Lenaea Festival History and Background

The award winning Lenaea Festival is hosted by the California State University, Sacramento School of the Arts Department of Theatre and Dance. The time and talent of its faculty, staff and students, as well as the use of its facilities have helped to make the Lenaea Festival among the largest high school theatre festivals of its kind in the nation.
Inspired by the Lenaea Festival of Ancient Greece, Dr. Carl Thomas, then Chair of the Sacramento State College’s Department of Theatre, initiated this program in 1955. His desire was to establish an event that would support and encourage high school students with an interest in theatre. Over the years, Lenaea grew into a multi-programmed event with recognition not only for one act productions but for audition pieces as well.

The early Festivals were held over a one week period with evening weeknight performances. Eight to twelve schools participated with one act play presentations. Plays were entered in two categories: comedy and drama. Each performance was evaluated and the most successful comedies and dramas were both invited to perform a second time on Saturday evening.

In the mid sixties, the categories were discontinued and all productions were equally evaluated. Recognitions for outstanding acting performances were introduced. For the next decade growing pains were experienced. The appropriate methods of evaluation, competitive recognitions, and greater student participation were all taken into consideration. When Dr. Thomas retired in 1975, Dr. Gerard A. Larson enthusiastically stepped in as the Festival Mentor. During this period, the number of participating schools grew twenty to twenty-five each year. Many of the participating high school students graduated and enrolled at Sacramento State as Theatre Arts majors. Several of the current high school’s Theatre Arts Program Directors that participate in the festival are Sac State graduates.

In 1980, Graduate Student Dale Wahlberg undertook the task of evaluating Festival programs, procedures and goals to determine how they could be improved. His observations were insightful and helped to guide the future direction of the Festival. Monologue and duo scene categories were introduced which gave schools that were unable to mount one act productions an opportunity to participate. These enhancements have become a successful and important element of the Festival.

In the early 1990s Professor Robert Smart became the Festival Mentor and with the help of Barbara Aimz Brown as Festival Coordinator, the Department of Theatre Arts hosted forty to fifty high schools each year. As a result of their efforts, the Festival added special presentations and educational workshops to its program. These two new offerings allowed for partnerships with such organizations as Short Center Repertory and Very Special Arts who both specialize in giving performance opportunities to physically and mentally challenged individuals. Additionally, Professor Smart & Ms. Brown were able to invite some esteemed professionals and scholars to lead its educational workshops such as playwright Mark Medoff (Children of a Lesser God) and actor Robert Pine (CHIPS.)

In 2003, after the passing of Professor Smart, Department Chair Dr. Roberto Pomo asked Scott Adams (alumnus/actor/theatre producer), to lead the festival as its new Director continuing the passionate efforts of his mentors Dr. Larson and Professor Smart. With the help of numerous professionals and volunteers, Mr. Adams continued in 2004 to highlight the traditions that brought Lenaea to its great heights.

In response to feedback from school surveys and with the goal to enhance the educational aspects of the Lenaea, the Festival instigated some exciting new additions in 2005 including: (1) Command Performances of the top scoring groups and individuals, (2) multiple workshops offered during the Festival given by experienced theatre professionals (including veteran Director and Former Dean of the Pasadena Playhouse, Jack Lynn and Broadway musical veteran, Jim Poulos), and (3) networking and socializing opportunities for teachers and students.

In 2006, the Festival added a brand new category in musical theatre solos which was extremely well received. Students from each school are now encouraged each year to submit audition recordings from which a selected group will be chosen to compete at the Festival. The top scoring three perform during the awards ceremony on Sunday evening.
In 2007, the Festival hosted 67 schools that performed 54 one act plays (15 of which were original and 25 of which were student directed), 116 duo scenes (9 of which were original), 238 monologues (17 of which were original), over 1,150 high school students, 144 chaperones and over 100 volunteers (including 45 respondents with such backgrounds as professional working actors, regional University theatre professors, and local actors, directors, and producers.)

As in previous years, the top schools will be recommended for inclusion in the American High School Theatre Festival’s world renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival - the world's largest performing arts festival. By embracing the best of its traditions over the past 50 years while concurrently seeking out opportunities to improve its programs with newly recommended changes, the Lenaea Festival will continue to provide a life-long memory of teamwork, camaraderie, networking, and an overall spirit of theatre that is rarely experienced in such a compacted period of time as these three powerful days.

About the Lenaea Festival

What is the Lenaea Festival?