Now I know what you’re thinking. Rhode Island? The most exciting state? While you may not hear about Rhode Island very much, I can promise you one thing: Its REALLY exciting.
I was excited when I got off the Train. Well first the plane which landed in Boston, and then the train that took me to Providence (don’t worry I didn’t take a train from Houston). I was picked up by Mr. DiMartino, a great man and great chapter director. He treated Mr. Hart (the EdTA Rep) and I to a fantastic dinner of greek food, and a tour of Providence. It was fantastic. After that we called it a night, and got ready for the next day.
I was excited when I woke up the next day, knowing that I was about to attend my first ever festival. We arrived, and attended the opening ceremonies, which consisted of the Student leaders leading the students in a few theatre games. Now I need to put in a disclaimer, especially for those of you who are reading this from a larger state. There are about 70 to 80 thespians who attend the Rhode Island Festival. Which is a relatively large number compared to the size of their state, but still hard to comprehend coming from Texas. But I also want to say that the size of their festival is perfect for what they do, and it feels just right when you’re there.
I was excited to teach my workshops for the first time to the amazing students from Rhode Island. I was admittedly a little nervous about teaching a group of my peers, but they were all amazing and I had a blast getting to teach them about Advocacy and Leadership through Dr. Seuss and Harry Potter respectively. I met some amazing people during these workshops who I am not likely to forget.
I was excited by the end of the day when it came time for the thespians to share what they had learned throughout the day. I saw performances from: a Playwriting workshop about a forbidden romance between a piece of toast and an English muffin, a stage combat workshop where someone got flipped over by one of their friends, and (my personal favorite) my own workshop where someone explained how to be a better leader through the power of harry potter.
I was not excited when the festival ended. I had had so much fun, and met so many amazing people that I was certainly not ready for any of it to end.
I am excited, however, for the future of Rhode Island Thespians, and all the students in attendance. I know without a doubt that many will go on to do great things, and that Rhode Island Thespian Festival will continue to educate and inspire some truly incredible people.
So hopefully you may now agree with me that Rhode Island is one of the most exciting states you could possibly attend. Certainly, from me it will always hold a place in my heart, as my first and (so far) most exciting festival.