Highland Park High School’s production of the fall play You Can’t Take It With You was selected to perform at the Illinois High School Theatre Festival (IHSTF). IHSTF is a three-day celebration of high school theater all across Illinois, spanning from January 8-10. This year, it was held at Illinois State University, though the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hosts alternating years. The purpose of IHSTF is to bring attention to the wonders of theater through performances and professional workshops alike.
No matter what you’re interested in, there’s something for everyone at IHSTF. For senior Harry Shapiro, he says that going to see the All-State Show is the “highlight of the festival in the Chicagoland area”. He says that different schools “are always competing to be the best”, bringing everything and everyone together to “[combine] strengths” and recognize the importance of collaboration in theater.
With a wide selection of shows across the festival, versatility is a prevalent theme of IHSTF this year. Plays such as Every Brilliant Thing, Romeo and Juliet: Fast and Furious, and Peter and the Starcatcher were presented. The All-State Production of Newsies, made up of student talent all across the state, was also showcased along with Wheeling High School’s Ride The Cyclone, the state-selected musical. The workshops presented at IHSTF highlighted the endless possibilities of art with dedication. Shakespearean Rizz, College Auditions, Musical Theatre Dance, Directing, and the World’s Largest Improv Workshop were just a few of the many options offered. These workshops were full of qualified professionals, such as a Disney casting director and successful actors in the current entertainment industry.
In addition to the presence of the already splendid opportunities offered at the festival, Highland Park High School had the honor of performing its fall play, You Can’t Take It With You. Highland Park High School hadn’t taken a show to IHSTF in 10 years, and considering this year was the festival’s 50th anniversary, this was a remarkable achievement for the HPHS Theater Department.
However, the process of bringing the show to Illinois State wasn’t easy. It required extra practice and even longer hours for both the cast and crew. Rehearsals for the Fall Play occurred on the same days as rehearsals for the musical. The theatre program kept a tight schedule, with most rehearsals going until 8:30 PM. Olivia Rejano, a junior in the cast of You Can’t Take It With You, says “the late schedules were the hardest part” of bringing the show to IHSTF, along with having to “reconstruct the set.”
But those long rehearsals paid off when the cast first entered their 700-seat capacity theatre. Normals Illinois very own U-High Stroud Auditorium is a large sanctuary for many theatre-goers. Even throughout a day starting at 5 am for some, energy was kept high throughout the theatre, and the show ran smoothly. Highland Park Theater’s pride was boasted as the cast was all smiles during bows, and the audience gave a standing ovation. Rejano says that the show was chosen because “it is such an upliftingly funny show” that shows how people from completely different backgrounds can come together. This should be a beacon of pride not only for those in the production, but in the Highland Park community as a whole.