This past year I have been working as an State Thespian Officer for Georgia Thespians. I would've never expected how much this job would change me as a person or how many opportunities it would open up for me. 6 other incredible student leaders and I picked a theme, fundraising tactics, and served as student voice of Georgia Thespians for ThesCon this year. After attending Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma through ITO, it made me anticipate Georgia ThesCon even more. Seeing fellow STO's throughout the country have moments of success and satisfaction after completing their festivals made me envy them! I couldn't wait until that moment happened for me.
^ When the journey began! ^
This past weekend was magical. I participated in my very first I.E., performed at ThesCon with my troupe for the first time, and spoke in front of all of my best friends! That's not even all of it though! I can't sum it up into one blog post. The theme we decided on this year was "Come Together", Beatles inspired and 60's themed. As the STO in charge of Social Media, I made sure to hype this up through Snapchat takeovers (@gathespians snapchat was created just this year!) and Instagram posts. Two weeks ago, I asked if we could do a themed day. We all decided on "Tie Dye Friday"! It was incredible to see all the Thespians sporting their Tie Dye, all because of an Instagram post. Seeing things the STO worked on so passionately come to life was insane... it didn't feel real. Vintage VW vans and cars were parked all throughout Columbus, GA and they had our logo on them! The city of Columbus made 60's inspired circle stickers with directions to put on the sidewalks too! There was no doubt about what the theme was.
On Thursday, Opening Ceremonies were SO FUN. Getting to speak in front of my home delegation was amazing, and hearing cheers from my own troupe was the sweetest thing. This is the first year my troupe has ever been in the house seating, and they made sure I could hear and see them! I love my troupe so much. We lead Minute to Give It, and kicked off the weekend with an STO Opening Skit that was filled with quotes and inspiring phrases about "coming together." After that, talented students from around the state performed in Opening Number which I heard
amazing things about! We kicked off our friendship bracelet and keychain sales for conference grants then, and they sold so quickly. We also had a silent auction table to raise money for conference grants. I put together a "VIP Atlanta Pass" binder filled with tickets, workshop credits, and King of Pops coupons to raise money. It raised $225 for grants!!!
Later on Thursday, Tyler and I taught our advocacy workshop to some students and it was so fun to have a partner to teach with me! I've taught this workshop independently at every other state, so it was a fun experience and the students enjoyed it too.
Friday's schedule was filled to the brim for me, but I wouldn't want it any other way. In the morning, I did my I.E., Pretty Funny from Dogfight. My director and his wife (our choreographer) were so proud of my performance and I felt happy with what I did. I'm so glad I pushed myself to be evaluated with a song. I felt as if my emotions were so in tune, and I can't wait to see what my feedback was. Then after that I taught my leadership workshop to some sweet, funny, and excited students. Tyler (fellow ITO) and Jack (my best friend who's an STO) came too which was super fun!
Throughout my time working at the STO booth, I'd run into old friends from community theatre or people I haven't seen in forever and it made me light up. Having all the people you love the most being in one place is so rare yet special. Aretta Baumgartner (Puppetry master!) from Atlanta stopped me in the hall because we know each other and said "you are radiant. What's up with you?" All I could answer was "everything is coming into place with all of the work I've put in, and all of my best friends are in one place. That's so rare for me and I'm beyond thankful." She responded saying, "get used to it- this is how your future is going to be." Her comments made a huge impact on my day.
Then that night I got ready to put on You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown with my troupe. I was so excited to perform this fun show in front of theatre lovers! It was so fantastic to do it again in front of an active audience. My cast mates and I had the sweetest time because we're all seniors who have been at ThesCon every year since sophomore year, and have wanted to perform ever since. It all came together. Gai Jones, my EdTA rep from Oklahoma actually came Friday night to see me! It was so awesome.
Saturday morning, I got to perform the show again: this time, Tyler Fredrickson and Diane Carr were in the audience! Showing them my non-business side was really fulfilling, and hearing their feedback made my weekend. I'm so lucky to have great people in my life who encourage and support me throughout my endeavors.
Closing on Saturday was so bittersweet. Saying goodbye to a job that has changed the way I am was difficult. I'm so thankful and grateful that I got the chance to do it, however. I've connected with peers who have made me grow in ways I could never imagine and been pushed by new mentors to be better than I am. Thank you, Georgia Thespians, for taking a chance on me. I am forever changed by this job!
Caroline