Special to the Item
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE —
Picayune Memorial High School's theatre troupe, High Tide Productions, recently competed at the Mississippi Theatre Association's Annual State Competition on Friday, January 18, 2013. The conference, held at the Miss. University for Women in Columbus, featured the nine best performing schools from all corners of the state. HTP was awarded Runner-Up Best Production, which earned the group an invitation to perform at the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) competition in Louisville, Ky., on March 6, 2013.
SETC is an annual event in its 64th year that is held in rotating cities, and features “...the strongest and broadest network of theatre practitioners in the United States.” The conference is made up of ten member states who send two schools to perform in its Secondary Competition. While there, students can also audition for major college scholarships and enter individual events contests.
This will be Picayune's first trip to the conference. The troupe, led by Director William Rester, has been steadily building a reputation for quality shows, and winning multiple awards in the process. During their 2012-2013 season, their fall production, “Elephant's Graveyard” won Best Scenic Design, Best Actor, Best Director, Peer Choice Award, Best Ensemble, the Distinguished Play Award, as well as the Glenn R. Menna Overall Theatrical Experience Award.
Cast member Nicoli Hutchison was recognized for his musical contributions to the show, and Jeremiah Quiroz, Jackson Ledford, and Katie Dufrene were selected to the All-Star Cast at competitive events.
Rester said, “Costs to attend SETC will be in the $20,000 range. This includes the cost of booking student/chaperone hotel rooms, travel, and festival registration. We are actively seeking sponsors who wish to be a part of the magic that HTP has created. Their generous patronage will be rewarded in the form of their business or entity being displayed in multiple formats, including t-shirts and playbills. We hope that the community will consider contributing to HTP's campaign. The trip is sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for these students, and any help that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.
“We know that you take pride in Picayune, and HTP wants to represent our town and state well. We are contacting local businesses and benefactors and asking for any help that you can give. Our time is running short, as the conference is only weeks away.”
Potential donors have several options:
$1, 000
Business name will be displayed on a prime billboard on Hwy 11 showing your support for HTP.
Business name will be featured on the top tier of sponsors on our t-shirt.
Business will receive a full-page ad in our competition program.
$750
Business name will be featured on the top tier of sponsors on our t-shirt. Business will receive a full-page ad in our competition program.
$500 Business name will be featured on our t-shirt.
Business will receive a partial page ad in our competition program.
$250
Business name will featured on our t-shirt.
Business will receive a partial page ad in our competition program.
Or, someone can simply make a donation in any amount. If a donor would wish to make a donation tax deductible, they can make their check out Picayune Memorial High School, using High Tide Productions in the memo line. If not, they can simply make their check out to High Tide Productions.
Those with questions can contact William Rester via phone at 601-543-6316 or email him at: william.rester@gmail.com.
About High Tide Productions
Picayune Memorial High School's theatre class was officially dubbed High Tide Productions with the arrival of Director William Rester in 2008. In five years, the troupe has staged twelve shows, with two more in the works for the 2012-2013 school year. Students participating in the program have been awarded more than $40,000 in college scholarships to study theatre.
