SHS thespians get dramatic boost in Nebraska

Photo provided Junior J. T. Rider in the light focusing competition during the Tech Challenge at the 2009 International Thespian Festival.

By JASON WERMERS
Item Staff Writer
jwermers@theitem.com

Think of theatrical performance, and Nebraska may not be the first place that comes to mind.

But that is where the International Thespian Festival for high school students takes place every year. It's an event Sumter High School participates in about every two years.

Fifteen Sumter High students recently took part in the weeklong festival at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Several of the high school theater students said the event was well worth the long trip.

“It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for any theater student,” said Michael Lawrence, 17, who will be a senior in August. “You can't get much better than the International Thespian Society as far as high school goes. You not only get to work with professional actors and directors and stuff like that, but you also get to meet other people who will eventually become professional actors.”

Kevin Cox, assistant principal at Sumter High, went with the students. He said the most valuable part of the program is the chance high school students get to audition for college-level theater programs.

“It's wonderful for them to see students from around the country,” Cox said. “They get to interact with students and theater professionals from around the country.”

Despite “festival” being in its name, the event was more than just a bunch of performances. Theater students also took part in workshops to hone various parts of their crafts. All told, Sumter students pariticpated in more than 141 hours of workshops.

Dan Wilt, 17, who also will be a senior next month, learned about the art of stage combat.

“Basically, it's sword-fighting,” Wilt said. “I had a little at Sumter High, but this was a completely new system. Then I went to some sessions about acting on camera because I'm looking to go more into film or TV acting.”

Lawrence, who is interested in musical theater, was on his second trip to the festival. He said this time was much more useful for him because he knew what to expect and how to get the most out of the event.

Abbie Geddings, another rising senior, received 21 call-backs from colleges for which she auditioned.

“I was really excited,” Geddings said. “Being able to talk to them and look at schools I never heard of before but am now considering for college was a very amazing experience for me.”

As a result, the list of dream schools for Geddings, 17, expanded. It now includes Webster University in St. Louis, Roosevelt University in Chicago, University of Oklahoma and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, which has campuses on New York City and Los Angeles.

“I've always been interested in music, and Broadway is something I've always wanted to reach for,” Geddings said. “I have several friends in the drama department, but I had never considered just acting. But the more I got into drama, the more I realized I liked not just the singing and dancing, but also the acting aspect of it.”

Drama teacher Kelly Melton said this is the fourth time since he has been at Sumter High that a group has gone to the festival. He said that when students return, the enthusiasm they bring is infectious. The students who went to this festival plan to pass on what they learned to students who couldn't attend.

“I think experiencing and seeing everything inspires them to work harder,” he said. “When they see these mainstage shows — a school brought Beauty and the Beast, and they must have spent fifty- or sixty-thousand dollars on it — and they see what these other schools can do, it inspires them to want to achieve on the next level. ... They are seeing shows that are really top-notch.”



Contact Staff Writer Jason Wermers at jwermers@theitem.com or (803) 774-1295.

THESPIAN FESTIVAL
The International Thespian Festival took place the week of June 21 at the University of Nebraksa in Lincoln. Sumter High School sent 15 students there. The following received overall “excellent” ratings in their respective categories:

  Michael Lawrence and Courtney Williams, who performed “A Stud and a Babe” from I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, in the duet musical category

  Dan Wilt and McKenna Dubose, who performed a scene from “Hands” by Max Bush, in the duet acting category

  Corey Jones, who brought an original film called “La Emocion” for the film category

  Christian Hubbard and Hunter Madray, who performed an original pantomime piece called “Breaking the Fourth Wall”

  Abbie Geddings, who performed “If You Got It, Flaunt It,” from The Producers in the solo musical category.

Sumter High also entered a team in the Tech Challenge, which is a series of events that stress the technical side of theater. The events in the challenge, all of which were timed, included folding a backdrop to a specific size, focusing light onto a specific area, changing a set to make sure the props were in their proper place, and dressing a volunteer in a certain costume. Sumter finished ninth out of the 22 teams in the competition and was only 1 minute, 15 seconds behind the first-place team.