Over 50 District Students Advance to Nationals After Superior Performances at 2024 Texas Thespians State Festival

Disponible en: Español

Aldine ISD theater students attended the 2024 Texas Thespians State Festival, which, due to the number of student participants, has grown into two festivals to accommodate everyone. Most of the AISD high schools that took part attended the festival held November 20-23, 2024, at the Gaylord Texan Resort Convention Center in Grapevine, TX. Each year, the Texas Thespians organization hosts a statewide event, one of the largest annual thespian festivals, where students and their troupe directors celebrate theater everywhere. At this year’s festival, over 10,000 theater students and their theater directors from across the state attended to compete in performance and technical divisions.

Opportunities for Students

The festival gives students opportunities to perform and earn recognition. Activities include:

- Workshops
- Main Stage performances
- Play marathons
- College auditions
- Performance competitions
- Technical competitions
- Nationally acclaimed guest speakers
- Opportunities to advance to the International Thespian Society National Festival

The sessions and workshops help young thespians develop their acting and technical theater skills.

A Mainstage Finalist means students received perfect scores, and their IE (individual event) was showcased for all thespians at the closing ceremonies. A Mainstage Callback means the scene received a perfect score from the judges. A College Callback means that the student has impressed the college representative from a fine arts/theater program and would like to see or hear more from them to be considered for admission.

Musical Works is a Texas-only competition that promotes original musical writing by high school students. Ivan Davidson and Alyssa Dorsey from Carver High School won with their original musical “Make Us Proud” and performed their opening number at the NextGen Showcase.

Trinity Jones from Carver High School was named a finalist in playwriting. Adjudicators recognized her play A Purple Rose at the NextGen Showcase. The adjudicators gave the finalist play a perfect score. Trinity qualified for nationals in two events: duet musical and playwriting.

Chinemerem Ugo from Davis High School made campus history. She is the first national qualifier in technical theater from Davis.

Aldine ISD has 52 students advancing to the national competition. Carver High School, an Aldine ISD Choice School, led with 25 students headed to nationals, followed by Davis HS with 13, Eisenhower HS with seven, Aldine HS with three, Nimitz HS with two, and Eisenhower Ninth Grade College Prep with two.

The International Thespian Festival (national event) is set for June 22 – 27, 2025, and will take place at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN.

Aldine ISD Results

Aldine High School

National Qualifiers — Superior Ratings

Monologue — Juliette Martínez
Monologue — Emily Escalante Reyes
Monologue — Jesiel Rivera

Aldine HS Directors: Walter Lane and Maia Wiggins

Carver High School

National Qualifiers — Superior Ratings

Costume Design — Oriana Willis
Duet Acting — Ivan Davidson and Treveon Green
Duet Acting — Bailey Day and Victor González
Duet Musical — Sannia Bell and Trinity Jones
Group Acting — Hailey Gonzales, Tiara Lawrence, Devin Spearman, Daniel Thomas, and Aja White
Group Acting — Nazanine Graves, Niya Kelly, and Na’Leeyah Tatum
Group Musical and Mainstage Callback — Kennadie Amos, Amayah Watson, and Aniya Webster*
Playwriting — Trinity Jones
Scenic Design — Za’Riah Tatum
Solo Musical — Alyssa Dorsey
Solo Musical — Ka’Sean Francis
Solo Musical Theater Dance & MainStage Callback — Faith Bumper*
Stage Management — Emani Caston
Theatrical Marketing — Tray’Lee Ashley

Excellent Ratings at State

Lighting Design — Isabella Escobar
Monologue — Cora Frazier

Musical Works Winners

Ivan Davidson and Alyssa Dorsey

Carver HS Directors: Roshunda Jones-Koumba, Jabari Collins, and Jamar Hawkins

Davis High School

National Qualifiers — Superior Ratings

Group Acting — Brianna Emilien, Joyous Feagins, Suyai Gallegos, Tamia Galveston, and Calen Johnson in Crumbs From the Table of Joy by Lynn Nottage
Group Acting — Ezekiel Aguilera, Abraham Cortez, Shelby Johnson, Bobby Rittenhouse, Sean Taylor, Maliyah Wallace, and Deshawn Young in I Just Wanna Tell Somebody by Harold J. Haynes
Theatre Marketing Design — Chinemerem Ugo in By The Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage

Excellent Rankings (1 point away from Superior; in appeals process)

Duet Acting — Haley Griffin and Karen Singleton
Duet Acting — Victoria Harrison and Khalijah Williams
Group Acting — Jessica Arrendondo, Angie Cruz, and Alexander Lozano
Marketing Design — Eva Novo
Scenic Design — Saniah Watson

Davis HS Director: Cliff D. Alexander
Davis Ninth Grade School Director/Davis HS Assistant Director: Roenia Thompson

Eisenhower Ninth Grade School College Prep

National Qualifiers — Superior Ratings

Monologue — Khristian Houngbo
Monologue — Michelle Leon

Excellent Rating

Costume Design — Marlene García

Eisenhower Ninth Grade School Director: Kristin Wilson

Eisenhower High School

National Qualifiers — Superior Ratings

Duet Musical Performance — Miguel Ramos and Logan Rouse
Hair/Makeup Design — Madalin Carillo Rodríguez
Monologue — Daniela Flores
Monologue — Jayda Macías
Monologue — Tirek Royston
Vocal Performance — Paola Durán-Solo

Excellent Ratings

Hair/Makeup Design — Karla Rodríguez
Monologue — Denim Eldridge
Monologue — William Sifuentes
Solo Vocal Performance — Melany Gamiochipi

Superior Rating in Design Tech Team Mask Challenge

Eisenhower HS Directors: HeidiAaron Rouse Bryant (head) and Kat Broadway (technical)

Nimitz High School

National Qualifiers — Superior Ratings

Duet Acting — César Carreon and Juan Benítez in “Door to Door” by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus

Excellent Ratings

Duet Acting — Xennyra Bass and Ariana Johnson in Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage
Duet Acting — Mariana Cabrera and Brissa Iñiguez in Native Gardens by Karen Zacarias
Duet Acting — Tazarrion Ford and Kennadie Williams in Detroit ’67 by Dominique Morisseau
Duet Acting — Riley Haiduk and Kyrie Shipmon in Anti-social by Don Zolidis
Monologue — Mercedes Gutiérrez Díaz in Mala Hierba by Tanya Saracho/Love at First Sight by Shawn Deal
Monologue — Ryleigh Freed in Thistle Blossoms by Roseanna Beth Whitlow/Life is Like a Cheeseburger by Flip and Finn Kobler
Marketing — Scarlett Juárez for Miss Nelson is Missing by Jeffrey Hatcher
Marketing — Génesis Velázquez for 13 by Jason Robert Brown
Stage Management — Stephanie Romero for David’s Mother by Bob Randall