Big Fish, the Musical

Four Memorial High School Theatre students have been selected to participate in the Texas All-State festival production of Big Fish, the Musical.

Memorial students were chosen to perform at the upcoming state festival by the staff of Texas Thespians. They include two juniors, Clayton Wells (cast) and Megan Gillespie (crew), and sophomores Rebecca Laake (crew) and Meredith Rauch (cast).

These students will perform under the direction of Artistic Director Luis Munoz, who is UIL One-Act Play Director, and Scott Taylor from Flower Mound High. Memorial High School’s Orchestra, under direction of Bingiee Shiu, will perform for the upcoming event.

Memorial High’s Theatre Dept. was also named Thespian Troupe of the Year by the Texas Thespians, a statewide supporting organization in the fine arts field.

“I am extremely proud of these students for being chosen over a number of others in the audition and interview pool. Join me in congratulating them,” the Memorial High Theatre Arts Director Nicole Morgan told program supporters recently.

Morgan currently serves as vice president of Texas Thespians and will help guide 20 area students in the All-State Show at the state festival as part of her executive duties.

In separate but related Memorial Theatre news, Carver High’s Magnet School and Memorial High students performed a joint production of Memphis, the Musical, to two sold-out audiences in November. Joint performances earlier in the school year by the two schools won local newspaper and TV publicity for an unusual outreach effort by student theater groups.

Five Memorial High students have also qualified for nationals next June during the International Thespian Festival. Students advancing to nationals include Chandler Dunham and Nathan Morgan in duet musical; Rachel Klein in solo musical; Megan Gillespie in stage management; and Mia Alfonso in costume design.

Elsewhere, student Nathan Morgan completed his year of service as a Student State Board Officer for Texas Thespians, the troupe reports.