On April 1-3, my Thespian journey came full circle as I got to finish off the festival season in the place where my love for Thespians and my journey with this amazing organization all began: California Thespian Festival.
I arrived in Upland, CA on the afternoon of March 31 with my troupe (S/O to troupe 5749!!!), and headed over to Upland High School, where the festival would be held, to have one last state board meeting before the roughly 1200 California Thespian delegates would start arriving the next morning. I met up with my fellow STOs, as well as the CA Thespians adult board, including Chapter Directors Anthony Robinson and Billy Houck, and EdTA rep Diane Carr for a productive meeting. Afterwards we retired to our hotels to be ready for what the opening of festival the next day would bring.
We headed back to the high school early the next morning. The theme of the festival was "Universes Collide: People from all walks of life coming together to share their love of theatre." Throughout the day and the weekend, we saw this theme exemplified through the actions of all the festival delegates, who performed with spirit and made friendships that'd last a lifetime. That evening, we had a great time at Opening Ceremonies, and watched as high energy Thespians from all around the state sang and danced in the opening number to "You Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray.
After Opening Ceremonies concluded, Thespians headed to fun dances, karaoke, and talent showcase auditions before retiring to their hotels for the day.
The next day I switched my STO jersey out for my ITO sash and taught "The Psychology of Leadership" and "N.A.P.S." workshops to a ton of CA Thespians. The students were engaged and energetic, and I was proud to see so many amazing Thespians taking up the leadership and advocacy mantles at their schools to promote theatre education using their skills.
Saturday had an added bonus: I got to perform my IE duet scene from Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" on the festival main stage as part of the Best of Fest showcase, as my best friend Grant and I won first place! Here's a fun shot of our performance:
Sunday began with an incredible All State Show. I am always amazed at the astounding talent so many students possessed, and am so joyful that they get the chance to showcase their talents through wonderful organizations like ITS.
The afternoon finished off with an emotional goodbye to my fellow California State Thespian Officers, and to the state and the festival that has given me so much over the past four years. I'm so glad I was able to give back to the organization both as an STO and an ITO rep this year. Thanks so much to my fellow STOs and to the CA Thespians Adult Board and EdTA rep Diane Carr for helping make the weekend a success. Theatre in the Golden State will always have a special place in my heart.