Temple Thespians attended the UIL Student Activity Conference (also known as "Super Saturday") on Saturday, October 23, at the University of Texas' Winship Building. Students attended one workshop during each of the three sessions — 9-10:30, 10:45-Noon and 12:15-1:30. Students also visited the Bullock Texas State History Museum and, at 7 p.m., watched a performance of Pflugerville High School's play The Three Musketeers.

Several Senior Temple Thespians are pictured prior to the Homecoming Football Game. Temple won 60-15 over Shoemaker.

The cast and production staff for Our Town have been announced and are listed on the show's INFORMATION PAGE. Auditions were held October 11 and 12. Through the everyday lives of its citizens, this Pulitzer-Prize-winning play tells the story of a fictional American small town (Grover's Corners, NH) between 1901 and 1913. It will be performed with the audience seated on the stage with the actors. Performance dates are November 11-14.

The information page contains lists of the cast and production staff, along with other show information. Performance dates are January 27-30, 2022.

Temple Thespians have entered several competitions at the annual Texas Thespian Convention, November 17-20, in Grapevine. 

The following contests are part of the International Thespy Competition:

Solo Musical = Melody Oradesky performing "Oklahoma" from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Solo Musical = Hanna Prince performing "How 'Bout a Dance" from Bonnie & Clyde

Group Musical (15 students) = Terry Austin, Michelle Boyles, Jenna Bubenik, Kiara Edwards, Sydney Fisher, Colin Fowler, Andrew Fredette, Saniyah Galbreath, Skyler Gordon, Natalie Greenfield, Ashli Hauersperger, Alivea Johnson, Jayden Maiani, Thomas Painter, Angel Santiago and Victoria Stanley. The group will perform "Comedy Tonight" from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Duet Acting = Rochelle Lopez and Holden Rounds

Stage Management = Kelsi Seiter
Make-Up Design = Emily Perkins
Lighting Design = Janice Cody
Sound Design = Mekena McVean
Theatre Marketing = Antonio Gordon
Costume Design = Carolina Rodriguez

The following contests are Texas-only competitions:

Team Mask Design = Sydney Fisher, Skyler Gordon, Alyssa Maggitt, Kelsi Seiter
Team Set Design = Terry Austin, Colin Fowler, Ashli Hauersperger, Melody Oradesky
Team Costume Design = Jayden Maiani, Hanna Prince, Carolina Rodriguez, Rochelle Lopez
Team Hair and Make-Up Design = Kiara Edwards, Saniyah Galbreath, Natalie Greenfield, Emily Perkins

Tech Team Challenge = Consists of five events, individual and team (or pair) events. These events represent the basic skills that every technician should possess to be well-rounded theatre professionals. Each team is scored on time and accuracy in each event. Temple's team includes Terry Austin, Michelle Boyles, Jenna Bubenik, Colin Fowler, Alivea Johnson, Holden Rounds and Angel Santiago.

Temple will also enter three different Dramatic Design teams. Team #1 (The Rocky Horror Show) includes Ashli Hauersperger, Melody Oradesky, Hanna Prince and Kelsi Seiter. Team #2 (Jekyll & Hyde) includes Terry Austin, Michelle Boyles, Rochelle Lopez and Alyssa Maggitt. Team #3 (Dracula) includes Jenna Bubenik, Sydney Fisher, Colin Fowler and Skyler Gordon. Each team must create a unified design for set, costumes, publicity and props. Entries are judged before the convention with finalists displaying their work at the convention.

Congratulations to Bonham Middle School's production of The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon. They SOLD OUT their scheduled Saturday show and had to add an extra performance on Sunday, October 17 at 3 p.m. Seating is limited. CLICK HERE for the Bonham Information Page which includes a photograph from the show.
 

A new middle-school section has been added to the ThespiansR.Us website for the 2021-2022 school year. The pages will feature Bonham, Lamar and Travis. Click on MIDDLE SCHOOL in the top right section of the menu.

     Temple High School Theatre Arts has announced preliminary plans for the 2021-2022 school year. The first day of classes is Tuesday, August 24. (High school class times have changed for 2021-2022 and will be 7:30 a.m. to 3:10 p.m.)
     Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward will be the first show. Auditions are Monday and Tuesday, August 30 and 31. Performance dates are October 7-10. A skeptical novelist invites a self-proclaimed medium to his home for a séance, hoping to gather material for a new book. When the hapless psychic accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife, his home and life are quickly turned into a shambles as his wife's ghost torments both himself and his new bride. Students not cast in Blithe Spirit may be offered a role in the Fall Footlights revue (specific dates for Fall Footlights to be announced).
     Disney's The Lion King Jr. will be the school's district-wide musical in January and will be open to all Temple ISD students. On Friday, September 10, high school students will audition from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, September 11, ALL students (high school, middle school and elementary) students will audition from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 to 5 p.m. A parent/guardian must accompany elementary and/or middle school students to the audition. Being in this production will involve a large time commitment. Callbacks for some of the roles will be Monday, September 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. Limited rehearsals begin in December. Full rehearsals in January. Performances are January 27-30, 2022.
     Our Town by Thornton Wilder will be the second show of the school year. Auditions are Monday and Tuesday, October 11 and 12. Performance dates are November 11-14. Through the everyday lives of its citizens, this Pulitzer-Prize-winning play tells the story of a fictional American small town (Grover's Corners, NH) between 1901 and 1913. It will be performed with the audience seated on the stage with the actors.
     Temple Thespians will compete in various group and individual contests at the annual Texas Thespians State Festival in Grapevine November 17-20. They will also host the annual Middle School UIL One-Act Play Contest on Saturday, December 4, at Meridith-Dunbar Auditorium for Bonham, Lamar and Travis.
     Auditions for Temple High's annual UIL One-Act Play will be Friday, January 7, 2022. Around 250 schools enter each year in the 6A classification, and Temple has advanced to the state finals at five of the last six state meets. Temple has been the UIL District Champion for the past 29 years in a row. Rehearsals begin January 31, with the first level of competition (district) on March 10 in Harker Heights.
     Brad LaMotte, former technical director, will be attending graduate school in Nebraska. The new technical director is Alicia Green, who comes to Temple from Goose Creek Memorial High School in Baytown. Ms. Green's biography is listed on the Faculty page.