Cape Fear Academy
Catawba College will be among eight regional sites in the state that will host a North Carolina Theatre Conference High School Play Festival. It will be the first time in more than a decade that Catawba has hosted this event.
Two plays from each of the Regional Festivals will advance to the NCTC State High School Play Festival slated November 16 and 17 at Greensboro College. The top two plays at the State Festival advance to the Southeastern Theatre Conference in March 2018.
Catawba, and three other venues in the state, will host Regional Festivals on October 27 and 28. Four other Regional Festivals are slated November 3 and 4.
"We are thrilled to be able to host this amazing festival," shared Catawba Theatre Arts DepartmentChair Dr. Beth Homan. "So many of our current Theatre Arts students benefitted from this formative opportunity when they were in high school, regionally; they are all looking forward to giving back to NCTC, an organization that gave them so much in the earliest part of their development as artists.
"As a program, we recognize the tremendous value of young people sharing in the artistic experience in a supportive, festival atmosphere. We are also excited about the opportunity to connect with our regional Theatre teachers who work so hard to advocate for arts in education: these are fearless souls — often one-person operations — who recognize the tremendous pedagogical value in immersing their students in arts experiences like this. We look forward to making Catawba their Arts home for the weekend!"
High schools registered to participate in the Regional Festival at Catawba include Central Academy of Technology & Arts in Monroe; Concord First Assembly (CFA) Academy in Concord; Cuthbertson High School in Waxhaw; Glenn High School in Kernersville; Mooresville High School in Mooresville; North Iredell High School in Olin; Northwest Cabarrus High School in Concord; Northweat Guilford High School in Greensboro; Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte; and William A. Hough High School in Cornelius.
Lake Norman Charter School
The basic premise of the Festival is that schools load-in their set into a backstage area that is approximately 10'x10′, before taking the stage to perform their play. Students have 45 minutes to tell their story and leave the stage completely clear. Following their performance, students receive verbal and written feedback from industry experts. When not performing, students watch performances from other schools, learn from their peers, and make new theatre friends. At the end of the two-day Festival, numerous awards are presented in an exciting ceremony that celebrates the achievements of all participants.
Cumulatively, the NCTC Festival showcases the talent of more than 3,000 students from 100+ schools, in nearly 130 productions. At the NCTC Festival, schools from all across the state come together to share their talents and celebrate their collective achievements. The program was named one of the "Top High School Theatre Festivals" by Stage Directions Magazine, is the largest high school theatre event in the Southeast, and has been replicated in nine other states. For more information, visit www.NCTC.org.
