Forty members of the SHS drama program have qualified to be members of the of the International Thespian Society (ITS), and will travel to Upland, Calif. on March 27 to meet for a statewide conference.
While there, thespians from all over California will compete; if they rank high enough, the drama department will compete at Nationals in Nebraska in June.
ITS, which is part of the Educational Theatre Association, chooses thespians based on their performance in plays and musicals, said drama teacher Sarah Thermond. The association recognizes the talent of high school and middle school theater students by having them perform monologues, musical numbers, one-acts and improvisations for judges, who hand out scholarships and awards to the winners.
Drama students are busy preparing for the big weekend.
“For the weeks leading up to the competition, we’ll be practicing and preparing by working on certain skills,” Thermond said. “After that we’ll drive down on March 26 and compete the next day.”
After the competition, which is on March 27, the students generally spend the rest of the weekend participating in workshops led by teachers that will allow them to refine their acting skills. The scholarships and accolades are awarded to winners in different categories later that weekend.
“I’m really excited about meeting new drama kids from other schools, because everyone is so friendly and outgoing,” said senior Natalie Miller, who has attended ITS all four years. “However, I’m also a bit nervous about competing because this is my last year so I want to do well and give a performance that’s memorable for myself and the judges.”
For junior Neeki Tahmassebi, this year’s ITS conference is a new experience.
“I’m really nervous,” Tahmassebi said “but I think it will be a new and thrilling experience to perform to different judges, so there’s also [an exciting part] of it.”
ITS also offers chances for tech members to participate as well.
“There’s categories like light, sound and set, which gives techs the ability to compete as well,” senior Melissa Rogan said. “I’m really excited to be doing that, and I think it’s great that they have that option.”
According to Rogan, categories for makeup and costume design are also included. The variety of possibilities for not only actors and actresses but also techs and other artistically inclined students is what makes ITS so unique.
“I really like all the different categories that students can compete in,” Thermond said. “People thinking of theater often forget everything that goes on behind the scenes. When our students compete in design, they have to make and defend creative choices just like the actors do.”
Thermond also appreciates the constructive criticism that students get at the end of the weekend.
“It isn’t often that drama students get feedback on their skills from anyone other than myself,” Thermond said. “Because art is subjective, it is often good to know what multiple people think of your work so that you can learn and grow, and that’s one of the reasons why ITS is so important.”
