CETA High School Theatre Festival
Hall of Fame
Welcome to the CETA High School Theatre Festival Hall of f=Fame. The Festival Winners History page chronicles the legacy of artistic excellence at our annual High School Theatre Festival. This archive honors the remarkable student casts, crew members, and directors who have taken home top honors and graced our mainstage over the years. Dive into our past, celebrate the achievements of California’s finest school theater programs, and get inspired to make your own history.
A celebration of talent. A legacy of achievement.
Festival History Fun Facts
Most CETA HSTF Wins
Lakeside H.S.
8 WINS
Charter Oak H.S.
6 WINS
John Burroughs H.S.
5 WINS
Beverly Hills H.S.
Capistrano Valley H.S.
Fullerton Union H.S.
Rancho Buena Vista
4 WINS
Most Popular Winning Plays
A Midsummer
Night’s Dream
5 WINS
The Crucible
The Diviners
Dark of the Moon
4 WINS
Romeo and Juliet
Rumors
The Laramie Project
3 WINS
Back-to-Back Repeats
Winning the festival once is hard enough, but Fullerton Union High School pulled off back-to-back wins recently in 2022 (The Little Prince) and 2023 (A Monster Calls), mirroring an earlier consecutive streak they had in 2018 and 2019!
The Neil Simon Comedy Sweep
Neil Simon's fast-paced comedy Rumors managed to win across three consecutive decades for three entirely different schools Riverside Poly (2001), La Costa Canyon (2003), and Capistrano Valley (2010).
The Shakespeare Spectrum
High schoolers aren't just sticklers for the classic tragedies. While Romeo and Juliet has won multiple times, schools have also taken home top honors for more obscure or challenging Shakespeare plays, including The Merry Wives of Windsor (Tesoro HS, 2009), The Tempest (Westview HS, 2009), and Cymbeline (Henry Kaiser HS, 2023).
Digital Festival Shift
The "Digital Festival" Shift: The 2020–2021 festival holds a unique place in CETA history. Due to global pandemic restrictions, it was officially designated as the "DIGITAL FESTIVAL," honoring innovative virtual/remote productions like Beverly Hills High School’s Gruesome Playground Injuries and Livermore High School’s Verbatim Theatre - Belonging.
Winning Production Timeline
1971-1972
Birmingham H.S.
The Serpent
Canoga Park H.S
The Miser
Cleveland H.S.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
1972-1973
California H.S
The House of Blue Leaves
Kearny H.S.
Death of a Salesman
Hollywood H.S.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1973-1974
Charter Oak H.S.
Dark of the Moon
Kearny H.S.
Hamlet
Hollywood H.S.
Story Theatre
1974-1975
Beverly Hills H.S.
Story Theatre
Charter Oak H.S.
All The Way Home
Grant H.S.
The Rimers of Eldritch
1975-1976
Beverly Hills H.S
U.S.A.
Canoga Park H.S.
All My Sons
Charter Oak H.S.
Life with Father
1976-1977
Charter Oak H.S
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
Grant H.S.
Dark of the Moon
Venice H.S.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1977-1978
Beverly Hills H.S
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Buena Park H.S.
Sunshine Boys
Charter Oak H.S.
Johnny Belinda
1978-1979
Charter Oak H.S
The Miser
Granada Hills H.S.
David and Lisa
Mission Viejo H.S.
Dark of the Moon
1979-1980
Granada Hills H.S.
The Servant of Two Masters
Mission Viejo H.S
The Crucible
University H.S.
Story Theatre
1980-1981
Birmingham H.S
You Can’t Take it With You
Corona H.S.
Tartuffe
Mission Viejo H.S.
Summer and Smoke
1981-1982
Walnut H.S.
Company of Wayward Saints
Palisades H.S.
Strider
Patrick Henry H.S.
The Rimers of Eldritch
1982-1983
Estancia H.S.
The Man Who Came to Dinner
Walnut H.S.
A Cry of Players
El Rancho H.S.
A View from the Bridge
1983-1984
El Toro H.S
Our Town
University H.S.
The Good Doctor
Palm Springs H.S.
The Skin of Our Teeth
1984-1985
Beverly Hills H.S
Lady Audley’s Secret
Patrick Henry H.S.
The Dinning Room
California H.S.
Voices from High School
1985-1986
La Serna H.S
Amadeus
El Camino H.S.
Macbeth
San Dieguito Academy
Foxfire
1986-1987
Palisades H.S
Viet Rock
Patrick Henry H.S.
The Trial
Palm Springs H.S.
Noises Off
1987-1988
Chatworth H.S.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Estancia H.S
The Dinning Room
Eisenhower H.S.
To Gillian on her 37th Birthday
1988-1989
California H.S
The Foreigner
Palm Springs H.S.
Absurd Person Singular
Rancho Buena Vista
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1989-1990
Arlington H.S.
Equus
La Jolla H.S.
And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson
California H.S.
Dirty Works at the Crossroads
1990-1991
Chatsworth H.S.
The House of Blue Leaves
Patrick Henry H.S.
Brighton Beach Memoirs
Sunny Hills H.S.
The Dinning Room
1991-1992
1991-1992
California H.S
A Flea in Her Ear
Palm Springs H.S.
Rumors
Dan Dieguito Academy
The Diviners
1992-1993
Estancia H.S
Macbeth
Newport Harbor H.S.
Children of a Lessor God
Sunny Hills H.S.
The Canterbury Tales
1993-1994
La Jolla H.S
A Piece of My Heart
La Serna H.S.
Rumors
Upland H.S.
David and Lisa
1994-1995
Etiwanda H.S
Bullshot Crummond
La Serna H.S.
Lend Me a Tenor
Rancho Bernardo H.S.
Inspecting Carol
1995-1996
El Rancho H.S.
God’s Country
Etiwanda H.S
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead
san Dieguito Academy
A View From the Bridge
1996-1997
1996-1997
La Quinta H.S
Romeo and Juliet
La Serna H.S.
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
Rancho Bernardo H.S.
Brighton Beach Memoirs
1997-1998
Mt. Carmel H.S.
The Crucible
Palos Verdes Peninsula H.S.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Upland H.S.
The Diviners
1998-1999
1998-1999
El Dorado H.S.
Jane Eyre
La Serna H.S.
The Diviners
University H.S.
Romeo and Juliet
1999-2000
Diamond Bar H.S
Play On!
La Quinta H.S.
The Miracle Worker
Rancho Buena Vista H.S.
Six Characters in Search of an Author
2000-2001
Mt. Carmel H.S
Do Not Go Gentle
Newport Harbor H.S.
The Importance of Being Earnest
Riverside Poly H.S.
Rumors
2001-2002
Etiwanda H.S
Taking Steps
Palos Verdes Peninsula H.S.
The American Clock
Rancho Buena Vista H.S.
The Crucible
2002-2003
2002-2003
Chaparral H.S
You Can’t Take it With You
La Costa Canyon H.S.
Rumors
Newport Harbor H.S.
The Diviners
2003-2004
Torrey Pines H.S.
Metamorphoses
Upland H.S
The Crucible
Windward H.S.
The Prodigious Son
2004-2005
Temescal Canyon H.S
The Diary of Anne Frank
Villan Park H.S.
The Best Man
Windward H.S.
Much Ado About Nothing
2005-2006
Riverside Poly H.S.
Tartuffe: Born Again
St. Francis H.S.
Romeo and Julie
Torrey Pines H.S.
Inherit the Wind
2006-2007
Etiwanda H.S.
Pound
Rancho Buena Vista H.S.
A Shayna Maidel
Rolling Hills Prep
Don’t Drink the Water
Tesoro H.S.
Comedy of Errors
2007-2008
Los Osos H.S
Noises Off
Palos Verdes H.S.
Rebel Without a Cause
Temescal Canyon H.S.
The Foreigner
2008-2009
Highland H.S
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead
Los Osos H.S.
Leading Ladies
Tesoro H.S.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Westview H.S.
The Tempest
2009-2010
Capistrano Valley H.S
Rumors
Christian H.S.
The Ash Girl
Culver City H.S.
Nicholas Nickleby
Jurupa Valley H.S.
Lend Me a Tenor
2010-2011
Culver City H.S
The Laramie Project
Lakeside H.S.
Emma’s Child
Newport HarborH.S.
Noises Off
Rancho Buena Vista H.S.
Anatomy of Gray
2011-2012
Huntington Beach H.S.
Leading Ladies
John Burroughs H.S
The Crucible
Lakeside H.S.
Once in a Lifetime
Westview H.S.
To Kill a Mockingbird
2012-2013
Chadwick H.S
Comedy of Errors
Estancia H.S.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Lakeside H.S.
The Boys Next Door
Westview H.S.
The Odd Couple
2013-2014
Charter Oak H.S.
Twentieth Century
Jurupa Hills H.S.
The Boys Next Door
Newport Harbor H.S.
Our Town
Rancho Buena Vista H.S.
The Diviners
2014-2015
Chadwick H.S.
Romeo and Juliet
Jurupa Hills H.S.
Inherit the Wind
Mission Viejo H.S.
The Children’s Hour
Mission Vista H.S.
The Triangle Factory Fire Project
2015-2016
John Burroughs H.S
Flowers for Algernon
Lakeside H.S.
12 Angry Women
Mission Viejo H.S.
The Laramie Project
Rancho Buena Vista H.S.
I Never Saw Another Butterfly
2016-2017
Estancia H.S
Letters to Sala
Lakeside H.S.
Wit
Mira Costa H.S.
Almost, Maine
Murrieta Valley H.S.
Radium Girls
2017-2018
Citrus Valley H.S.
One Man, Two Guvnors
Fullerton Union H.S.
Secret in the Wings
John Burroughs H.S.
The Laramie Project
La Costa Canyon H.S.
The Love of Three Oranges
2018-2019
Fullerton Union H.S
The Foreigner
John Burroughs H.S.
The Dark of the Moon
Lakeside H.S.
Kimberly Akimbo
Mt. Carmel H.S.
DOA
2019-2020
Capistrano Valley H.S.
Clue: On Stage
Fontana H.S
Proof
John Burroughs H.S.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-time
Vista H.S.
The Legend of Sleepy Hallow
2020-2021
DIGITAL FESTIVAL
Beverly Hills H.S
Gruesome Playground Injuries
Livermore H.S.
Verbatim Theatre - Belonging
Wester Center Academy
Pink Dogs
2021-2022
Fullerton Union H.S.
The Little Prince
Lakeside H.S.
The Zoo Story
San Juan Hills H.S.
Metamorphoses
Saugus H.S.
Puffs
2022-2023
Fullerton Union H.S.
A Monster Calls
Henry Kaiser H.S.
Cymbeline
Notre Dame H.S.
The Pliant Girls
San Juan Hills H.S.
Letters to Sala
2023-2024
Capistrano Valley H.S
The Play That Goes Wrong
Jurupa Hills H.S.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Lakeside H.S.
God of Carnage
Notre Dame Vista H.S.
Peter and the Starcatcher
2024-2025
Capistrano Valley H.S.
The Children’s Hour
Alta Loma H.S
Little Women
Notre Dame H.S.
Men on Boat
Tesoro H.S.
Shakespeare in Hollywood
2025-2026
Henry Kaiser H.S.
Pericles
John Burroughs H.S.
Everybody
Ramon C. Cortines H.S.
The Machinal
*Inaugural CETA Select Production
Tesoro H.S.
Midsummer Jersey
2026-2027
TBD
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