If you haven’t already heard from the gaggle of theater kids recounting their trip, the Missouri Thespian Conference was a huge success! From January 3rd to the 6th, some of the juniors and seniors involved in the drama department had the exciting opportunity to travel to Kansas City for one of the largest gatherings of thespians! Nine students, along with theater director Ms. Carmody and her assistant director and sister, Bridgette Fox, set off on a four-hour road trip to the Marriott Hotel-Kansas City, where the conference was held.
Kicking off the conference the morning of Jan. 4th was a general session that featured an opening number from another troupe and theater advice from John Cariani, the author of Almost, Maine — one of the most popular plays produced by high schools.
After the opening ceremony, students could attend several different workshops throughout the conference. These workshops covered a wide range of topics, such as several types of stage combat, dancing, improvisation, skits, singing, audition material, and so much more. Junior Austin Eslinger was a huge fan of the workshops, including one that was for “Audition Tips and Tricks, which he said “was the most useful for me.” He also enjoyed “Swashbuckling 101,” which was another unique workshop centered around stage fighting.
At the end of each day, attendees got to see a show performed by other high school students. The shows were Mean Girls: The Musical, Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, and Tennessee Williams’ Glass Menagerie. Of the mainstage shows, Eslinger loved Tennessee Williams’ Glass Menagerie. “Everything about it was cool,” said Eslinger. “Since I’ve started acting, it’s one of the few plays I’ve seen where I was not just thinking about how they performed it, but rather I was also immersed in the plot.”
Not only were the days packed full of activities, but the nights were also filled with fun things to do after each of the main performances. These ranged from improv games to karaoke and coloring to scavenger hunts. As an attendee myself, I went to a lip-syncing party on Friday night, and while I had planned to just watch from the sidelines, I ended up lip-syncing my heart out to “Toxic” by Britney Spears.
The conference also provided lots of chances to make new friends, such as one activity where people would buy ducks with a character’s name on it and find someone with a matching character. There were so many chances to explore the hotel, and it always seemed like you could find a new place (and new people!) if you wandered around for long enough.
Overall, the trip was a huge hit. We gained a lot of new experiences and skills, and the juniors cannot wait to attend next year!
