I think of each school year as a story. For a lot of theatre teachers, their highlight of their school year story is the musical. That's not the case for me. I like producing musicals, but the highlight of my school year story is the High School Play Festival. I've been involved in it since I was a student myself, and I love the event it has become.  

The story of this event is an interesting one in itself. Countless theatre teachers have their narrative to add to the overall story. It is way too much to cover here, but when I first started participating, the event was the NCTC Play Contest. Somewhere in the process, the Festival Coordinator, Lorraine Shackelford, made the shift from contest to festival, and I was all for it. The idea was to move away from a competitive mindset and toward celebrating the awesome work happening in high school theatre departments. Fast forward to where we are now in the Story of the High School Play Festival, and that is what this event has become. It is awesome. There are few things that will lift your spirits like sitting in a Play Festival Awards Ceremony. The energy is tangible. This story is not done, though. It continues as long as it has support from theatre teachers, students, parents, and their community. 

When students look back on their high school experiences, these are the stories they will tell. Your support helps them create good stories that they will share forever.