Theater has Superior time at states
photo by courtesy of Emily Oberson
Troupe members take picture with famous musical playbills.
Juniors Madison Walker and Brenna McCafferty stood in front of the judges. They had practiced their act from King Henry V so many times, perfecting their French, and in the end it paid off, because the judges announced that they won a superior.
“I felt very accomplished, because we put together our scene entirely by ourselves,” Walker said.
From Wednesday, March 20, to Saturday, March 23, the thespian troupe competed in the State Thespian Festival in Tampa. Members performed the acts that won at the district level in November as well as acts performed in their February showcase. The troupe brought home superiors and excellents for their acts.
During the festival, thespians attended workshops, competed in independent events, and watched One Acts. There were multiple comprehensive workshops, built so that thespians would learn more about theater and how to be successful.
“It was an immersive theater convention, essentially,” senior Michael McNamara said. “I got to meet great, talented people and see some beautiful pieces of theatrical art.”
Leon attended a playwriting workshop/independent event, where he learned how to format and plan out the writing process, and then he created a small play at the end of it.
“Last year I only went to movement workshops, so it was nice to have time to sit down and learn about something I was passionate about,” Leon said.
Every night, thespians were required to attend “mainstream events,” which included recognized high school productions from around the state. Schools applied to perform these shows, competing over a few spots.
“It was awesome to see how much talent there is in Florida,” junior Emily Oberson said.
During the festival, students also ran into last year’s theater director, Trevor Southworth, who is now the theater teacher at Lake Mary High School.
“It was great to see him. This year has been hard without him, but using what he has taught me in the last two years has helped me a lot,” Walker said.
On the last day of the festival, awards were announced during the closing ceremonies. McNamara got straight superiors for his scholarship audition and One Act play A Place with No Trees.
“I was especially relieved and thrilled when I received my scores for my one act play,” McNamara said. “Writing a play is still somewhat new to me, and the fact that three professionals in the field saw my work as being of a high caliber made me feel that my potential was proven.”
As a whole, Troupe 6885 took home numerous awards, earning six superiors and one excellent for their acts.
“We have put in a lot of work this year, and it’s great to see it pay off,” Oberson said.
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