Battle of the Thespians
The Florida Thespians are inviting students to compete in both technical and performance events, pitting them against each other in a battle of the bands style competition to inspire and provide opportunities for students in theatre. Students from schools around the district will be participating this year for top honors on March 16-19 in Tampa, Florida.
But what is a thespian competition? A thespian is just a fancy word for an actor or actress. The competition takes students to technical and performance theatrical events and lets them compete. The winners are decided by a panel of judges and the best pieces are then chosen to be shown in a critic's choice showcase. To qualify, students must first compete in the auditions.
Theatre teacher Ms. Kissling, whose students have been competing with her for four years, chooses students to compete.
“Practice makes permanent, not perfect.”
“There is a rubric. It’s open to anybody in the school,” she said. “They do also have to have a 2.0 GPA because thespians are [an] international honor society. You don’t have to be [in an honor society] to go to [the] competition, but it’s a steppingstone... to get into thespians,” she added.
Kissling watches all the auditions and decides which students get to compete. Usually, they are simply performing entries. However, this year for the first time there are technical events. These are not based on the acting aspects, but the costuming, playwriting, makeup, set design etc. So, what do they look for in thespians?
“For any of the performance events, they’re really always looking for how you create your character, how honest and honorable you are,” Kissling said. “They pay attention to your speaking, if they can hear you.”
Jadyn Scott is a senior who has been participating since her freshman year.
“It's [not] overly difficult. You just need to […] prepare, you need to memorize, you need to practice,” Scott relayed. As Ms. Kissling says, “Practice makes permanent, not perfect.”
What can students participate in? There are multiple duet acting scenes, multiple duet musicals, and a couple ensemble acting. Ms. Kissling is looking into creating either one large group musical or two small group musicals. There are also opportunities for make-up, design, one-act, playwriting, and two solo musicals.
Students can apply for either technical or performing theatre parts. The most important part of the district competition to Kissling is that students have fun.
“Students get to see what's going on around the entire five or six counties, so students have a chance to see people who are really good,” Kissling said. “And it's a really fun vibe because everybody's outside. We all have tents, we go in between things, we’re super supportive of everybody. It’s a nice experience.”
Hannah Dial, Vice President of Paxon Theater, likes the competition because she gets to be around a lot of theater people and experience that feeling of camaraderie. Sometimes, the focus of schools is on sports or academics, and when she gets to be around other schools that “feel that love for art, it feels very calm.”
Scott says that the district competition is more fun as “[she gets] to spend time with [her] friends and do something [she's] really happy about”.
Along with having a good time, Kissling adds that “Theater [makes you] one of the most versatile people [you] have ever met”.
She points out that “it's not really if we win... my goal is to have all of my spots for states filled. I'm excited to hopefully have a normal year”.
Last year, due to the pandemic, the competition was held online. However, this year “Florida Thespians has a high level of COVID precaution,” according to Kissling.
However, Kissling tells us that “It worries me that I might not be able to be there for my kids...if I'm not there, an officer’s there...somebody will be there”. The only reason Kissling would not be able to attend is due to COVID precautions.
Scott says that she’s “a little nervous with everything coming up,” and that she hopes “everyone stays safe and healthy.” She suggests to “wear your mask and get vaccinated.”
“Since I’ve been with Kissling […] I’ve been getting superiors, so I’m not worried about my abilities or anyone else’s abilities because she’s an amazing theater teacher.”
This year, Scott thinks it’s a little more stressful because of not being on a stage for a while. Dial expresses that she feels a little rushed because they are getting a bit of a late start. However, she knows that everything will work out fine.
“Since I've been with Kissling […] I've been getting superiors, so I'm not worried about my abilities or anyone else's abilities because she’s an amazing theater teacher.”
Scott says that after the competition she will be relieved yet sad that it's her last competition at Paxon until the one-acts come.
“There are many opportunities in the theater department other than district competition,” Kissling points out.
In the spring, theater students will have a musical and will likely have a showcase of their auditions from the district competition. Ms. Kissling also started something last year that she wants to continue this year: the IDK cabaret. Drama students encourage other students to come to the club, perform, or even volunteer with the technical aspects. If students aren't performing, but helping, then they can possibly earn community service hours.