More than 300 students from across Kansas gathered at Sterling College Monday, Oct. 5, for the 42nd Annual Theatre Workshop Day.

The annual event brought together students from 17 high schools, one middle school and one grade-school class, along with several homeschooled students accompanied by their parents. Participating schools included Buhler, Life Prep Academy, Maize South, Goddard, Eisenhower, Flint Hills, McPherson, Lyons, Campus, Mulvane, Garden Plain, Little River, Sterling, Canton-Galva, Ellinwood, Inman and Andale. Prairie Hills Middle School and the Windom sixth-grade class also participated.

The students spent the morning participating in hands-on theatre workshops in Sabre, Singing for the Stage, Musical Theatre Dance, Acting/Characterization, Improvisation, Costuming, Scenic Design and Playwriting.

Workshops were led by Sterling College alumni, faculty and students, giving visiting students the opportunity to learn new skills while working alongside other young people who share an interest in theatre.

“It was exciting to see so many students come together around theatre,” said Dennis Dutton, Sterling College arts director. “They learned new skills, met other students and experienced the larger theatre community.”

The morning workshops were followed by a special matinee performance of Sterling College Theatre’s production of Fiddler On The Roof in Culbertson Auditorium.

Directed by Lesa Brown, the production marked the fourth time the musical had been presented at Sterling College, following previous productions in 1971, 1987 and 2008.

“Fiddler is a wonderful story for students to experience together,” Brown said. “It explores family, tradition and change in ways that still speak to us today.”

The Workshop Day gave visiting students the opportunity not only to develop their theatre skills but also to experience a college campus and see Sterling College students performing in a full-scale theatrical production.

“Theatre teaches students to work together, communicate and take creative risks,” Dutton said. “Those lessons go far beyond the stage.”

For more than four decades, Sterling College Theatre Workshop Day has connected young people from across Kansas with the arts, with one another and with Sterling College. The annual event reflects the college’s commitment to providing meaningful opportunities for students to discover and develop their gifts.