Troupe 1675 Compete at Thespian Festival

Four thespians advance to the national competition. From left to right: Olivia Jones, Devin Bosch, Emily Jones. Missing: Devyn Rowe.

The theatre production class went to the Gaylord Texan resort hotel and convention center on November 21-23 for this year's Texas Thespian Festival.

Theatre's small budget did not allow thespians to go for free; they all had to pitch in. The original cost for each student to go was $364, but they had extra money from the Snow Queen’s admissions. In total, the students ended up spending less than two hundred dollars. This covered their rooms and meals. The costs covered and plans set, the thespians were confident going into the competition. 

“I’m not nervous because I’m an actor, that’s what I do. I chose specifically the musical IE because I’ve always wanted to perform a musical in front of people, and I chose to do it with Harley Modra because I thought she was a very good singer,” Wyatt Niemietz (11) said. 

Students that go to the Texas Thespian Festival have to perform an IE, an individual event for judges. Students got to pick their IE’s and who they worked with. They spent two and a half months practicing to get them perfect. They weren’t allowed to have props or a set--only chairs if the scene required it. Each group got to choose between an acting or a technical IE. In total there were 5 acting and 4 technical IE’s that they took to the festival. 

“I’d say it was a little challenging to pick an IE because we are a trio and it was two girls and one guy, so it was kinda hard to find one in general. You can’t change your gender in the IE's because it’s very specific, so that was hard,” Emily Trevino (10) said. “None of them really stood out to us so we picked the best that we could find.”

The weekend wasn’t just IEs and being in front of judges all day. They got to go to theater workshops and see the main stage plays and musicals that were performing, including Steele’s musical, Chicago. It was full of fun and they made memories they will never forget. 

What makes their trip even better is the fact that Devin Bosch (10), Olivia Jonas (10), and Emily Trevino (10) advanced to the national competition with their group act, Chemical Bonding, and Devyn Rowe (12) for costume design of The Revolutionists. They are the first in school history to make it to nationals.

The national competition will take place at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana on June 22, 2020. 

~Ryleigh McCright- Staff Writer

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