playbill vip

Ray Palasz

Ray has served in educational theatre for 19 years.  He rechartered the International Thespian Society at MHS in 2016.  Directing credits include Tartuffe, It's a Wonderful Life, Don Quixote, Drum Taps, Tarzan, Hairspray, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Harvey. Honors include Refugee Women (2nd at Regionals, 7th at State), Fire Exit (1st at Regionals, 8th at State), Wit (1st at Regionals, 2nd at State), and The Yellow Boat (1st at Regionals, 3rd at State; Festival Chapter Select Production.  He directed Drum Taps in 2013, earning it a performance slot at the 2014 International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska.  This summer he will once again lead the production of The Yellow Boat to Festival.  He has coached over 100 students in the International Thespian Excellence Awards program, and he is a 2024 Inductee of the Indiana Thespians Hall of Fame.

Peggy Matanic

Peggy got her start in theatre when she played Toto in The Wizard of Oz in elementary school.  She has been in educational theatre since 1991, having started the theatre programs at Roosevelt Junior High School in Dolton and Taft Junior High School in Crown Point.  She earned her MA in Theatre Production from Roosevelt University in 1999.  

Peggy previously coached the Munster Speech Team.  She has led the Wilbur Wright Theatre Company since 2013, and chartered their troupe of the International Thespian Society in 2017.  Her contest shows have consistently outperformed high school shows in Regional competition, and have earned Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Lead Performer Awards.  In 2023, her production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly took second at Regionals, becoming the first WWTC show competing against high schools to advance to State. 

Peggy is a 2021 inductee into the Indiana Thespians Hall of Fame.