Addison Trail hosts State send-off celebration for three students selected to participate in 2023 Illinois High School Theatre Festival All-State production

Pictured above (left): Three Addison Trail students have been selected to participate in the 2023 Illinois High School Theatre Festival (IHSTF) All-State production of “Shrek The Musical.” They are sophomore Keegan Sampey (back row, left), who is part of the crew (sound), senior Megan Sowa (front row, left), who is the Stage Manager, and junior Angela Anello (front row, right), who is part of the cast and will perform as the dragon. Also pictured is Addison Trail Theatre Tech Assistant Alex Holod (Addison Trail alumnus, class of 2009), who is the Special Effects Designer for the production.

On Dec. 20, Addison Trail hosted a State send-off celebration for three students who have been selected to participate in the 2023 Illinois High School Theatre Festival (IHSTF) All-State production of “Shrek The Musical.”

The IHSTF All-State cast, crew and pit orchestra are comprised of top student performers, technicians and musicians from throughout Illinois. Addison Trail junior Angela Anello is part of the cast and will perform as the dragon. Sophomore Keegan Sampey is part of the crew (sound), and senior Megan Sowa is the Stage Manager. Addison Trail Theatre Tech Assistant Alex Holod, who graduated from Addison Trail in 2009, is the Special Effects Designer for the production.

Performances will take place from Jan. 12 to 14, 2023, at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The event is for participants of the IHSTF and is not open to the public.

According to a press release from the IHSTF, “Shrek The Musical” tells the tale of an unlikely hero, who finds himself on a lifechanging journey alongside a wisecracking sidekick, Donkey, and a feisty princess, who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude and more than a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there’s one on hand … and his name is Shrek.”

About the Illinois High School Theatre Festival
Now in its 48^th consecutive year, the Illinois High School Theatre Festival (produced by the Illinois Theatre Association) is the largest and oldest noncompetitive high school theatre festival in the U.S. The three-day festival takes place every year in early January and switches locations between University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University. More than 3,500 teachers, university representatives, exhibitors and volunteers come together to put on more than 25 high school productions and more than 150 workshops. This year’s festival is themed “Are You Living or Just Existing?” For more information, go to http://illinoistheatrefest.org.