2025-26 has already been a historic year for Emporia High School’s Theatre Department, and more history is set to be written soon.
Wednesday morning, Theatre Director Amanda Ballard announced that the department’s production of A Piece of My Heart will be featured on the main stage at the International Thespian Festival in Bloomington, Indiana, June 21-26.
This announcement followed the department’s selection for the main stage at Kansas Thespian Festival earlier this year, the second time in school history it has been chosen for that stage, where A Piece of My Heart took first place in judging, a first for the department. Ballard says this exposure is tremendous for the district, the school, the department, but most importantly the students, noting the opportunities it could open for all of them in the future.
During our interview with Ballard Wednesday morning, KVOE News asked if she thinks the department’s representation at ITF could raise the standard for theatre both locally and across the state. In her opinion, it already has.
Ballard also says she hopes this historic year helps convey to the community that the arts, and the young people participating in them, are worth supporting.
Speaking of support, the department needs to raise $30,000 to get their cast of 12 and set pieces to the festival and is asking for the community’s assistance in raising the funds. Ballard says there are several ways the community can give, including through a benefit performance of A Piece of My Heart on June 6th, D-Day, at the high school, with the cost being a free will donation.
Also, local businesses have stepped up already to host fundraising activities, including an upcoming taco bar at 627 Event Space in April. Ballard also says the best way to support theatre is to “fill our seats,” and residents will have a chance to do so next week with the latest EHS Theatre production, The Play That Goes Wrong, taking place next Friday and Saturday, February 20th and 21st, inside the Emporia High School auditorium.
Interested residents can also donate directly to the cause through the department’s new ticketing platform, EmporiaHighSchoolTheatre.Ludus.com. For more information and updates on coming events, be sure to find Emporia High School Theatre on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.
A Piece of My Heart tells the story of six women, five nurses and an entertainer hired to perform for troops, during the Vietnam conflict. The play tells the stories of their lives before, during and after the conflict and the impacts it has on each of their lives.
