Following their first-ever appearance at the Michigan Thespian Festival, the Lake Shore High School Musical Group returned with strong results and new opportunities for the program. The festival took place on Friday, December 12, and Saturday, December 13, in Lansing and brought together more than 80 schools from across Michigan.
Eleven Lake Shore students competed in different categories, including acting, musical theatre, and dance. Performances were evaluated on a 20-point scale, and every student received an “Excellent” rating or higher, placing all Lake Shore competitors at second place or above.
Three students earned a “Superior” rating, the highest score awarded at the festival. Ashley Geib, Brielle Starks and Donovan Ripari qualified to advance to the International Thespian Festival, which will be held at Indiana University in June. This marks the first time Lake Shore students will compete at the international level.
Geib also received more than $200,000 in scholarships from multiple colleges through auditions and evaluations conducted during the festival.
Director Raymond Filipek said the weekend’s success reflected the growth of the program and his goal of bringing competition back to Lake Shore theatre. He previously shared that competing in the arts was one of the most meaningful parts of his own high school experience and hoped the festival would create similar opportunities for his students.
The students who competed were Ashley Geib (Superior), Brielle Starks (Superior), Donovan Ripari (Superior), Meghan Creson (Excellent), Aubree Giacona (Excellent), Angel Lebow (Excellent), Zoe Pierce (Excellent), Leo Louwers (Excellent), Ellie Mitchener-Rubino (Excellent), Kara Lawfield (Excellent) and Elizabeth Schoof (Excellent).
Students hope to continue attending the Michigan Thespian Festival in the future, using the experience, feedback and confidence gained to strengthen upcoming productions and further develop the Lake Shore theatre program.
