When I walked into The University of Indiana South Bend, I was greeted by a plethora of costumed ducks. There were clown ducks, doctor ducks, cat ducks, vampire ducks, and mermaid ducks, basically if you could imagine it, it was probably a duck. It was the ducks’ first appearance at Indiana Festival and they went quickly. Early Friday night, Thespians spent their time buying ducks from amazing former STO and searching their duck-mates. Quickly, the circus themed opening ceremonies (which featured a lion tamer, bearded lady, and more) came, went, and we were off!
My night was spent sitting in on 10 fantastic STO candidate interviews. The prospective STO were well prepared and demonstrated the honor that all Thespians should uphold. I knew then, no matter the board, Indiana would be in good hands for the upcoming year! Finally, my amazing EdTA representative, Mr. David LaFleche, and I ended the night with a quick late night snack at Applebee’s before our heads hit our pillows in preparation for the days ahead of us!
Day two of Indiana Festival was stellar, then again, how could a day that starts with NAPS back to back not be great? The students of Indiana explored their passions, honed their skills, and defined advocacy as both “creating a speech to promote confidence in the theatre community and encourage the people around you to connect and act in support of change” and “professionally communicating to promote unity by using connections and requesting accessibility to improve the development of the arts.” That same day, I taught Bridging the Gap to over 60 students between the two sessions, AND the record for the bridge game was broken with a time of 57.67 seconds! Oklahoma, get ready to see if you snatch the title. The night concluded with fun activities such as karaoke, improv, and an open mic night. I couldn’t ask for a better end to a great day than dancing the YMCA with 100 of my new best friends.
The final day of Indiana Conference was full of excitement as wonderful I.E. performances showcased their talents and the mainstage Catch Me If You Can blew the audience away. At intermission, the students participated in our Minute to Give It campaign and raised over $280 for the EdTA’s Send a Troupe grant. Remember, applications for this grant are open now, so if your troupe has never been to the International Thespian Festival and needs some help getting there check it out at https://schooltheatre.academicworks.com/opportunities/27. The festival wrapped up with many thanks and awards for the amazing students of Indiana. Congratulations to all 800 Indiana Thespians and the Indiana Thespian Board on a life-changing weekend!
Through I was sad to see the weekend end, I am excited to just one step closer to ITF and hope to see many of my new friends this June! Until then, keep up with our adventures by following @internationalthespianofficers on Instagram, @ITOOfficial on Snapchat, The International Thespian Officers on Facebook, and @ITOBrittanyS on Twitter! Additionally, I am always available my email at BSmith@schooltheatre.org.
Remember to “act well your part; there all the honor lies.”
