State thespian festival

Theater at Whitefish High School is not only entertaining and memorable — it can be just as competitive as any other sport.

Early February has every Drama Club member at Whitefish High School anxious to perform and compete at the annual Montana State Thespian Festival in Missoula, hosted by the University of Montana and the Montana State Thespians Board. Close to 30 high school drama troupes attend the festival each year.

"More than 600 actors from around the state, stepping on stage with confidence — that's what the festival is all about," Drama Club director Kellian Blackburn said. "It's such a neat experience."

Troupes will perform comedies, dramas or musicals in 30- or 45-minute time slots over two days — Feb. 5-6. Whitefish has chosen a 45-minute slot to perform selected scenes from "Just Another High School Play," a comedy by Bryan Starchman.

"I think that it will be great to see all of the different schools and their plays and actors," freshman Hanna Lewis said. "This play is really fun because it's just really goofy and entertaining."

Awards will be given to troupes for Best Ensemble, Outstanding Performances and Best Student-Written or Directed.

For many, though, the performances are only half of the enjoyment. After the first full day of watching other high school performances, festival attendees are invited to a banquet and a professional show put on by the Montana Repertory Theatre, a professional actors equity company based at the University of Montana.

In the past, students have attended such classics as "Lost in Yonkers," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "To Kill a Mockingbird." This year, drama members will view "Leading Ladies."

"This is a unique opportunity for high school students to watch seasoned actors, some of whom have Broadway experience," Blackburn said. "It's such a rewarding and motivating experience for students who already have a love of drama to watch such a polished show with an entire audience of their peers who also appreciate good theater."

On the second day, students finish performances and take part in two theater workshops of their choice — from stage combat and improvisation to belly dancing and African dance.

"I'm really excited to experience all of the acting workshops," Treavor Hopewell said. "I signed up for this to have fun, and that's what I'm going to do."

The end of the festival includes two final competitions — the Tongue Twister Competition and Death-By Contest. Students are given 60 seconds to articulate a few tricky verses, and 90 seconds to "die the death of their dreams." The Death-By Contest usually attracts the most interest and creativity. Past winners have "died" on stage from anything from OCD and Easy Button to Hannah Montana and pi–atas.

Overall, the festival gives drama students a chance to meet new friends, express themselves and learn — an experience that all Whitefish thespians look forward to each year.