Twenty- nine of our AVPA Theatre students attended the annual California Educational Theatre Association (CETA) High School Theatre Festival. Servite High School hosted various Southern California high school theatre programs in Anaheim over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. The AVPA Theatre group arrived early in the afternoon on Friday and the students settled into their hotel rooms and had some time to relax and play pool-side. That evening was spent at the Servite theatre to see one of four regional main-stage winning productions, “Leading Ladies,” and afterward headed back to the hotel for the night. On Saturday morning, the group headed back to the school for another regional winning show, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and a day full of workshops and auditions (four seniors for CETA scholarships and four African-American actors for the August Wilson Monologue Competition). The students finished Saturday with two more shows, another regional winner, “The Crucible,” and a Comedy Sportz improv show. Sunday ended the weekend of events with the last regional show winner, “Once in a Lifetime,” and the awards ceremony.
At the end of the festival five actors received Certificates of Merit from the AVPA fall production of West Moon Street: Tennessee Westmoreland, Emily Dorrel, Olivia Finnegan, Aaron Moses, and Amy King. There was one AVPA semi-finalist for the August Wilson Monologue Competition – Nicole Julian, who will compete on the Mark Taper Forum stage for the semi-finals. Nicole is one of the 15 semi-finalists, and this will be the first time the Mark Taper will have students perform on their stage.
“CETA was an amazing experience that provided the opportunity for us to view many quality productions. I really appreciated the opportunity to compete for two scholarships. Even though I didn’t win, I benefited from the experience. I now feel prepared for my college auditions as well as professional auditions.” said Amy King, grade 12.
“CETA is never a disappointment – the people are always so nice and the atmosphere is fantastic no matter what you do!” said Olivia Finnegan, grade 11.
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