On January 28, our GHHS theater enthusiasts pulled themselves out of bed early on a Saturday to board the bus that would take the group to Olympia. There, at Capital High School, the Thespys regional event was held. The Thespys is an event held by the International Thespian Society, an organization whose job is to recognize theatrical talent in students. The Washington ITS judges the Thespys competitors to decide how they qualify in terms of going from there (regionals) to state and nationals. Students have the option to perform in one of three categories: musical, acting, or tech. Performance-based Thespys is described by students as being comparable to solo, duet, and ensemble in band. Students performing in the musical category perform either a musical theater solo, duet, or group ensemble that can be up to 16 people! The acting category encompasses monologues, duet scenes, group scenes, and even the inclusion of musical dance. The talents you wish to showcase are diverse in function and application to the theatrical art, and the Thespys categories must account for all of them. Apart from the performance arts, the technical aspects of drama are a whole other story from the production process. Included in tech categories are set design, theater marketing, wardrobe, lighting, sound design, makeup, and hair design. “The possibilities are endless” is something of an understatement.
The anticipation of competitions is always a nerve-wracking prospect, and students experienced anxiety upon entering the rooms where they would put themselves on a pedestal in front of the three judges as well as their peers. The judges score performers out of 24, and depending on how you score, students qualify for different privileges. In musical theater, scoring a 20 or above means the participants qualify for nationals, where they have the opportunity to perform at a public showcase when the Thespys are taken to state.
For the majority of students, choosing a performance piece is based on what they feel shows the best of their vocal abilities or allows them to portray the emotion they want to invoke in an audience. Whatever the reason may be, the songs selected by the musical theater acts were pieces that they felt best embodied what they had to offer. Eleanor Trott (12), a state honoree and musical soloist, sang “My House” from Matilda the Musical. “I chose the song, one because it’s one that my voice teacher taught me, and because it’s just a really soft and sweet song, but it’s also really powerful…. It’s Miss Honey’s song. It’s about her explaining that she doesn’t own much in the world because everything has kind of been taken from her, but she has her house, and it’s hers, and it belongs to her, and nothing that anyone can ever do will take that away from her,” Trott explains, describing the “house” as a metaphor for Mrs. Honey’s belief that things will get better. Student Martha Schultz (11) made Heathers fans everywhere proud when she performed her number. “I did Lifeboat from Heathers. I chose that because it’s a very emotionally packed song, and I could showcase a lot of range within a short amount of time,” Shultz stated. The song is sung by Heather McNamara, the third of the Heather trio, as she reveals to the audience the distress she experiences within the toxic social hierarchy of her school, comparing it to the claustrophobic space shared on a lifeboat surrounded by peers. Schultz was one of three GHHS students who qualified for nationals. Those who qualify must submit yet another performance as an audition piece and, in doing so, are given the opportunity to perform at a state showcase. This year nationals are held at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana, on the set of Waitresses. Alongside her will be state-qualifying duo Lucas Hendrikson (12) and Megan Long (11).
A huge and sometimes scary part of performing is the criticism that comes with it, a step in the process that, while nerve-wracking, is a key element in a performer’s growth and success in honing their craft. GHHS students described the difficulty of being open to their talents being judged, especially when performance is often such a personal and internal process. Musical theater competitor Trott described how personal the vocal expression is to an individual. “It’s a part of your body. You can work, and you can change parts about your voice… but your voice is something that is uniquely yours and yours alone. So having someone judge you based on what you sound like is a very scary experience. It’s just incredibly vulnerable to be up there and be like, ‘Okay, here’s the song that I am presenting; please grade and judge me on my unique voice that is mine and mine alone.’” The process, while scary, allows you to grow your skills and familiarize yourself with being open to listening and learning. Both the best and worst part in many students’ minds was the feedback received from judges when scored. Judges commented on participants’ control of their vocal instrument and their portrayal of emotion, to a student’s understanding of the storyline their piece follows. Trott described the feedback she received as advising her to visualize the things she sang about in order to more distinctly portray the significance these things have to her character. Many constructive comments involved blocking in order to bring Mrs. Honey’s house to life. While constructive and crucial, sometimes different voices of feedback can be conflicting. “One of the judges said that I took too long to start the song, and one of the judges said that they liked my meaningful pause at the beginning,” claimed Shultz humorously. This just goes to show that even those in the professional world are individuals with biases and opinions that, especially regarding art, are subjective. Any performer knows that feedback and criticism can be both hurtful and gratifying, but either way, there is something to be gained.
No performer’s work would be possible without the behind-the-scenes magic of tech and crew. Tech and crew categories include lighting, sound design, costume, hairdressing, set, and more. Any art form can be applied to stagecraft, coming together to create the setting and quality under which an actor performs. The tech and crew students are the ones who engage the audience in a unique stylistic spectacle and create a space for performers to live in. Sound design student and tech enthusiast Nojo Young (11) presented sound cues they’d prepared to demonstrate their work. “I did it for Oliver. I just took the sound cues that I made or found online and presented them and kind of talked about the reason behind it,” explained Young. Because Young’s presentation piece was prepared beforehand, the time management is left to the individual. “I procrastinated and did it like pretty much the night before. Which retrospectively is a horrible idea,” Young humorously described the process. Another crucial piece of theater is the scenic design. Student Anabella Smith-Maben (12) participated in set design. “We got to choose what show we wanted to do, and then we had to design a set and build a full model for that show. It was really fun, and then we did a full slideshow and did a whole presentation,” Smith-Maben describes the experience with passion. She selected Ride the Cyclone, a previously unexplored musical on the approved list. Smith-Maben expressed that there were a lot of productions that had been analyzed and reimagined many times. “What new thing can you do with Phantom of The Opera, or anything Disney?” she elaborated. With her intention being to present the judges with new material and a new experience, she decided to choose a lesser-known show. Smith-Maben went in-depth to the point of choosing a venue for the show—the Paramount Theater in Seattle—and built a full model backdrop, including a representative person to give a sense of scale. Set pieces, including railroad tracks, Smith-Maben worked for two weeks on her bedroom floor, toying with hot glue and popsicle sticks.
GHHS competed from 8 o’clock to 4 in the afternoon, a long day of nerves and reward. Many students expressed their favorite part of the experience being the time they were able to spend with their drama department peers, everyone impassioned in an environment welcoming them to express that passion for each other. At its core, the day was a deeply bonding experience for the GHHS theater. Students described the sense of comradery on the early morning bus ride to Olympia, dressed to the nines and full of nervous energy, a period where the theater had the opportunity to talk together, listen to music, and do vocal warmups. On the bus ride home, the students were exhausted as the sun set on a day of achievement and satisfaction. Student Trott expressed her joy in witnessing her friend’s performances and the pride that comes from seeing someone in their element, making the stage their home. “You can tell some people just started opening up, and once they started singing, they just felt the music,” Trott said. The atmosphere was one of total support between peers, as well as between other schools. “I loved getting to see so many kids together, just getting to perform, and I love seeing all the range. I love seeing all the range from other schools and other places and all performing art schools,” stated Shultz. The sense of comradery between anyone involved in theater, be it performance or crew, is a bond founded in supporting each other. The trust between actors, technicians, and stylists is a web of hard work and skills, skills that the GHHS drama department had the pleasure to display today. The GHHS drama students put so much time and effort into their craft and supporting each other’s performances, in competition and out. The Thespys was a unique experience for the theater and the first regional competition our school has participated in, marking it as a place of special pride for our passionate students.
Their passion doesn’t end there, as their effort is currently being put into the beginning of GHHS’s next production, Les Miserables, an iconic musical beloved by any thespian enthusiast or casual enjoyer alike. A way you can further support our students, as well as partake in a gut-wrenching display of emotion-packed talent, is by attending performances from May 2-10. Tickets sell out fast, so bring your families and prepare to be emotionally obliterated!