Junior Margaret Haberman’s student directed show ”Crossing the Line” will be performed at this year’s Illinois High School Theater Fest on January 11.

The IHSTF is an annual three day event that attracts over 4,000 students and teachers. The festival takes place every year in early January and showcases over 25 different high school productions and over 150 workshops.

The show was performed at East Leyden High School on October 12 & 13 in the Little Theater.

The show is about the “aftermath of a car accident, and you see the tragedy that happens after it,” Haberman said.

In order to become a part of IHSTF the show had to go through various steps.

Two to three members of the IHSTF committee go to various high school production throughout Illinois who have applied. They then meet with the cast and crew after the performance. Using their show notes, the judges decide which production fits best into the theme of the festival said Victor Piliolla, Leyden’s Technical Director & Theater Productions Manager who was also one of the judges for the IHSTF.

Haberman confided that the cast exclaimed with “screams of joy” upon finding out that they are to take part in IHSTF.

Since the cast will have no time to rehearse the show, and only 15 minutes to set up for two back to back productions, the cast and director are planning a rehearsal schedule to be ready for the productions Haberman said.

“I think it is going to go very well, and it is going to be a fun experience that my cast will enjoy. I also think it is going to be very challenging at first because we are going to perform it in a new space. With new space comes new challenges and obstacles,” Haberman said.