Central High School Thespian Troupe Earns Superior Honors at International Festival

Central High School’s Theatre Thespian Troupe 639 achieved significant recognition this summer at the International Thespian Festival 2024, earning superior honors and showcasing their talent on an international stage. The troupe represented Kansas for the fourth consecutive year with their chapter select production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

The journey to this achievement began at the Kansas Thespian Festival in January 2024, where the troupe earned first place in the one-act competition, qualifying them to present at the International Thespian Festival.

In addition to their group performance, students from Salina Central also competed in eight different Thespys (individual events), having qualified through either the Kansas Thespian Festival or virtual qualifiers hosted by the Educational Theatre Association or Texas Thespians. The Thespys were adjudicated by a panel of three judges at the International Festival.

Salina Central had two Thespy Category Winners this year, both of whom achieved perfect scores from all three judges, the highest honor in the Thespy program:

• Benjamin Campbell in Monologue Performance
• Addilyn Jagodzinske in Costume Construction

In addition to the Thespy winners, several other students received high marks:

• Superior Scores (superior score average from judges):
  • Zander Flener in Solo Musical
  • Mac Sheforgen, Jaxson Rutz, Kaiden Comeau, Andrew Graber, Donovan Johnson, and Zander Flener in Group Musical
• Excellent Scores (excellent score average from judges):
  • Michelle Simmons in Solo Musical
  • Wyatt Angell in Solo Musical
  • Anna Kraft in Monologue Performance
  • Kaiden Comeau in Solo Musical

The Salina Central Thespian Troupe’s success at the International Thespian Festival reflects the hard work and dedication of the students and their commitment to excellence in theatre arts.