Welcome to Las Vegas! Where if you want to sing out, sing out, and if you want to be free be free.
I had the privilege of spending four days at the Nevada Thespian Conference held at Silverado High School this past week. From "The Addam's Family" to an All-State-performed original opening number, Nevada Thespians were ALIVE and extraordinary.
On Wednesday I arrived and helped organize the festival for the big start day on Thursday. This involved a leadership dinner with the fourteen STO candidates and setup for the many, many individual and group events that would occur throughout the festival.
To kick off conference on Thursday, the gold and blue groups of the two-tracked festival saw The Opening Number. This production was guest directed, performed by students around the entire state, and included music from "Godspell" and "Catch Me If You Can". I was so impressed with the talent and heart in this performance, and by how well the show came together with how few rehearsals the cast had.
Immediately following The Opening Number was a very fun and inspirational keynote speech by a children's singer/performer. He inspired the thespians to reach for their dreams, life freely and happily, and to sing out!
When thespians weren't performing their hearts out in IEs on Friday, they were attending workshops and the wonderful main stage "The Addam's Family" performed by schools throughout the southern half of Nevada. I had the opportunity to teach both my leadership workshop AND my NAPS workshop this day to some great students. (The far left photo are sticky notes with definitions of "advocacy" written on them)
Saturday, the final day of festival, was bittersweet. I taught my workshops, watched so many thespians be awarded with scholarships and accomplished performances, and said goodbye to new friends. And, much to my surprise, I got the chance to go see "Rock of Ages" in Las Vegas before my flight to National Arts Advocacy Day. The NV Chapter Director is Mrs. Sharon Chadwick and her husband is the technical director of the show, so I even got a tour of the theatre and stage! The picture below is the gang who went to see the show.
How lucky and thankful I am to have attended such a heart-filled and amazing event. Thank you, Nevada Thespians!