to see photos from the party

Arthur Miller's All My Sons
Completes Successful Run

     All My Sons by Arthur Miller completed a very successful run on Sunday, October 7. Thank you to everyone that supported the production and attended the play.
     First performed shortly after World War II, the play focused on the Kellers, a family in Middle America. The father Joe (played by Anthony Guillen) and his business partner manufactured airplane parts during the war. His partner was convicted and imprisoned for shipping faulty parts which caused the deaths of military pilots. Shortly after that conviction, Joe's oldest son, a pilot, was reported missing in action.
     The play opens three years later as the mother Kate (played by Megan Foster) continues to hold onto the belief that her oldest son is still alive. She believes this so much that she wants to stand in the way of her youngest son Chris (Chris Greene) marrying Ann Deever (Emily Kleypas), her oldest son's former fiancé and the partner's daughter.
     As the play progresses, we learn that the Keller parents are still keeping some intense secrets from everyone. Ann's brother George (Cory Kosel) is the catalyst for many of these secrets being revealed and forever changing the families.
     The Keller's neighbors include Dr. Jim and Sue Bayliss (Matt Rublee and Rachael Petersen) and Frank and Lydia Lubey (Trenton Schneiders and Thumper Gosney). Bert, a neighborhood boy, will be played by Christopher Kleypas, a 5th grader at Cater Elementary School.
     Temple High School's performances had the audience sitting on the stage in a "blackbox" environment. Tickets were $7 in advance and $10 at the door.
     The play opened on Broadway in 1947 and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for best play, beating out Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh. At the very first Tony awards ceremony in 1947, the play won best author and best director. (There was no best play category in the first year of the Tonys.)

CLICK HERE for Behind-the-Scenes Set Construction Photos taken on September 12th

NEW!  CLICK HERE to download a PDF file of the printed program for All My Sons
 
 

State Champion Sign Installed August 7th
on the High School Building

     A metal sign proclaiming Temple as the State Champion was installed on the side of the building on August 7th. The sign is viewable from South 31st Street and Interstate 35.

CLICK HERE to read the articles and see photos of Temple High's 2007 One-Act Play, Ruthless!, that was selected as the State Champion. The page includes posters, programs, photos and information about Temple competing at the various levels of the competition. In Conference 5A, which contains the largest Texas schools, 257 teams entered the competition. Temple also won awards for Best Actor in the State (Cory Kosel), Best Actress in the State (Emily Kleypas), Samuel French Acting Award (Cory Kosel) and Honorable Mention State All-Star Cast (Megan Foster).  
 

Download Links for Thespian-Related Documents

     Here are various links to PDF documents related to Temple High Thespians:

     Temple High Audition Form

     Zombie Prom Program Advertising Info
     Zombie Prom Biographical Info Sheet for all Cast & Production Staff members

     UIL Theatrical Design Contest for 2008 (Entry deadline December 1, 2007) Info & Prompt Sheet
     Prompt Sheet for UIL Theatrical Design Contest for 2008

     ETC Express 48-96 Lighting System Manual
     ETC Express Family Lighting Manual Cheat Sheet
     ETC Express Lighting Manual Quick Guide
     ETC Express Light System Manual Supplement
     Mackie SR32-4 Audio Board Manual
     Mackie SR32-4 Audio Board Track Sheet

 

We Hope Your Enjoyed Our
Disney's High School Musical  Performances

     Performances of Disney's High School Musical  at Temple High School concluded on Sunday, August 5th. Students who participated in the Temple High Theatre Summer Camp appeared in the matinee (2 p.m.) performances on Saturday and Sunday.
  
     On the first day after winter break, basketball team captain Troy (Cory Kosel) discovers that Gabriella (Sarah Tindell), a girl he met singing karaoke on his ski trip, has just enrolled.
     Between classes, Gabriella and Troy consider auditioning for the school musical, but the drama diva Sharpay (Megan Foster) and her brother, Ryan (Farrell Matthews), discourage them.
     At basketball practice, Troy tries to shake his desire to sing at the urging of his best friend Chad (Chris Greene). Science club president Taylor (Anya Godigamuwe) discovers Gabriella’s intelligence and encourages her to compete in the upcoming science decathlon.
     Troy’s dad, Coach Bolton (Seth Bales), faces off with drama teacher Ms. Darbus (Natasha Tolleson) about his star players missing practice to prepare for Friday’s championship game.
     Troy and Gabriella arrive too late to audition, but composer Kelsi (Corrie Hermans) encourages them to sing one of her songs. Ms. Darbus overhears and gives them a second chance.
     Somehow the championship basketball game, the callback auditions and the science decathlon are all scheduled at the exact same time. When the lights go out, delaying the other events, Troy and Gabriella rush to the theatre, but are too late. However, when other students arrive to rally behind them, Ms. Darbus relents, and they sing their way into the lead roles.
     Later at the gym, the Wildcats win the game and the whole school comes together in celebration.
  
     Other characters include Adam Nottingham as Zeke Baylor; Phillip Vriseno, James; Stephanie Scherer, Susan; Alex Tolleson, Kathy; Charity Gaines, Cyndra; Chris Burrows, Thespian; Thumper Gosney, Martha; Sarah Jo White, Kratnoff; Danny Martinez, Ripper; Zach Dragoo, Mongo; Curtis Clifton, Jack Scott and Marla Edwards, Ms. Tenny.
     The Jocks include Vince Caruana, Robert Putman, Matt Rublee and Ray Rodriguez. Skaters include Cecilia Menchu and Alaina Grijalva.
     Wildcat cheerleaders include Ryanne Dow, Hilary Elrod, Allison Henderson, Bre’layshia Hodges, Sherry Hughes, Anne McDaniel and Shalyssa Wright. The chorus includes Megan Anderson, Alisha Dacus, Kiera Dickson, Lauren Fisher, Shannon Graham, Sarah Groveunder, Chelsea Heitman, Elizabeth Housewright, Ravin Jackson, Jessika James, Elisa Northern, Michael Olivares, Kailee Raper and Jenna Sapp.
   
     Students from Temple High School’s summer theatre arts camp (kindergarten through 7th grade) will perform in the show at the Saturday and Sunday matinees. These students include Allie Copeland, Shenann Norman, Samuel Perkins, Danica Salinas, Reagan Smith, Jenna Southerland, Ramsey Washam, Jasmine Wilson, Matt Villarreal, Andrew Linklater, Avery McDaniel, Seth Myers, Alexa Peronto, Kamrie Rhoades, Robert Solar, Erin Tomek and Catherine Vincent.
     Also Megan Babowicz, Alyssa Collins, Aliyah Collins, Emma Foster, Alyssa Fraga, Jacob Freehill, Megan Gunn, Samantha McCormick, Alyssa Munoz, Lucy Parks, David Phelps, Mackenzie Prescott, Marina Quintanilla, Emma Tolleson, Monica Weedman, Josh Villarreal, Tyler Ybarbo and Chase Yerkes.
     Also Alveisa Aranda, Tanya Bott, Eleni Boyle, Miles Bryant, Alexis Collins, Isabella Donoso, Deion Hardy, Katelyn Hill, Hannah Gilmore, Adam McNiel, Zoe Mischtian, Zach Myers, Shay Patterson, Lexi Phelps, Mallory Przybylski, Melissa Rafferty, Suzann Schultz, Hailey Smith, Amanda Sutton, Spencer Tolleson, Marissa Walker, Bayleigh Washam. Kylee Watson and Austin Villarreal.
   
     The student production staff includes Samantha Sheffer, stage manager; Claressa Caswell, properties mistress and Megan McSpedon and Morgan Sorley, house managers. The props crew includes Katherine Earnest, Brooke Fader, Katelyn Hill, Shay Patterson and Melissa Rafferty. The sound crew includes Ashlie Burrow and Michelle Triefenbach. The set crew includes Ian Babowicz, Chris Burrow, Curtis Clifton, Brooke Fader and Morgan Sorley. The flymen include John McSpedon and Adam Kennard.
     The adult production staff includes Greg Stanley, director; Trey Davis, music director; Adam Kennard, technical director; Seth Bales, assistant technical director; Susan Gosney and Thumper Gosney, choreographer; Zach Dixon, light designer; Nancy Bales, rehearsal pianist; Kata Rafferty, fine arts secretary; Jimmy Pfeiffer, fine arts director and Natasha Tolleson, producer.

CLICK HERE for a YouTube video of one of the rehearsals. (More will be added later) CLICK HERE for Publicity Photos taken on Tuesday, July 31, 2007. CLICK HERE to download a PDF file of the Printed Program for the show.

 
Temple Wins the 2007 One-Act State Championship

CLICK HERE to read the articles and see photos of Temple High's 2007 One-Act Play, Ruthless!, that was selected as the State Champion. The page includes posters, programs, photos and information about Temple competing at the various levels of the competition. In Conference 5A, which contains the largest Texas schools, 257 teams entered the competition. Temple also won awards for Best Actor in the State (Cory Kosel), Best Actress in the State (Emily Kleypas), Samuel French Acting Award (Cory Kosel) and Honorable Mention State All-Star Cast (Megan Foster).
  

2005-06 "The Laramie Project" -- September 22-25, 2005
2005-06 "Bat Boy The Musical" -- November 3-6, 2005
2005-06 "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" -- February 9-12, 2006
2005-06 "After the Fall" UIL One-Act Play Entry
2005-06 Thespian Senior Breakfast -- May 20, 2006
2005-06 Thespian Banquet -- May 20, 2006
2005-06 Tolleson Theatre Group Trip to NYC, May 30-June 5, 2006

International Thespian Festival, June 2005
NYC Broadway Trip, June 2005
Thespian Senior Brunch, May 2005

Photos from "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," one-act play entry
Photos from Area one-act play competition, April 9, 2005
Photos from District one-act play competition, March 30, 2005

Thespian News from 2004-05 school year

"Hello, Dolly!" Photos from February 19, 2005
"Hello, Dolly!" cast and production staff news release
"Hello, Dolly!" rehearsal photos
"Hello, Dolly!" photo shoot for local newspaper Sunday supplement

"The Crucible," November 11-14, 2004
"Halloween BOO Review," October 29-31, 2004
"A Piece of My Heart," September 30 & October 1-3, 2004

International Thespian Festival, June 2004
Visit to the Oklahoma National Memorial on the way to International Festival
NYC Broadway Trip, 2004

"Anything Goes," February 2004