Theater Troupe 513 has always held prominence around the Westerville community. Westerville South Principal Mike Hinze said, “I think Troupe 513 is awesome; they always have such good performances and represent South so well.”

The troupe continues to uphold their outstanding reputation by consistently producing shows that wow Westerville families.

Senior Theater Board member Braden McDonald said, “It really is an honor to be a part of something this cool and impactful.”

Over the summer, Troupe 513 produced “Oklahoma ”  in the heart of Westerville, at Alum Creek Amphitheatre.

Junior Ava Kellar said, “I love being able to help with the upcoming performances and seeing the end result.”

Troupe 513 is currently prepping for their upcoming musical “Brightstar” which they will be performing Oct. 28-31, 2021. “Brightstar” is a musical that follows a woman throughout two different stages in her life. The first stage is when she is a young, carefree little girl growing up in the mountains of North Carolina. The second stage begins when she becomes a magazine editor in Asheville, 22 years later.

Junior Cast member Laney Walden says, “Preparing for Brightstar has been really difficult but so fun. It’s an iconic musical, and we really just want to get everything right ”. She also added that the troupe can not wait to perform this musical. “We’ve been preparing for so long, and we are so proud of the work we have done,” she said.

The theater program is expecting a good audience for this musical. Mcdonald says “Brightstar is such a classic; I think a lot of people will want to come see it.” After brightstar, the Troupe plans to put on other classics such as The Outsiders, Footloose the Musical, and Milk like Sugar.

Kellar also shared, “I’m so grateful to be a part of theater, it changed my life.”  Kellar said being a part of theater helped her confidence greatly and allowed her to get to know herself better.