Photo courtesy of Jamie Stephenson.
Students watch a performance in the VHHS auditorium, which is set to host the 2019 Alabama Thespian Festival from Feb. 15-16.
Following its recent state championship at the Walter Trumbauer Festival in the fall, the Vestavia Hills High School theater team will once again host the Alabama Thespian Festival.
The festival is set for Feb. 18 and 19 and brings together theater students from all over the country to attend workshops and take part in individual events and shows. There will be one-act shows, main stage shows and guest speakers, said Jamie Stephenson, the theater director at the high school.
There have been well-established stars and other professionals that have visited the high school in years past, she said.
Students have the opportunity to work with professionals from New York and Los Angeles, Stephenson said. The festival provides an important opportunity for Vestavia’s theater students to have someone other than Stephenson providing feedback, she said.
At workshops, they can learn new skills they can use. The workshops teach skills such as special effects make-up, costuming, art and more, Stephenson said.
Most importantly, the festival shows theater students they are not alone and allows them to gauge themselves next to their peers.
“It’s only your work ethic that will push you to be the best,” Stephenson said.
The event is closed to the public.
