Send Lakeside Thespians to Internationals!
Donation protected
On February 9th, due to extremely hard work and lots of heart, students in Lakeside High School's Thespian Troupe experienced a dream coming true. Our students were chosen to represent the state of Arkansas at the international level with their original competition one-act play, EDGAR: A GHOST STORY. This play was inspired by and written for them by local playwright, John Haman. They knew that in order to keep performing the play and the characters that mean so much to them, they had to keep winning. Many tears were shed backstage after the performance they thought would be their final one. More tears came, along with shouts of joy when they discovered that all their sacrifice had paid off. Our play--a love letter to the inclusiveness of school theatre, to kids who feel invisible, and to drama teachers everywhere--lived on to fight another day.
In addition to this honor, three other events our students participated in qualified to make it to the next level as well. After the dust settled, twenty-six of our kids qualified to attend International Thespian Festival. This has never happened for our school before, and the excitement is palpable!
Now, the nitty-gritty: for ONE student to attend this week-long competition and festival, it will cost $840. That cost will include their lodging and food, so it is all-inclusive. Most of our students could not afford that cost. We will be holding multiple fundraisers, but they are also high school students with a full course load and an impossibly busy calendar. Some of them are starting rehearsal for the spring musical next week. Some of them are taking advanced placement courses, or courses for college credit. Some of them have jobs on top of all this.
This group has become a family. One student remarked that he didn't have many friends before he found this group, and told us how lonely he once was. For him this is no longer a hobby; it's his life now. One of our students has been inspired to teach theatre after college, as she sees the impact it has on young people of all walks of life.
Failure is not an option. They've earned this competition. Please help us get our students to Nebraska. Our payment for registration will have to be sent by the end of April. We don't want any of our students to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Donations will go directly to our Booster Club, The Friends of the Fine Arts, or "FoFA" for short.
In addition to this honor, three other events our students participated in qualified to make it to the next level as well. After the dust settled, twenty-six of our kids qualified to attend International Thespian Festival. This has never happened for our school before, and the excitement is palpable!
Now, the nitty-gritty: for ONE student to attend this week-long competition and festival, it will cost $840. That cost will include their lodging and food, so it is all-inclusive. Most of our students could not afford that cost. We will be holding multiple fundraisers, but they are also high school students with a full course load and an impossibly busy calendar. Some of them are starting rehearsal for the spring musical next week. Some of them are taking advanced placement courses, or courses for college credit. Some of them have jobs on top of all this.
This group has become a family. One student remarked that he didn't have many friends before he found this group, and told us how lonely he once was. For him this is no longer a hobby; it's his life now. One of our students has been inspired to teach theatre after college, as she sees the impact it has on young people of all walks of life.
Failure is not an option. They've earned this competition. Please help us get our students to Nebraska. Our payment for registration will have to be sent by the end of April. We don't want any of our students to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Donations will go directly to our Booster Club, The Friends of the Fine Arts, or "FoFA" for short.
Organizer
Lakeside Thespian Troupe
Organizer
Hot Springs, AR
