Mount Carmel Academy’s theater club, STK ("Shinto Torii Kabuki," which means “God's Gateway to the Theatre”) was invited to perform “Antigone in Munich” on the main stage at the International Thespian Festival (ITF) at Indiana University in Bloomington from June 19-23, 2023. The highly coveted invitation to the main stage is a huge honor for International Thespian Society students. More than 30 high-caliber productions from across the United States and Canada were screened this year for the seven available slots. The performances chosen represent superior work in theatrical production on the largest of stages – in front of thousands of fellow Thespians and theatre educators.

"ITF’s main stage is a celebration of outstanding student work," says Educational Theatre Association Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Katona in a statement. "We’re thrilled to showcase these seven schools and proud of the students and teachers for their accomplishments.

“Antigone in Munich” follows members of the White Rose Society, a student-led anti-Nazi resistance movement formed at the University of Munich in Germany during World War II. The group, which included siblings Sophie and Hans Scholl, distributed anti-Nazi leaflets and graffiti across the city. Their brave efforts were cut short when the Gestapo captured and arrested them. In 1943, Sophie and Hans were sentenced to death and executed.

The International Thespian Festival, which is produced by the Educational Theatre Association, is the nation’s leading high school theatre festival. The event brings together high school drama students and their teachers for a weeklong immersion in workshops; interaction with colleges, industry leaders, and Broadway professionals; and opportunities to be inspired by the best high school theatre in the nation. The week will culminate in the International Thespian Excellence Awards, or the Thespys, recognizing the highest level of achievement in school theatre.