Get Involved in the Future

Every year for the past 13 years I have been involved in a great organization. I am sure many of you are involved in it as well. It is the International Thespian Society. I have been a member since my freshman year in high school, and for the past 7 years I have taught at the Missouri Thespian Conference.

I started out teaching Stage Management, and then it grew to adding a “life in theatre” workshop and a producing workshop where students form groups and produce shows to see if they can recoup. I try and make sure I can attend every year for a couple of reasons. First, this is the organization that helped me fall in love with theatre and actually where I first met Peter Sargent from Webster University. So I like to give back and teach other students about the art that I love. Secondly, I get to see a lot of great people and make friends. The staff that puts this together is great about caring for the guest artists and making us feel at home. They take us to dinner the last night and we get to catch up with all of them, and I am happy to say I have made many great friends.

There are many reasons why I go, but the most important to me is to get a glimpse into the future of theatre. These students will take our place in college and in the profession, and it is neat to watch them grow. I get several students who come take my workshops every year, and most of them have gone on to college to study theatre. It is nice to see what they are up to, and every once in a while I get a note thanking me for my workshop. Almost every state has a Thespian Conference, and there is a National Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska every summer. If you are a theatre professional, I encourage you to reach out to a local group and get involved.