Mustang Theatre Students Bring Home National Honors and Prepare for The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Salina Central High School’s theatre program is giving the community plenty of reasons to applaud.

From performing on a national stage to earning recognition from Disney, Central High School Theatre Troupe 639 has completed a remarkable run of achievements and is already preparing for another ambitious season.

The troupe’s production of Clue: High School Edition was selected as a Mainstage Production for the 2026 International Thespian Festival in Bloomington, Indiana. Central earned one of only 12 production spots after shows from across the country were reviewed by the festival’s adjudication committee.

That meant Central students were not simply attending one of the country’s largest educational theatre gatherings. They were invited to perform for it.

And the honors did not end when the curtain came down.

Central Students Earn 23 Individual Theatre Honors

Salina Central students also competed in individual events known as Thespys, earning 12 Superior ratings and 11 Excellent ratings.

Recent Central graduate Sarah Day received a perfect score from all three judges for her solo musical theatre performance of “Fly, Fly Away” from Catch Me If You Can. She was also invited to perform during the festival’s solo musical theatre showcase.

Superior distinctions were earned in acting, musical theatre, dance, costume construction, scenic design and monologue performances.

Students earning Superior honors included:

Sarah Day

Dominic Freeland

Marcos Lira

William Howe

Addilyn Jagodzinske

Eleanor Burk

Andrew Graber

Anna Kraft

Ava Weaverling

Mac Sheforgen

Alyxandria Aldrich

Central students Camille Graber, Carlyn Elting, Wyatt Angell, Kort Comeau, Katie Morgan, Gabriel Freeland, Ayden Flener and Madison Berndt were also among those receiving Excellent ratings.

The results demonstrate that the strength of Central’s program extends well beyond the actors standing beneath the spotlight. Students were recognized for performance, design and technical theatre, the many moving parts that turn an empty stage into a complete production.

Disney Selects Central as a School of Excellence

Central also announced it has been selected as a Disney on Broadway School of Excellence for the 2026-2027 school year.

The national program recognizes schools for exceptional student leadership, creativity and involvement in areas including acting, choreography, direction, stagecraft and design.

Salina Central was one of only 20 schools selected for the program’s third group of winners. The school will receive free licensing and production materials for a Disney musical, along with educational webinars featuring theatre professionals.

As part of the recognition, Central will present Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Salina Central High School from January 28 through January 30.

“We are beyond excited to have been selected as a Disney School of Excellence Recipient, and we cannot wait to begin work with students on designing the production in the fall and winter,” Central Theatre Instructor and Director Barbara Hilt said. “We encourage all students to audition for the production and to come and be a part of our nationally recognized program at Central High School.”

Ticket information will be released closer to the production.

A Program Giving Salina Something to Celebrate

Central’s latest achievements place Salina students alongside some of the strongest educational theatre programs in the country.

The recognition also reflects the work happening behind the scenes, from teachers and directors to students designing costumes, building sets, learning choreography and rehearsing countless hours before an audience ever takes its seat.

For Central’s theatre students, the past year included a national Mainstage appearance, a perfect individual score, 23 Superior or Excellent distinctions and selection for an exclusive Disney theatre program.

That is quite an encore.

And with The Hunchback of Notre Dame now on the schedule, the next act is already taking shape.