Prior to 1976, there had been theatre leaders in the state who felt there was a need for an alternative to a statewide student theatrical event of a competitive nature.  Several of these theatre educators formed local theatre festivals in their general geographic areas. Jerry Proffit of Niles East High School and Cary Libkin of Riverside-Brookfield High School were two of these leaders.  They developed a regional, localized theatre festival for their high school students and, because of their success, provided the spark for the creation of the state-wide Illinois High School Theatre Festival.