This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 2017 Nebraska Thespian Festival! I flew in on Thursday with a full day ahead of me and lots of work to do. I met up with Chapter Director Angela Dashner and EdTA Board President Debbie Corbin for lunch and initial introductions. Afterwards, students began pouring into the Embassy Suites hotel, where registration and the first day of Festival was centered. I was fortunate enough to work with the three wonderful STOs, Brett, Nic, and Christina, as well as the many troupe officers who helped with lots of fundraising activities and workshops throughout the weekend. By 5:00 we were set up and opening ceremonies kicked off with a bang; an original Hamilton parody about being a “Nebraska High School Thespian,” a keynote from guest speaker Ernie Nolan, and introductions from all the STOs. Openings transitioned into the first workshop session of the festival, where I taught some of the most enthusiastic students a fun, candy-filled NAPS workshop. I was so lucky to work with such passionate and empowered students! The evening closed with a beautiful piece called My Broken Doll, written by Nolan, and a fun night of dancing in the ballroom.
Friday opened with a Minute to Give It fundraiser, in which all the troupe officers and STOs collected over $500 in one minute for Send a Troupe, BC/EFA, and their state scholarships! Throughout the rest of the weekend the state board members continued to facilitate with fundraisers, like as duck pairs and decorating masks for the Masquerade dances. Shows, workshop sessions, and I.E.s consumed most of the rest of the day, and the evening capped off with another wonderful full-length play and a dance full of bright lasers and lights galore. The theme of their conference, “Theatre Inspires,” rung true throughout all of the Nebraska Thespian’s hard work, as student after student posted on Twitter using the hashtag #nebthesfest17 about how inspired they felt by the hard work of their teachers and fellow students. All of these posts were combined into a video played at closings, where all the tears started to flow!
Saturday, the last day of festival, had students up and running with Improv Challenge and Tech Challenges running concurrently. A midday improv showcase in the Kimball had everyone roaring with laughter, and after lunch, students headed back for a performance called Devised Theatre, in which several students had created, rehearsed, and performed and entire one act over the course of the 24 hours they had been at festival on Friday. One of the fun traditions NE Thespians partake in is the creation of both a trinket and a troupe item; the trinket is a small objects students from one school give out to students from other schools, with the intention of meeting other students and collecting as many possible, and the troupe item was a recognizable way for all the students of one school to be seen, such as by wearing matching capes or necklac
es. The sense of community and close-knit fellowship amongst the thespians was inspiring, and I’m so glad to have been a part of their festival. The festival came to an end with an IE showcase of breathtaking performances, including the first middle schooler to receive a superior on her IE in Nebraska! At closings, Debbie and I thanked the delegation for all their hard work, and the next day I was on a plane back to Philadelphia, sad to be heading home but ready for the busy conference season ahead.
A huge thank you to Nebraska Thespians, who provided me with an incredible conference experience and allowed me to work with their students. I’m so lucky to have attended and I can’t wait to be back in Lincoln this June for #thesfest17! Make sure to follow the International Thespian Officers for all our updates as we travel across the country to different events (@internationalthespianofficers on Instagram, @ITOOfficial on Snapchat, The International Thespian Officers on Facebook, @ITOChair on Twitter).