Tinley Park HS To Perform At 47th Illinois HS Theatre Festival

TINLEY PARK, IL - The Tinley Park High School Drama Club has been selected to perform its production of Alice In Wonderland at the 47th Annual Illinois High School Theatre Festival, hosted at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The festival will take place from January 12 through January 14, 2023. The theatre festival is the oldest and largest non-competitive high school festival in the world. Over 4,000 students, teachers, university representatives, exhibitors and volunteers come together to put on various high school productions and workshops.

The Tinley Park High School Drama Club members are Emily Vesely, Gionna Haines, Madi Rana, Brady Larsen, Angela Wisniewski, Caitlyn Requierme, Aidan Schipits, Grace Adams, BJ Gaston, Jalyn Landrum, Valiyah Gordon, Alana Newsom, Taelor McCall, Kameron Short, Peyton Leonhardt, Parker Bettenhausen, Sarah Stewart, Sydney Jones, Emma Alili, David Firestone, Alexandria Rocha, Charles Roth, Nicholas Herman, Martha Cano, Zoe Lavery, Anthony Andrews, Josh Firestone, Justin Impoy, Sarah Miller, Ryan Mitchell, Emily Castro. The club’s sponsors are Kathleen O'Connor & Vince Aiello.

“I am extremely proud of the students who worked so hard to prepare Alice in Wonderland. It took them months of preparation to perform this difficult classic,” O’Connor said. “It truly was student-created, student-performed, and student-led.”

When the group discovered they were invited to perform at the Illinois State High School Festival, O’Connor wasn't surprised, but humbled.

“These students deserve the recognition, they definitely are exceptional,” O’Connor said. “We couldn't be happier for them. In addition, we are grateful to the district for allowing us to go and perform at a three-day theater festival with thousands of thespians at U of I in Champaign. It is such an honor! Way to go TPHS Drama Club!”

Numerous factors are considered when putting together the Festival's performance program. Some of those criteria deal with the selected school, such as where the school is located and how many times their productions have appeared at the Festival. Other criteria deal with the Festival's program, such as securing a well-rounded representation of musicals and straight plays, full-lengths and showcases, and new and old scripts. The Festival's ultimate goal is to showcase different theatre programs from around the state in a celebratory fashion, not a competitive one. With this philosophy, attending students are exposed to a wide range of shows at Theatre Festival.

About Bremen High School District 228
Bremen High School District 228 is located in the southwest suburbs of Chicago and serves the communities of Midlothian, Posen, Tinley Park, Markham, Hazel Crest, Country Club Hills and Oak Forest. District 228 serves over 5,000 students and employs 800 full and part-time staff members. Bremen High School, in Midlothian, opened its doors to students in September of 1953. Since then, District 228 opened three additional schools. Tinley Park High School opened in 1961; Hillcrest High School, in Country Club Hills, opened in 1967; and Oak Forest High School opened in 1970. For more information, please visit https://www.bhsd228.com/