Photo courtesy of Jamie Stephenson.
Finley, Mary Margaret and Jamie Stephenson, the theater director at Vestavia Hills High School,during a previous Alabama Thespian Festival. This year’s festival will be hosted at Vestavia Hills High School in February.
Every February for the past six years, more than 1,000 middle and high school students come to Vestavia Hills High School for the chance to take center stage at the Alabama Thespian Festival.
This year’s festival, which will be held Feb. 16-17, will bring in young thespian troupes from all over the state for a weekend of full-length shows, one-act plays and workshops designed to help students who want to showcase their performance skills and continue to make theater a part of their lives after graduation.
“Last year, we brought in 40 guest artists from all over the country to work with students and give them opportunities they might not have otherwise had,” said Jamie Stephenson, the theater teacher at Vestavia Hills High School. Stephenson is also the director of the Alabama Thespians, a chapter of the Alabama Educational Theatre Association.
Registered high school junior and senior thespians have the chance to audition at the festival before college representatives from theater programs across the country. Seniors who want to continue doing theater in college can audition for scholarships in musical theater, acting, technical theater and theater education
“Alabama Thespians gives anywhere from $6,000 to $8,000 a year in scholarships,” Stephenson said.
The festival brings around 2,000 people in total to Vestavia Hills over the course of the weekend.
One high school show will be chosen to represent Alabama at the International Thespian Festival, which will be held June 23-28 in Bloomington, Indiana. More than 6,000 students from all over the world participate in the International Festival each year.
“Two years ago, we took a one-act show, ‘Laundry and Bourbon,’ to represent the state of Alabama,” Stephenson said.
Former Alabama Thespians include Russellville’s Myk Watford, a musician and actor who has starred in films including “The Kitchen” and the Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” and Trussville’s Jordan Fisher, who has starred in several films and TV shows, including Netflix's “P.S. I Still Love You.”
“A number of thespians go on to major in theater and perform on Broadway,” Stephenson said. “We also have a lot of very talented thespians staying here in the Birmingham area and working with the students.”
Stephenson said when she first took over the Vestavia Hills High School theater program, the state festival had about 500 students attending each year. Now attendance averages around 1,400.
“We’ve developed a really good board,” she said. “We’re known for our hospitality and our workshops, where students feel valued and can celebrate their love of theater. Our board of teachers are all volunteers who work together to make it a success.”
The Alabama Junior Thespian Festival will be held at the same time at Pizitz Middle School, where approximately 300 students are expected to attend.
For more information, go online to alabamathespians.org.
