The cast and crew of Much Ado About Nothing had the opportunity to attend the Missouri State Thespian Festival on January 7-9. The conference was held at the Kansas City Music Hall. The Music Hall is the venue for touring Broadway shows like Wicked and Newsies.

The idea of having a festival for thespians all across state started in 1972.  The goal of the event  has not changed since, “Our purpose has remained the same: to aid in the advancement and improvement of theater arts in schools in the State of Missouri”.

The event included workshops, scholarship auditions, one act plays, student-written works and main stage productions showcasing the talents of students around Missouri. Two schools from the state were chosen to perform as a main stage act.

The cast and crew of Much Ado About Nothing was chosen to perform on the main stage at the festival. The cast performed on Friday, January 8 in front of over 2000 thespians.

For the cast and crew being able to perform at the festival was an honorable achievement.

“I’m ecstatic, I mean there’s no words to really show how happy I am that we made it that far,” said freshman Riley Linn.

The show received an abundant amount of feedback. The festival audience’s reaction to the show was positive. The cast even received a standing ovation from the house.

“We tried our best to make it and we did,” said Linn.

The cast and crew were able to showcase their talents and meet people who share mutual love and passion for theatre.