Holy Family Catholic School junior thespian troupe places outstanding in all categories of state competition

Holy Family Catholic School's junior thespian troupe has placed outstanding in all categories of this year's Florida State Junior Thespian Festival.

Thespian Troupe 10724 is composed of 26 students, 22 who qualified for the state competition, in grades six through eight. 

The group is led by mother and daughter duo Lisa and Hayleigh Jusas who have spent their lives in theater.

When Hayleigh Jusas, director, was younger, she lived in New York where she grew up on Broadway and was in many performances around the city.

She was in seventh grade when she moved to Orlando and started to attend Holy Family. She graduated, and, little did she know, six years later she would return to the school to teach a new generation of theater students.  

Juliette Naranjo, 14, who has been involved with the troupe for two years, said the students could not ask for more amazing teachers.

"No matter how hard things got, they never stopped believing in these kids," Juliette said. "These teachers take the term 'I do it for the kids' so passionately. Everything they do is for their students, because they want them to succeed and shine on stage. Both Hayleigh and Lisa Jusas live and breathe (theater) with us. They’re there when we need them for support and never think twice when it comes to them having to help those who need it. Lisa Jusas is a second mother to everyone in the troupe and cast. She provides us comfort, love and encouragement, while Hayleigh Jusas is the older sister and best friend to all of us."

Hayleigh Jusas is the one who brought the idea of the thespian troupe to the school. She started it in her second year of teaching. 

Although the troupe was initially slow to gain fame, the group soon became popular amongst the students of the school and introduced and strengthened a new love and passion for theater.

In the troupe's first year, the thespians won Best in Show at the district level for the large group called “Revolting Children” from "Matilda the Musical." The group continued on to compete in nine events at the state level. 

The following year, the troupe again earned Best in Show for the large group called "Once and For All" from "Newsies." This performance also was selected to represent District 8 in the opening ceremony of the state competition. The troupe won at District 8 and became District 8 representatives for all of Florida. 

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Outside of the festival competitions, Hayleigh Jusas choreographed the school's productions of Disney's "Moana Jr." in May 2022 and "Beauty and the Beast" in May 2023.

She also established the school's Junior Thespian Honor Society, which includes a president, vice president, secretary, historian and publicity.

Going into this year's state competition Juliette said the directors again gave up a great amount of their own time to help prepare the students, ensuring improvement in all of the acts.

The 2024 Florida Junior Thespian State Festival was held from Feb. 22 to 24 at the Orange County Convention Center.

Going into the state competition, the troupe performed for about 3,000 people at the opening ceremony. Later on in the day, the troupe earned two more Best in Show awards in the categories duet musical for “Apex Predator” from "Mean Girls The Musical" and solo musical for “Waiting for Life” from "Once On This Island." 

"Overall, these amazing women established so many opportunities for us," Juliette said. "Bringing so much talent into the theater department, setting and preparing us for the outside. They have made us a bigger and more recognized community at our school and we are eternally grateful."

Currently, the drama students of the school are working on their production of the “The Addams Family,” which will debut in early May.

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