The 2019 Illinois High School Theatre Festival [IHSTF], the largest and oldest non-competitive high school theatre festival in the nation, will feature Broadway’s smash hit, In the Heights, as its 2019 All-State production. In the Heights features a select ensemble of high school performers and technicians from throughout the state of Illinois.

Mundelein High School senior, Joey Salit will perform as a percussionist in the orchestra. He is a member of both the Honors Jazz Ensemble and the Honors Wind Ensemble. All pit orchestra positions were filled through auditions.

The All-State cast, crew and pit orchestra are comprised of top student performers, musicians and technicians from Illinois. More than 350 students auditioned for the show and 90 were selected for the final production company 49 schools. The director for this year’s production is Susan Gorman of Deerfield High School.

“I am thrilled to be working with a team of dedicated students and staff on a production that is topical and very relevant to our current climate,” Gorman said.

Rehearsals for In the Heights take place over several long weekends during the fall of 2018 with final rehearsals occurring the last few days before the actual performances. This year’s performance venue is the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In the Heights will run from January 10 to 12, 2019. It is a closed event for participants of the Illinois High School Theatre Festival with no public tickets available for these performances.