Thespian Festival is a place to showcase your hard work and talent to other theatre groups in Montana, but this one was an experience CMR Drama will never forget. They performed a one act play, “Dead Highway,” written by director and teacher Chris Evans. The show is about six high school students running from the zombie apocalypse. It’s filled with suspense and just a hint of comedy. It brought tears and laughter to the audience.
The Thespians attended the annual Thespian convention in Missoula the weekend of Jan. 24-26.
It was the only show performed that received a standing ovation from every member of the audience. Senior Kiera Patterson, one of the main characters in the show, felt a wave of emotions when the audience showed their immense support and enthusiasm.
“I feel incredibly lucky because I got to face the audience as the lights dimmed, and the crowd was thrown into uproar. I felt so proud of all the people in the show and the performance we put on,” she said.
It was apparent their hard work and talent shined just as bright as the stage lights. For their performance they won the title of best drama comedy and best special effects done by senior Annabella Josephs and junior Brie Srb. Quite a few individuals also earned awards for their performances, including junior Brie Srb, who received an award for the best walk-on. The adjudicator said that Srb “stole the show.”
Senior Anthony Rangel won first place in the tongue twister competition. Sophomore Jonas Hibbs was elected onto the State Thespian Board for the 2025-2026 Thespian Festival. The festival creates many opportunities for those interested and highly involved with theatre. Hibbs has been to the festival twice, and he has a clear favorite memory.
“My favorite memory from the Thespian festival was probably getting to see “Into The Woods,” he said. “That was incredible.”
However, this new memory will be pretty hard to forget. When Hibbs heard his name called he was immediately in shock.
“I felt really really excited but also pretty nervous in the best way possible,” he said. Hibbs is a true leader.
“My goal is to help and teach as many people as possible while also learning as much as I can. I want to make a difference,” he said. He said he is excited to step into a higher position of leadership, and CMR Drama is proud of all he’s accomplished. This is the second year in a row the State Board has had a CMR student as a representative, the first one since 2015 being senior Kaydence Gilroy, who was elected at last year’s festival.
On Feb. 7, the Thespians presented their show “Dead Highway” seven times for CMR students and staff.
