The weekend of April 9th marked the 2021’s Maryland State Thespian Festival. From Friday to Sunday, there was much in store for Jemicy’s nationally renowned Thespians.
Thespian Festival is an annual festival that normally takes place at Towson University (however it was virtual this year), where actors compete in several categories, from performance to the tech aspect. College professors and theatre professionals adjudicate performances in the competition. The goal is to get a superior rating to qualify for the International Thespian Festival.
There are also workshops all weekend. I had a personal favorite, where we got to explore more of the creative processes of playwriting and social media. During a normal year, there would be many more dance workshops, but this year, there might have not been enough space for everyone. All the workshops were amazing. Everyone I either met or reconnected with had tons of fun.
There are numerous other events you can go to: Panels, one acts, student works, and late night activities, even though they usually start around 9 pm. This year we had 24 hour viral monologues, which usually have a team of three or four people participants including a student playwright, an actor, and an editor, plus a teacher/supervisor. My favorite was called “The Disappointment” and it was hilarious. My favorite one act I watched was called “Future Here.” It made me cry because it was so good.
My late night activity was the Quiz Bowl, which is a three day event where there’s usually eliminations each night, but this year we had a winner each night, and an overall winner in the end. It’s in teams of 2-3 people, and I got paired with someone from another school. Besides the spelling tests Kahoot style, and the rounds without the vowels in the guess the lyrics rounds, it was pretty easy, but after that started, it was a lot more challenging. The conversations in between were pretty fun too.
You meet people through workshops and in the halls during a non-Covid year, but this year, there was a thespian chat room, and a quiz where you could find your Thespian twin. I matched with quite a few people from our Jemicy troupe. The chat room was the social spot where the theatre kids talked about pretty much everything, ranging from movies to our funniest theatre fails. I reconnected with people I haven’t seen for months and it was so much fun.
There are also college auditions and scholarships as well as awards. The Thespys showcase is for the highest of superiors from the entire festival. Our own Meghan Gosse ’21 and Phoebe Boisvert ’21 not only performed in the showcase, but Boisvert DOUBLE qualified, and Gosse TRIPLE qualified for nationals. You can check out their showcased performances here:
Both also received scholarships along with being admitted on the spot to Seton Hill University with a $2,500 scholarship! There were also awards such as All State Thespian, which Gosse and Fletcher Silberg ’22 were candidates for. For an All State Thespian award, you must have a minimum of 60 points, or 6 stars, and be in a leadership position. Gosse also won the Distinguished Senior award for her service to the troupe.
All in all, the festival was amazing. I’d like to congratulate everyone who attended and competed in the festival. I’d also like to take a minute to thank our troupe’s State Thespian officers: Sophomore Max Burman ’23, Junior Fletcher Silberg, and Senior Meghan Gosse (who also happens to be this year’s STO AND our troupe president), for helping plan the amazing weekend.
MOOSE PRINTS 