Nazareth Academy’s fall theater production is heading to the state’s high school theater festival in January.
The honor marks the ninth time the school’s productions have made it to the state level. Nazareth was last selected for the festival in 2019 with its performance of “The Glass Menagerie.”
The production, “Almost, Maine” is a story of love an loss in a mythical “almost town” in Maine.
“Being selected for the Festival is not only a remarkable honor for Nazareth, but also a celebration of the incredible journey and dedication of our talented cast and crew,” said Aileen O’Carroll, a 2013 alum, the play’s director and head of Nazareth’s Drama Department. “I’m incredibly proud, and I can’t wait for our production to be shared with students, teachers and theatre artists from all over Illinois.”
The 48th annual Illinois High School Theatre Festival, held this year at Illinois State University, is produced by the Illinois Theatre Association, the largest and oldest non-competitive high school theatre festival in the world. The three-day festival takes place each January.
This year, officials said, is a special one. When O’Carroll was a student at Nazareth in 2013, the cast and crew she was in were selected for the festival with their production of “Godspell.”
“This is a full-circle moment for me,” O’Connell said in a statement. “It’s surreal, but I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of pride.”
The Illinois High School Theatre Festival will be held Jan. 11 – 13 at
Illinois State University. For more information, visit the festival’s website.
Cast
Ava Bucur (Berwyn)
Jay Conkin (Western Springs)
Lexi Connerty (Western Springs)
Arcelia Cruz (Westchester)
Rita Hynes (Western Springs)
Daniel Kestler (Stickney)
Kate Mangan (Chicago)
Maddie Markham (Riverside)
Alaina Milon (Westchester)
Patrick O’Reilly (Elmhurst)
Jack Siffermann (Western Springs)
Sebastian Wagner (La Grange)
Lucas Weber (La Grange)
Aiden Westerkamp (La Grange)
Maryssa Zielinski (Bolingbrook)
Understudies
Allison Cashman (Clarendon Hills), Emma O’Connell (La Grange Park), Liam O’Meara (Clarendon Hills), Danny Martin (Chicago)
Crew
Samantha Coniglio (Westchester)
Berenice Correa (Cicero)
Sofia Cuate (Berwyn)
Jiovani Espinoza (Stickney)
Gabriela Falat (Westmont)
Sofia Flores (Westmont)
Tatiana Huayamave (Chicago)
Aszher Leal (Berwyn)
Marcy Marshall (Clarendon Hills)
Iris Nelson (Brookfield)
Andrea Nunez (Berwyn)
Beckham Oakey (Western Springs)
Gianna Ramirez (Chicago)
Kacie Regan (Berwyn)
Isabella Renteria (Westchester)
Kyle Sales (Westchester)
Emma Smith (La Grange)
Roxanne Stasch (Lemont)
Philip Steger (Brookfield)
Damian Vega (Oak Brook)
Ricardo Cezanni Saldana (Brookfield)
Vivian Zmorzynski (Hillside)
Rhiann Zulfer (La Grange Park)
Production Team
Ms. Aileen O’Carroll ‘13
Mr. Kurt Meinhardt
Mr. Jeff Nowicki
Ms. Jocelyn Rios ‘13