24 Carver High School Theater Students Advance to Nationals After Performances at State

Carver High School theater students attended the Texas State Thespian Festival November 20-22. The event took place at the Dallas Convention Center and Omni Hotel. Texas Thespians is one of the largest chapters in the nation of the Educational Theatre Association.

The Carver troupe had the honor of performing [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Memphis: The Musical with Memorial High School. The troupes performed twice for the entire festival delegation. The musical was a joint production between the two campuses.

The musical was one of only three shows chosen for main stage at the state event. Memphis is a Tony Award-winning musical. It’s about the birth of Rock and Roll in the 50’s as it played out in the segregated clubs and radio stations in Memphis, Tennessee.

Each year, Texas Thespians holds a statewide festival, open to any active Texas Thespian Troupe. Texas Thespian State Festival (TTSF) is filled with:

[ul class=”list list-arrow_blue”] [li]Workshops[/li] [li] Main Stage Performances [/li][/ul] [ul class=”list list-arrow_blue”] [li]Play Marathons[/li] [li] College Auditions [/li][/ul] [ul class=”list list-arrow_blue”] [li]Performance Competitions[/li] [li] Technical Competitions [/li][/ul] [ul class=”list list-arrow_blue”] [li]Nationally Acclaimed Guest Speakers[/li] [li] Opportunities to advance to the International Thespian Society National Festival [/li][/ul]

This year, 24 Carver High School students advanced to nationals in the following events:

Duet Acting — Joshua Austin & Kiera Prusmack
Duet Acting — Darlesia Carter & Raegan Robinson
Group Acting — Kristopher Adams, Joseph Arriaga, Treat Carrier, Yamir Ellis & Ahreon Holly
Group Musical Theatre — Jaela Amos, Kevin Crear, Kassidy Fajardo, Mykaelan Flournoy, Kasi Mchenry, Bishop Pearsall, Brianna Rodríguez, India Sherman, Elvin  Stewart, Kedran Wade & Kyle Ward
Monologue — Shola Ojesina
Theatre Marketing — Dionna Malone
Scenic Design — Noe Elizondo
Sound Design — Elías Flores

It is also worth mentioning that Joshua Austin and Kiera Prusmack’s duet acting scene received good marks. Their scene was also chosen as a main stage individual event finalist. Additionally, Jerycah Lee and Rikia Stewart served on Texas State Honor Crew.

Bishop Pearsall and Brianna Rodríguez received a wonderful opportunity. They were cast in the All-State show Big Fish. Students will perform the production  at festival next year. Jayla Rhodes and Aziza Robinson will serve as crewmembers for the show.

Congratulations to Treat Carrier. His peers throughout the state elected Treat to serve on the nine-member State Student Board. The SSB’s job is to plan, host, and manage the upcoming Texas State Thespian Festival. The SSB also serve as advocates for their fellow High School Thespians.

Thanksgiving break proved a busy period for the Carver theater students. Three Carver High theater students also attended the [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Greater Houston Area Auditions Nov. 23. The auditions took place at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). Students only had a couple of minutes to perform two contrasting monologues. They performed in front of a panel of university recruiters from across the country.

Seniors Kristopher Adams, Darlesia Carter and Shola Ojesina received many callbacks. Colleges interested in the three included the Chicago College of Performing Arts (Roosevelt University), University of Texas-Austin, Oklahoma City University, Louisiana State University, Santa Fe University of Art & Design, CAP21 – Musical Theatre Conservatory (NYC), Emerson College, New School for Drama, Saint Louis University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas Tech University, University of Evansville, University of Houston, University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA, CalArts (California Institute of the Arts), University of Memphis, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Southern Methodist University, Otterbein University, and Sam Houston State University.

Roshunda Jones is proud of the Carver High School students. Jones serves as the campus’ theater director.

“I am so proud of all the students,” said Jones. “They did and excellent job and made Carver proud.”