Seven Cedar Hill Theatre Scholars Qualify For Nationals

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Cedar Hill Theatre students
Photo credit CHISD

(CEDAR HILL, TEXAS) Seven Cedar Hill High School Theatre Scholars qualified for the National Thespian Festival by establishing themselves as top performers at the Texas Thespian Festival last month.

“Texas Thespian Festival is an opportunity for our scholars to gather with almost 9,000 other theatre scholars from across the state and share their passion for the art of live performances,” Cedar Hill High School Theatre Director Bethany Kennedy said. “This year, our scholars put in the extra time and dedication needed to qualify for Nationals because they were determined to prove to our district and community that they were the best of the best.”

The seven scholars who qualified are seniors Quinlyn Hunt and Johnathan Tarver, senior Kaelyn White and junior Shalom Oyawe, senior Gabby Couts and sophomore Maria Luiza Viana and senior Dylann Vinson.

The National Festival is in Indianapolis, and the scholars are working to raise money, so they will be able to attend. The cost is approximately $1,500 per scholar.

Hunt and Tarver performed “Agony” from “Into The Woods.”

“We went through a long process of finding songs that hadn’t been done before,” Hunt said. “We landed on a song that has been done a lot. We just added our own spin to it.”

White and Oyawe performed “Freedom” from “The Mad Ones” – combining the talents of a Mezzo-soprano and a soprano.

“We were very excited to compete last month, and the song really fit our voices,” Oyawe said. “We liked it because of the harmonies.”

Viana and Couts performed a duet activity scene from “A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking”, earning a perfect 24 out of 24 score in a scene where characters Hannah Mae and Maude are arguing in Westchester County, New York.

Vinson made her Theatre debut this year after several years in the choir – where she’s still a member. She performed acting monologues from “A Doll’s House” and “I Ate The Divorce Papers.”

“I remember reading it as a freshman and thought it was so pretty,” Vinson said. “