PLAYBILLDER Spotlight: This High School Performed Birthday Candles at One of the Largest Theatre Festivals in the Country

Students at this Illinois school are enjoying every moment.

March 23, 2026 By Dylan Parent

Welcome to PLAYBILLDER Spotlight, where Playbill highlights shows from educational institutions or regional theatres and special events around the country (who have used Playbill's program-building service). By welcoming these PLAYBILLDERs center stage, we hope to give our readers a more in-depth look at theatre programs that are fostering the love of the performing arts in the next generation and the way theatre lovers are bringing Playbill along for life's big moments.

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This week's Spotlight is Larkin High School of Elgin, Illinois, and their production of Birthday Candles. The play, by Noah Haidle, follows Ernestine Ashworth on her 17th, 18th, 41st, 70th, and 101st birthdays. Covering 90 years in 90 minutes, the play spans five generations.

Drama Director Rebecca Weihofen shared with Playbill why her students are the most dedicated in the high school and how this play is challenging them.

Larkin High School's *Birthday Candles* (Shannon Kazmierczak)

Tell us a little about yourself. How many years have you been teaching?
Rebecca Weihofen: I am currently in my 8th year teaching.

What is your proudest moment as an educator?
One of my proudest moments in my career was when our production of Birthday Candles was selected to perform at the 2026 Illinois High School Theatre Festival—one of the largest high school festivals in the entire country. Teaching drama has been such a fulfilling part of my career.

What are your dreams for how your drama department can grow?
The drama students are some of the most dedicated students in our building and care about our program so much. We have several extracurricular drama opportunities throughout the year and these kids are always jumping at the chance to perfect their craft. Not only do we have amazing talent on stage, but we have an incredible student tech team as well.

Tell us a little bit about the production. What made you pick the show?
I fell in love with the story and the characters immediately. The story is a beautiful representation of not letting life fly past you and to enjoy every single moment. These are extremely complex characters (since they're aging throughout the entire show) that I thought would be really great challenges for my students.

What are the kids loving about the show?
The students really enjoyed how close knit they became throughout the process since they had to be incredibly vulnerable with their characters. I am so incredibly proud of them and the hard work they put into this production.

How has PLAYBILLDER impacted your performing arts program as a resource?
I've been using PLAYBILLDER for years and I love how easy it is to create programs. I don't have to worry about formatting or making sure I have everything in it that I need.

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