Illinois Theatre Fest

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ILLINOIS THEATRE ASSOCIATION PRESENTS

48th Annual

Illinois High School Theatre Festival

January 2024

Location: ISU

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About The IHSTF

Prior to 1976, there had been theatre leaders in the state who felt there was a need for an alternative to a statewide student theatrical event of a competitive nature. Several of these theatre educators formed local theatre festivals in their general geographic areas. Jerry Proffit of Niles East High School and Cary Libkin of Riverside-Brookfield High School were two of these leaders. They developed a regional, localized theatre festival for their high school students and, because of their success, provided the spark for the creation of the state-wide Illinois High School Theatre Festival.

Illinois High School Theatre Festival Objectives

To enrich the education of high school students:

By helping them realize through this experience that theatre is one way of
fulfilling each individual's innate need and desire to create
By bringing diverse young persons together in an environment of creative and imaginative stimuli where theatre can be witnessed, experienced, ingested, talked about, and lived
By providing experiences in which each student can recognize and share common ambitions, goals, and interests with other students from diverse communities and programs
By allowing students to witness different types and styles of theatre processes and performance
By providing opportunities for students to showcase their creative efforts

To serve teachers, directors, and theatre sponsors:

By demonstrating specific educational theatre materials and techniques
By providing exposure to various program sizes and alternative approaches for theatre programs
By providing a showcase for accomplishments of student groups
By developing a forum and network for the exchange and sharing of ideas to build and expand theatre programs

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

FAQs

All-State 2024 Auditions

All-State 2024 Auditions Materials are Live!

See the All-State Production page for more info or head directly to the All-State Website.

ALL-STATE is a special event which brings together like-minded, talented students from all over Illinois to celebrate theatre in a fully produced stage play performed for the entire Illinois High School Theatre Festival. All-State is a unique ADDITIONAL experience for students; it is not to replace what a student does at their home schools. It is an opportunity to create theatre at the Festival in addition to experiencing it through the workshops and plays assembled there. It is sponsored and provided as an amazing service on behalf of the Illinois Theatre Association.