About 4,000 high school theater students from all over Illinois rushed into the Bone Student Center at Illinois State University (ISU) in Normal, Illinois on a wintery Friday morning. No, it wasn’t to attend the plethora of workshops or shows. These students headed straight for the swap desk.

The swap desk is typically the first stop of the day. Before the first day at the festival, the student gets a certain amount of tickets to certain shows from their high school. If a student gets tickets to a show they may not want to see, the student can exchange the ticket for the show they’ve been waiting to see.

Very few students end up making their trades at the actual swap desk. Instead, the action happens in the line leading up to it. 

While it may seem daunting at first, the hundreds of students in the line all want the same thing – to exchange their tickets. So, after the first leap, it’s easy. Students will walk up and down the lines, making their best offer for the show they want.

“The swap line put my auctioneer and negotiating skills to the test,” said junior Katie-May Newman. “Attempting to trade tickets with something less valuable was a challenge. It was like my Hunger Games.”

For over two hours in the morning, students yell up and down the hallway with their trades. Some students are even willing to sacrifice, trading three tickets to see Matilda for one coveted ticket to see Mean Girls. 

This is just the beginning of the day at Theater Fest.

After the swap desk, those 4,000 students have their choice of adventure. One option is to peruse around the festival, maybe stumble into one of the many professionally taught workshops like Weaponed Stage Combat, The Secret of Stage Management, Ask a Drag Queen, or The Art of the Audition.

“Theater Fest just brings so much exposure to the arts,” junior Nora Sharman said. “You get to learn so much from professionals.”

After enjoying a workshop or two, it’s time for lunch. Students can explore the ISU campus and surrounding areas, maybe ducking into their new favorite coffee shop, Coffee Hound, or checking out a record store after eating.

Once the students explore, it’s time for the shows they struggled so hard to get a ticket for. From Rock Island High School to Deerfield High School, schools from all over Illinois pack up their shows to bring to the festival. The shows this year included  Lake Forest Academy’s The Tempest, Nazareth Academy’s Almost, Maine, Coal City High School’s Alice by Heart, and many more.

“I loved getting the opportunity to go see all the different shows that all the schools from Illinois were able to put on,” sophomore Evan Spezzano said.

After a long day of workshops, exploring, and shows, it’s finally time to see the main event – the All State show.

Back in June, students from all over Illinois auditioned to be part of this year’s All State show, She Kills Monsters. The lucky students chosen this year included LFHS seniors, Taylor Ross and Lucy Mulloy. With its high-quality sets and acting, the show is always something to look forward to.

After that whole day, the students can enjoy different night activities like games or karaoke. If the students are too tired, they can always just hang around the student center and meet new people.

“I think it’s cool to be able to mingle with students from the other high schools,” junior Millie Foley said.

Then the students return to their hotel rooms for a good night’s sleep, and Theater Fest concludes the following day.

“I really enjoy Theater Fest,” Sharman said. “It’s such a fun experience.”