On February 2nd and 3rd, I got to visit the great state of Oklahoma with EdTA rep Gai Jones! It washad a wonderful time. I arrived the night of February 1st, and my phone was bombed with cute photos of STO outfits and hats from the STO Group Chat I was added to. I couldn't wait to meet them all!
The first day of OK Fest came, and Gai and I adventured around Tulsa Community College to get a feel of the venue. Thespian Troupes started to arrive and I found the students leaders wearing decorated hard hats and bright jackets to go with their theme "Theatre Without Walls". After getting to know some of the students, I went to the shop to watch Tech Challenge- or as OK Thespians calls it, Tech Olympics! Then after watching that, I headed to another room to watch Group Acting IE's. I was blown away by all the competition Oklahoma had! After talking to some Tech IE applicants and running some ballots with other STO, it was time for the Opening Ceremony!
The 14 STO opened the festival with a cute intro where they broke through brick wall paper to enter! The 350 attendees were ready for the weekend to officially begin. During session one, OK Thespians held their very first ever Playworks auditions! Students crowded the hall, waiting for the callback list, excited for the new opportunity. I also checked out a workshop that was held in the dressing room- thespians were learning about how to do proper stage makeup. After a quick hour, it was time for session two! I attended the "Meet the STO" workshop which showcased all of the STO candidates and allowed attendees to get to know who they were voting for. It was great to get to know the potential student leaders of Oklahoma! This year, they changed up the voting process so that only 8 STO positions would be open to run for.
When I sat to eat my food, I got to know an OK Troupe. Turns out, they were doing Charlie Brown which is the show I performed for GA ThesCon this past weekend! After further discussion, I realized that the girl playing Sally Brown (my character) also shared my name, Caroline! Get this: the boy sitting next to me was named Caden. How crazy is that? Here's a picture of Caroline, Caroline Caden, and Caden:
Time rolled around for session three, and it was time for me to teach The AdvoCAT in the Hat workshop! Kind STO and student leaders packed my workshop room and learned about the power of advocating for arts and finding solutions to challenges in their troupe. We had great discussions. Session four came, and I got to teach it again! This time, 5 sweet girls from one school came in and we had a more intimate style workshop. We isolated their troupe's challenges and got to spend the workshop time focusing on them as individuals. Both workshops went swimmingly.
After the final workshop session of the day, it was time for the 10 Minute Scene Showcase! Each school got the opportunity to perform 10 minutes of anything in front of the delegation. The coolest thing was seeing one of the troupe directors actually perform
with their students in a Lip-Sync Dance of "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" from Cats the Musical. Performances ranged from a portion of the play The Anatomy of Gray to the song Happiness from Charlie Brown. Each school got the chance to show each other all their hard work!
After the 10 Minute Showcase, it was time for everyone to rest up for the final day of OK Fest. On Saturday morning, students auditioned for colleges or attended the next workshop session! During sessions five and six, I taught Leadership: That's MUSIC to my Ears! Students I had gotten close with on Friday attended as well as some new faces too! Caroline from Charlie Brown, STO, and the five girls from AdvoCAT the night before attended. It was a sweet time.
After teaching my workshops, I sat in on the Playworks rehearsal and talked to the student playwright. She was so proud of her work and being able to put her words to life. Then, I floated around a few workshops and checked in to see if the attendees were having a good time: surprise, they were! Unfortunately, it was time for closing ceremonies after that. "Best in Show" IE's were performed- and guess what? The five girls who attended my workshops made the showcase with "Cell Block Tango"! I was so proud of them. Scholarships were given out to incredible students, we raised money for Send a Troupe through Minute to Give It, and then afterward Gai Jones and I said our goodbyes to the delegation.
Thanks, OK Thespians for making me feel more than OK to be at your festival! ;) See you in June at ITF!