Twenty-one members of Mount St. Mary Academy Thespian Troupe 8462 in Little Rock traveled to Russellville for the 2025 Arkansas State Thespian Festival Feb. 13-15. The students participated in interactive workshops, competed in various theatrical performance and technical theater challenges and networked with other theater students and teachers from across the state. 

The event also included opportunities to audition for college scholarships as well as earn bids to this summer’s International Thespian Festival at Indiana University Bloomington. Four MSM Thespians earned superior ratings for their performances: seniors Maya Johnson and Isabella Nguyen in the category of duet musical theater, senior Annabelle Owen for solo acting, and sophomore Harper Peairson for lighting design. 

Nguyen also earned a superior rating for playwriting, and the entire troupe received a superior rating in the group musical category. The achievement qualified these students to compete for a coveted National Thespy Award at the International Thespian Festival in Indiana June 22-28. 

Four additional students received excellent ratings at the event: senior Caroline Cash in solo acting and juniors Jordyn Lane, Lauren Lasseigne and Valeria Mares in solo musical theater. 

Troupe members celebrated several other accomplishments during the three-day event. Cash was recognized as a 2025 Honor Thespian. Johnson, Owen, Peairson and junior Drew Powell placed first in the costume design challenge. Finally, Johnson, Nguyen and Owen all received several college scholarship offers.

For Maya Johnson and Isabella Nguyen, seniors at Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock, it has been an achievement-filled start to their final semester of high school. The two Concert Belles were among the 10 Arkansas high school seniors awarded a Thea Foundation performing arts scholarship in January. Additionally, the duo was selected to the 2025 Arkansas Choral Directors Association All-State Choir, a distinction that sets them apart as some of the top high school choral performers in the state. 

Inspired by the theme “Fluidity,” 300 students from high schools across Arkansas applied for a chance at part of the $219,000 worth of scholarships in the Thea Foundation’s 2024-2025 competition. As the first-place winner in the performing arts category, Nguyen was awarded the top $10,000 scholarship. Johnson, who placed eighth in the same category, won a $3,000 scholarship. A total of 36 Arkansas seniors were awarded scholarships in five different categories, including performing arts, visual arts, creative writing, film and fashion. On Feb. 7, just a week after learning about their Thea Foundation scholarships, they competed in prepared music and sight reading at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro against hundreds of the state’s best high school singers for a place in this year’s All-State Choirs. Johnson received soprano II 1st chair as well as a perfect score in sight reading, and Nguyen received soprano II 3rd chair. 

MSM senior Kylie Byrne and junior Perrin Kuhn each qualified to audition for this year’s All-State Choirs, too. 

Johnson and Nguyen will be in Hot Springs Feb. 20-22 for the All-State Music Conference.