Westwood Theatre Department win honor select to represent South Carolina at the National Thespian Festival in Nebraska this June

The Westwood Drama Department competed and won the Honor Select to represent South Carolina at the National Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska This June. This honor comes after the students competed with high school theatre students from all over South Carolina at the Palmetto Dramatic Association Competition February 19-21, 2016 at Dorman High School in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The play, Down Came the Rain, is the emotional and touching story of eighteen-year-old Michael and his fourteen-year-old brother Brucie, who is mentally challenged and the dynamic exchange between them while they are on a camping trip. The cast includes Westwood Senior theatre students, William Ellis as Michael and Marilyn Guy as Brucie. Lighting design is by Westwood Senior theatre student, Katelyn Robinson, the stage manager is Westwood theater sophomore, Ashley Epperson, and crew by freshman, Emma Imholtz and sophomore Brienna Pease. The play won a superior rating.

Westwood High School opened in 2012 and its theatre program started their International Thespian Troupe in 2014. In their first year of eligibility to compete for Honor select last year, Westwood came in second place. This year, they came in first place.

Westwood Theatre teacher and program director, Dr. Anne Richardson is “proud of the Westwood theatre students’ hard work. We have learned so much from going to the Palmetto Dramatic Association competition. South Carolina has so many talented high school students, teachers, and directors. I am in awe when I watch the competing high schools at these competitions. The feedback on the students’ work is helpful and insightful from the judges and they have learned so much.”

The trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, June 20-25, 2016 will cost approximately $1350 per student and chaperon and plans for fundraising are underway. A Go-Fund-Me page has been established and donations can be made by going to https://www.gofundme.com/redhawkdrama.

Donations will be collected at intermission for the upcoming Westwood Theatre performances: Little Shop of Horrors on March 17 and 18, 2016 at 7pm and Antigone on May 5, 2016 at 7pm both in the Westwood Auditorium.

For more information, please contact Dr. Anne S. Richardson, Westwood Fine Arts Chair, Theatre Director, and Grants Manager at [email protected] or by calling 803-691-4049, ext. 36703.