Over the last weekend I had the opportunity to represent ITS as an International Thespian Officer at the Kentucky Thespian Festival, and I had the time of my life.
When I arrived the night before I received the warmest welcome from Carolyn Greer, Kentucky's Chapter Director, and the stellar Kentucky's State Thespian Officers. Their festival's theme was "Clue," and they explained to me their intricate murder mystery that would take place throughout the duration of the weekend. I could tell this was going to be a fun conference.
When we arrived at the festival site, Eastern Kentucky University, things got rolling right away. The day started out with Individual Events, followed by opening ceremonies. Open ceremonies really set the tone for the festival, a fun, spirited event where you felt right at home. It was during this time the murder mystery "Clue" game begun with the first victim being Mr. Body, played by STO Tucker Greer. The STO put on a clever skit to explain the Festival rules as characters from "Clue." You could tell everyone in the audience was getting excited for the day ahead.
Next, we moved to the tech challenge. This was a really neat event since all the students were divided up into different "Clue Crews," which were the teams. I got to lead the "Madame Rose" crew, and we deemed ourselves "Madame Rose's Racketeers." Every team was bursting to the brim with spirit, each of them chanting their own team cheers while encouraging their teammates who were currently competing in the challenge. As a big fan of team spirit myself, I really got pumped up for this event. My team worked very hard and ended up being victorious as the Tech Challenge winners. I was incredibly proud of them!
Afterwards, the workshops sessions began. I got to teach both my leadership and NAPS workshops during these times. It was a really fun opportunity for me, and the students who attended were really inspiring! I cannot wait to see what their futures hold.
The rest of the day everyone had a great time watching different one act productions, and attending the dance. Almost everyone came to the dance in a "Clue" themed costume, and some schools even coordinated costumes! There was a lot of fun ones, including a school dressed as the actual playing cards from the game "Clue." The dance was spiced up a bit when Colonel Mustard, played by STO Hayden Elliot, was the next victim of the "Clue" game.
Spirits were as high as ever the next day! People we're enthusiastic about the one acts, workshops, and IE showcase. What was really special though was the closing. During closing ceremonies different awards were given out for various things such as tech challenge, most spirited, and best costumes. Kentucky also helped raise money for Minute to Give It, which raises money to send at least one troupe to the Thespian Festival in Nebraska. Also, the murderer in the "Clue" game was revealed to be Yvette the Maid, played by STO Molly Brown. I was filled with honor and joy when Carolyn Greer gave me a certificate to make me an honorary Kentucky Thespian. The whole event just felt like you were with a big family. When I boarded my flight back to Ohio my heart was filled with happiness knowing that Kentucky really is a place to make you feel right at home.