Performances of Peter Pan will be Thursday through Saturday, October 25-26-27 at 8 p.m. with a Sunday matinee performance on October 28 at 2 p.m. Temple High's annual musical is normally performed in the spring but was moved to the fall this year because renovations affecting the fine arts area will begin November 1. Tickets for the musical will be the same as in previous years — $10 in advance, $15 at the door and $20 for reserved seating. Reserved seats are only available online and the reserved seating area includes the first six rows of the center sections.

Students from the cast and production staff will be selling advanced tickets. Tickets are also available online (with a 50¢ convenience charge per ticket) at SeatYourself.biz.

The version being performed in Temple is the original 1954 Broadway production, which starred Mary Martin as Peter. A 1979 Broadway revival starred Sandy Duncan, while a 1990 revival featured Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby. NBC broadcast this version as "Peter Pan Live!" in 2014.

Based on J.M. Barrie's classic tale, Peter Pan is one of the most beloved and frequently performed family favorites of all time. This high-flying Tony Award-winning musical has been performed around the world and delighted audiences for 60 years.

Peter (Sierra Amalbert) and his mischievous fairy sidekick, Tinkerbell, visit the nursery of the Darling children (Rebecca Alley, Michael Rodriguez and Nash Belson) late one night and, with a sprinkle of pixie dust, begin a magical journey across the stars that none of them will ever forget. In the adventure of a lifetime, the travelers come face to face with the Lost Boys, a ticking crocodile, a fierce native tribe (with Princess Olivia Cabrera) and a band of bungling pirates headed by the villainous Captain Hook (Sean Mann).

The musical features the iconic songs, "I'm Flying," "I've Gotta Crow," "I Won't Grow Up" and "Never Never Land," and a rousing story full of magic, warmth and adventure. The actors will actually be flying with flying illusions created for the Temple High stage by ZFX Flying Effects.

CLICK HERE for the Information Page showing cast, production staff, and other information.

Peter Pan (Sierra Amalbert) with the Darling Children (Michael Rodriguez, Nash Belson and Rebecca Alley) flying onstage during the Temple High production, October 25-28.

CLICK HERE to see a Facebook Photo Album with more preview photos from Peter Pan rehearsals.

Temple Thespians will be competing again this year at the Annual Texas Thespian Convention, November 15-17, at the Gaylord Texan Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Grapevine. Contestants in the national contests can advance to the International Thespian Festival, June 24-29, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Last year, the convention had 7892 people in attendance (students, teachers, and chaperones).

National individual events involving Peter Pan include Costume Design (Brianna Alexander), Scenic Design (Izzy Poehlmann), Theatre Marketing (Joseph Espinoza), Sound Design (Michael Jones), Costume Design #1 (Brianna Alexander) and Lighting Design (Ricardo Fontanez). Costume Design #2 is for Anna Karenina (Morgan Madsen).

National group events include Group Acting #1 with scenes from The Most Massive Woman Wins (Anaiya Harris, Jalilah Brooks, Torrie Culp and Sereniti Patterson), Group Acting #2 with scenes from Art (D'Andre Wright, Anthony Williamson and Austin Madsen) and Group Musical with "The Crime of the Century" from Ragtime (Sierra Amalbert, Rebecca Alley, Kylie Burke, Olivia Cabrera, Kerryn Eckenrode, Jonathan Equels, Dylan Hardy, Seth Little, Erica Lynch, Genevieve Myers, Allison Quiroz, Daniel Salazar and Mimansha Shrestha).

Texas-only events include Team Costume Design (Brianna Alexander, Lauren Bruckbauer, Karelya Palomera and Allison Quiroz), Team Make-Up and Hair Design (Anaiya Harris, Baylee Black, Jonathan Equels and Anthony Williamson), Team Set Design (Ashlyn Farley, Izzy Poehlmann, Kerryn Eckenrode and D'Andre Wright), and Team Mask Making (Rebecca Alley, Kylie Burke, Olivia Cabrera and Morgan Madsen).

The Texas Tech Challenge team includes Simon Juarez, Ashlyn Farley, Caleb Gommert, Dylan Hardy, Michael Rodriquez, Raymond Garcia and Seth Little.

Coordinating the All-Star Troupe Display entry will be Anaiya Harris, Rebecca Alley, Kylie Burke and Izzy Poehlmann.

Temple Thespians auditioning for colleges and Texas Thespian scholarships include Sierra Amalbert, Izzy Poehlmann, Rebecca Alley and D'Andre Wright. Sierra is also auditioning to be a part of the closing ceremonies with guest speaker and performer Annaleigh Ashford, Tony award winner, who has appeared on Broadway in Wicked (Glinda), Legally Blonde (Margo), Kinky Boots (Lauren) and a revival of You Can't Take It With You.

Last year, all 10 of Temple's national events received superior ratings and advanced to the national competition. No other troupe in the entire state had that many entries advance. Out of the 280 troupes at last year's convention, Temple was one of 10 schools named an All-Star Troupe. Temple was also named one of the three finalists for the 2016-17 Outstanding Troupe award. Two Temple students received $1000 Texas Thespian scholarships.

Natasha Tolleson, director of Temple High Theatre Arts for 27 years, has been selected as an Educator of the Year by the Texas Educational Theatre Association. The award will be presented during a banquet at the group's TheatreFest 2018 convention in Addison (Dallas) on Friday, September 28.

Natasha was previously recognized by the Texas State Thespians in 2014 when she was inducted into the Texas Thespian Hall of Fame. The University Interscholastic League named her one of the Top 15 UIL Sponsors in 2011.

This award is given "in recognition of outstanding accomplishment in the teaching of theatre" and is given annually by TETA to up to two K-12 teachers and two higher-education teachers. The other K-12 recipient is Rod Sheffield (Magnolia High), a Temple High School graduate and son of Saundra and Wade Sheffield of Temple. 

Because of construction in the Fine Arts area of Temple High, there will be differences from past years in classroom locations and when shows are normally produced.

October 25-28, 2018 — Performances of the musical Peter Pan. We won't be able to access the seating area of the auditorium after November 1. The band will start holding classes on the stage during the morning periods and will be storing equipment out in the seating area.

December 8 and 9, 2018 — Christmas Dessert Theatre in the cafeteria. Plans are to perform the musical A Charlie Brown Christmas.

January 24-27, 2019 — Theatre in the Round on the stage. Because of construction, audience members will have to enter through the doors on the front of the school, just to the right of the shop door and loading dock. Title of the play has yet to be determined.

Spring 2019 — Competition in the annual UIL One-Act Play contest.

Temple High Thespians assisted with "Fish Camp" (for incoming freshmen) on Thursday, August 2, 2018. The camp lasted from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with parents attending at 4 p.m. Thespians set-up a troupe display showing various theatre activities from last year. Sierra Amalbert is serving as Thespians President for 2018-19.

Fifteen Temple Hiigh School Thespians traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska, in June 2018 to compete at the annual International Thespian Society Convention. Twelve of the 15 students received medals and a Superior rating in the competitions. Superior is the highest score a student can receive. Temple had more entries advance from state to the national competition than any other troupe in Texas. Temple competed in group musical, duet acting, solo musical, scenic design, costume design, sound design and theatre marketing.

Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, Temple will return to the UIL Conference 6A in the nine-member District 12. Teams will include Belton High, Copperas Cove High, Killeen High, Killeen Ellison, Killeen Harker Heights, Killeen Shoemaker, Temple High, Waco High and Waco Midway. Temple's new district will be in Region 2, having previously been in Region 3.

Out of the 260 schools that started the one-act season in the 5A classification, Temple came in 4th at the state meet on April 24, 2018 in Round Rock. Sierra Amalbert was named to the State All-Star Cast. Gabriel Salazar was named to the State Honorable Mention All-Star Cast.

The state champion was Tuloso-Midway HS, Corpus Christi, with Moon Over Buffalo. First runner-up was Austin HS with The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Second runner-up was Waxahachie HS with The Curious Incident of theDog in the Night-Time.

FINAL PERFORMANCE: Temple's final performance will be Friday, April 27, at 7 p.m. in the Temple High School Auditorium. Admission $5.