Willowbrook hosts State send-off celebration for 2025 Illinois High School Association Contest Play, ‘Things I Know to be True’

On March 27, Willowbrook hosted a State send-off celebration for the cast and crew of the school’s 2025 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Contest Play, “Things I Know to be True” by Andrew Bovell.

To watch the presentation, click on the video above. To view a photo gallery, see the images below.

The performance qualified for the IHSA Drama State Competition after winning the IHSA Sectional Competition on March 22 at Oak Lawn Community High School. State took place on March 28 and 29 at Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn.

Below are the results from Sectionals:

  • All-Sectional Cast: Senior Gillian Falco, senior Jason Nelson, freshman Niamh Lashmet, junior Sadie Perez and junior Malachy Heneghan

  • All-Sectional Student Lighting Directors: Junior Megan Hasler, junior Molly Hield, senior AJ Matthews and junior Vivian Zachar

  • All-Sectional Student Sound Directors: Senior Jacey Frank, freshman Gerardo Alcala, junior Salvador Cruz Perez, sophomore Sawyer Wathier and freshman Sean Welker

The play is directed by Regina Wathier, and the traveling team is composed of about 75 Willowbrook students and staff members.

Below is a synopsis of “Things I Know to be True,” from https://stageagent.com/shows/play/9217/things-i-know-to-be-true. 

The play follows Bob and Fran Price and their four adult children: Pip, Mark, Ben and Rosie. “Each child has his or her own unique struggles and secrets that they try to keep hidden from their parents, but Fran has a knack for knowing what is true in each of their lives … As the children try to redefine their lives separately from the hopes and dreams of their parents, what is real and genuine in the Price family falls apart under scrutiny, and Bob and Fran must redefine their relationships with their children and with each other. Funny, poignant and heartbreaking, ‘Things I Know to be True’ examines the dynamics of a family and how they understand truth in the face of tragedy.”