.jpg){kind=logo}
LSMSA Students Hit Their Marks at Louisiana Thespian Festival
Several LSMSA students earned accolades during the 2025 Louisiana Thespian Festival.
Louisiana Thespians, a statewide non-profit organization serving junior high and high school theatre programs, hosted the 2025 Louisiana Thespian Festival, Jan. 24-25, on the NSU campus in Natchitoches. The Louisiana Thespian Festival is hosted annually at NSU and includes workshops, scholarships, and performance opportunities. It also provides delegates with feedback on their theatrical material and technical designs. Approximately nine hundred student performers from across the state attended the 2025 Louisiana Thespian Festival, with thirty LSMSA students taking part.
Mr. Scott Theriot, LSMSA’s Instructor and Director of Theatre, said that several LSMSA students delivered outstanding performances during the festival.
“Julia Wisdom participated in college auditions as a junior and received several callbacks, while Sofia Anello (’26) and Gray Thibodeaux (’25) received a ‘Superior’ rating in the Musical Theatre Duet category of the International Thespian Excellence Awards (or ‘Thespys’),” Theriot said. “Julia, Wae Methvin (’25), Allyssa Ardoin (’25), Cade Aucoin (’25), Lenora Shackelford (’25), Grace Herpin (’25), and Isabelle Gillett (’26) performed a couple of scenes from last semester’s Oresteia on Saturday, in front of more than thirty Louisiana theatre troupes in attendance.”
Video: International Thespian Festival
Karn Richoux, LSMSA’s Instructor of Technical Theatre, coordinates workshops for the Louisiana Thespian Festival. Richoux said that this year’s event offered an eye-popping total of ninety-five workshops for students. Topics included technical theatre, stage combat, dance, puppetry, filmmaking, and more.
“It is a great event to have right next door for our theatre students,” Richoux said. “I think they learn so much from all the other attendees.”
“It was a great opportunity to meet out-of-state colleges, and a way to gain experience auditioning in-person with them,” said Wisdom, who serves as social media manager for the LSMSA Theatre Club. “I received honest feedback from other performers, and I got to see everyone else’s performances.”
By earning a “Superior” evaluation in the Musical Theatre Duet category, LSMSA students Sofia Anello and Gray Thibodeaux earned an invitation to perform at the 2025 International Thespian Festival (known as “Nationals”), which will be held on the campus of Indiana University Bloomington, June 22-27. Anello said that the duo plan to make the trip and are excited to perform at Nationals.
“Schools come from all over the country, and it gives students in our area an opportunity to audition for schools that may seem out of reach,” Anello said. “It’s a big deal.”
“It is a great event to have right next door for our theatre students,” Richoux said. “I think they learn so much from all the other attendees.”
“It was a great opportunity to meet out-of-state colleges, and a way to gain experience auditioning in-person with them,” said Wisdom, who serves as social media manager for the LSMSA Theatre Club. “I received honest feedback from other performers, and I got to see everyone else’s performances.”
By earning a “Superior” evaluation in the Musical Theatre Duet category, LSMSA students Sofia Anello and Gray Thibodeaux earned an invitation to perform at the 2025 International Thespian Festival (known as “Nationals”), which will be held on the campus of Indiana University Bloomington, June 22-27. Anello said that the duo plan to make the trip and are excited to perform at Nationals.
“Schools come from all over the country, and it gives students in our area an opportunity to audition for schools that may seem out of reach,” Anello said. “It’s a big deal.”
Learn more about the arts at LSMSA.
ABOUT LSMSA
LSMSA is a tuition-free, public high school for high-achieving sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a nominal room and board fee to cover housing, meals, and campus activities. The LSMSA Foundation offers assistance for families so that no eligible student is denied the school’s 42-year legacy of a college-level living/learning experience. For more information about LSMSA, or to apply for the Fall ‘25 academic school year, visit www.LSMSA.edu.
ABOUT LSMSA
LSMSA is a tuition-free, public high school for high-achieving sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a nominal room and board fee to cover housing, meals, and campus activities. The LSMSA Foundation offers assistance for families so that no eligible student is denied the school’s 42-year legacy of a college-level living/learning experience. For more information about LSMSA, or to apply for the Fall ‘25 academic school year, visit www.LSMSA.edu.
Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts
715 University Parkway
Natchitoches, LA 71457
T: 318.357.2500 Toll Free: 800.259.3173 | F: 318.357.3189
Contact Us | Report Possible Fraud or Abuse |
National Suicide Prevention Hotline
Natchitoches, LA 71457
T: 318.357.2500 Toll Free: 800.259.3173 | F: 318.357.3189
Contact Us | Report Possible Fraud or Abuse |
National Suicide Prevention Hotline
Search
Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) is the preeminent state-supported residential high school with competitive admissions for Louisiana's high-achieving, highly-motivated sophomores, juniors, and seniors. As a public school, there is no tuition to attend, and assistance from the LSMSA Foundation ensures the program is available to all qualifying students regardless of family financial need.
© 2024 LSMSA All Rights Reserved