Tony Award-winning collaborators Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who return to Broadway this season with their new musical Anastasia, will be honored by students at the 2017 International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska, this June.
We Tell the Story: A Celebration of the Works of Ahrens & Flaherty will kick off the festival that runs June 19-24. The opening performance will be presented by a select group of 28 students, representing 13 states and Canada, who were chosen as the cast and crew.
The performance will offer highlights from Ahrens and Flaherty shows including Once on This Island, Ragtime, Anastasia, Seussical, and more.
The students will work alongside Broadway talent who will help them shape, stage, rehearse, and produce the show in only 48 hours.
EdTA executive director Julie Theobald said in a statement, “The Educational Theatre Association is committed to continually raising the bar for Thespians and connecting them with talented professionals. In 2017 those professionals include producer Eric Cornell (Anastasia), artistic director J. Jason Daunter (Wicked), and musical arranger/supervisor Jason Yarcho (Wicked), among others.”
The student cast and production team follow:
Cast:
Antonio Cipriano, Troupe 5253, University Liggett School, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan
Arianna Hardaway, Troupe 4048, Heritage High School, Conyers, Georgia
Bryson Jackson, Troupe 7052, McKinney Boyd High School, McKinney, Texas
Cherish Myers, Troupe 513, Westerville South High School, Columbus, Ohio
Chloe Abram, Troupe 7398, The Ensworth High School, Nashville, Tennessee
Connor Ripperger, Troupe 69, Dubuque Senior High School, Dubuque, Iowa
Eric Leigh, Troupe 3842, Wahlert Catholic High School, Peosta, Iowa
Lucy Geller, Troupe 750, South Eugene High School, Eugene, Oregon
Maura Cunning, Troupe 3093, Lake Havasu High School, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Nathan Bonsall, Troupe 1811, Kearney High School, Kearney, Nebraska
Nicholas Boegel, Troupe 3681, Widdifield Secondary School, North Bay, Ontario
Sylvia Fisher, Troupe 830, Pennsbury High School, Yardley, Pennsylvania
Crew:
Brett Rose, Troupe 7050, Cypress Woods High School, Cypress, Texas
Catherine Adams, Troupe 5022, Mehlville High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Emily Hayman, Troupe 513, Westerville South High School, Columbus, Ohio
Eva Granger, Troupe 7050, Cypress Woods High School, Cypress, Texas
Grant Perry, Troupe 4463, Sylvania Northview High School, Sylvania, Ohio
Hailey Brunson, Troupe 8104, Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn, Virginia
Hannah Kane, Troupe 8104, Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn, Virginia
Jerran Kowalski, Troupe 1794, Floyd Central High School, Lanesville,
Indiana Kendall Swendsen, Troupe 7014, Seven Lakes High School, Katy, Texas
Madison Sutton, Troupe 2526, Texas High School, Texarkana, Texas
Martin Benesh, Troupe 1470, Mt. Vernon High School, Mt. Vernon, Iowa
Meaghan Emanuel, Troupe 8104, Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn, Virginia
Nathan Dunahoo, Troupe 739, North Scott, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Sean Gardner, Troupe 8093, Brownell Talbot, Omaha, Nebraska
Thomas White, Troupe 4379, Poplar Bluff High School, Poplar Bluff, Missouri
The International Thespian Festival is a celebration of student achievement in the performing arts, produced by the Educational Theatre Association and attended by more than 4,000 students and teachers. Playbill is a sponsor for both the Educational Theatre Association and the International Thespian Festival.
