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Tops in Theatre

Washington Township Participants Earn Laurels at New Jersey Thespian Festival Held at WTHS
 

For Immediate Release
February 20, 2025

 

Washington Township High School staff and students are honored by the Board of Education for their efforts at the New Jersey Thespian Festival. Pictured include (left to right) – WTHS Thespian Troupe 8797 advisor John Stephan, Presley Terch, superintendent Dr. Eric Hibbs, James Conner, Violet Merrigan, Annabelle Corigliano, WTPS supervisor of visual and performing arts Casey Corigliano, BOE member Linda Hartong.


WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - Washington Township High School hosted New Jersey's largest annual theatre event, the New Jersey Thespian Festival, on January 18-19, 2025. Over the course of the two days, more than 1,500 students from across the state (and Delaware) participated in various workshops (in areas of performance and technical theatre), competed in a variety of individual and group events, auditioned for scholarships from colleges & universities, and visited information booths and theatrical vendors. Students also had the opportunity to view Main Stage performances and participate in community service efforts like Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.


Thirty-seven of WTHS’s Thespian Troupe 8797 members participated in the weekend, and some even scored “Superior” in the competition segment, called The Thespys, which also boasts an international component in which students who score "Superior" medals can compete at the International Thespian Festival (ITF) held in Indiana every year; ITF hosts more than 5,000 student participants in a week-long theatre festival in Indiana. 


For WTHS, Superior medals were awarded to:

  • Acting Solo (Monologues) – Marissa Carney, James Conner, Constance Fanslau, Violet Merrigan, and Francesca Pavone
  • Acting Duet – Andrea Cardamone/Presley Terch and James Noonan/Sonya Tereshko
  • Musical Solo – Annabelle Corigliano and Constance Fanslau
  • Musical Theatre Duet – James Conner/Presley Terch and Annabelle Corigliano/Violet Merrigan


Violet Merrigan also was recognized as one of the "All State Thespian" winners, and District Supervisor of Visual and Performing Arts Casey Corigliano was recognized as the N.J. Thespian Outstanding Administrator award winner.


The WTHS troupe was honored at the February 18, 2025, Board of Education work session. 

 

- WTPS -