This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Missouri's Thespian Conference! Despite the cold weather outside, the theme of Aloha made it feel warm throughout. (I'm not used to the cold as I'm from Georgia! Haha)
On Thursday, I arrived and met the four STO and the four STO Elects. We all started selling items to raise money for Broadway Cares and Variety Children's Theatre. A silent auction table was filled with Broadway items to raise money for broadway cares, and the officers as well as elects ran around with leis and surfer ducks to raise money for Variety Children's Theatre. After an hour of getting started with sales, it was time for the opening ceremonies!
2,000 thespians packed into the large room to kick off this incredible weekend. The keynote speaker, J. Michael Finley, was actually a Missouri thespian alum! He spoke to students about how he was sitting in the seats that they were, and inspired them as he told stories of his time with Les Miserables and The Book of Mormon on Broadway. Students also got to hear about the 50 $10,000 grants that are being given by the TV show, RISE! It was a wonderful opener to the weekend and got the students hyped for all that was in store.
After opening, we went back to the STO table and workshops started rolling. I ran around with leis on my arm, selling to raise money for Variety Children's Theatre! I got to talk with many of the excited thespians then. They all were happy that the weather wasn't going to be an issue this year- in 2017, many of them had to go home due to the ice and snow.
Later, I taught my Leadership Workshop! Getting to talk about the values of leading other students and having open dialogue about what being a leader is like was wonderful. I kept seeing workshop attendees throughout the weekend, and they would stop me and we'd have great conversations. 2,000 sounds like a lot, but I continuously kept seeing people I met earlier in the weekend which was my favorite part of this conference.
Thursday night, I got to announce and watch one of their mainstages,
Pippin put on by Parkview High School! They set the show in a high school, which was a cool concept. It was so awesome to see theatre students supporting a fellow troupe in their state. After some late night social workshops, it was time to hit the sack.
Friday morning, the line to Starbucks was out of the door! I got to judge Theatre for Life Portfolios. I talked to four outstanding thespians who have done tremendous work in their troupes and schools. They all received a scholarship for their strong efforts. It was so nice to learn from each of them and applaud them for all of their hard work. Congratulations to all of the Theatre for Life Finalists! After judging, I worked the STO booth and challenged the other STO & Elects to sell out the ducks by the night. After running around the conference center, we sold out and raised tons of money for Variety Children's Theatre!
Time flies when you're raising money for a great cause. It rolled around to 7pm, and it was time to teach The AdvoCATe in the Hat workshop! I got to help students craft their elevator speeches and build their voices as advocates. It was really fun! I rushed over to the mainstage as soon as it ended to announce the final mainstage,
Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike put on by Parkway Central High School. It was a really funny and heartwarming show about three siblings' lives and how they collide as they are older. I really enjoyed it, and stayed after to congratulate the actors on their hard work. I sat next to the ITF adjudicators, and I hope they liked it as much as me so I can see the show again in June!
After the mainstage, it was time to have a Luau! Missouri had a dance competition, and it went really well. As that was happening, Missouri's Got Talent was also going on! Faith, an STO, ran that event and showed me some videos from it. The third option was a social event called "Thes Get Together", a time to bond with Minute to Win It inspired games! This was the perfect place for people who weren't wanting a loud dance. STO's Ally and Elliot worked together for that event. All the Thespians left the events feeling happy and tired from a full day of fun.
We all rested up for the final day of conference! Students kept coming by the silent auction table to ensure that they weren't outbid. As time rolled around, we began to call the winners and collect money for Broadway Cares! After giving broadway items to joyous winners, it became time for closing ceremonies. Scholarships were announced, and thespians performed their I.E.'s in between announcements. I loved seeing these passionate performers sing and act their hearts out! After sashing the STO Elects, it was time to say our goodbyes. Each and every thespian I experienced were so kind, welcoming, and open. Thank you for a wonderful weekend.
Want to see more of the ITO's adventures this year? Follow @internationalthespianofficers on Instagram and like The International Thespian Officers on Facebook to see more. Also, if you'd like to contact me specifically or follow along with where I go this year, check out my twitter @ITOCarolineC or email me at ccaden@schooltheatre.org. I can't wait for what this year has in store and hope to see many of you at ITF in June!