District 99 Students and Staff Selected for 2026 Illinois High School Theatre Festival production of “Newsies”

Rain Heller, Tess Lerette, William Hunter Evans and Mo Harris on the set of the 2026 Illinois High School Theatre Festival production of Newsies

 

On January 8-10, students and staff from Downers Grove North High School and Downers Grove South High School participated in the 2026 Illinois High School Theatre Festival (IHSTF), the largest and oldest non-competitive high school theatre festival in the nation. This year’s All-State production “Newsies” featured a select ensemble of high school actors, technicians and musicians from across Illinois. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the festival.

District 99 students who were part of the production team included Tess Lerette (DGN), Rain Heller (DGN) and Mo Harris (DGS). William Hunter Evans, South High’s performing arts center coordinator and technical director, served as the production’s scenic designer. This is Evans’ sixth time serving as an All-State scenic designer.

“The Allstate Showcase presents a distinctive opportunity for high school theater students who excel in the theater arts,” said Evans. “We are immensely proud of Tess, Rain, and Mo for representing our technical theater programs and our district in such a significant and impressive manner. You are sure to see their work on our stages and beyond in the future!”

The All-State cast, crew, and pit orchestra are composed of top student performers, musicians, and technicians from Illinois. Selected students participate for a total of 18 days, distributed across weekends in the fall, to fully execute the musical. Of the 525 students who auditioned or interviewed for Newsies, 100 were selected for the final production Company. This year’s performance venue was the Braden Auditorium at Illinois State University; performances were closed to the public.  

For more information about the IHSTF, visit www.illinoistheatrefest.org.