All the Shows I Saw at FL State Thespian Festivals During High School [and subsequent spoilers]
2013
Blood Relations: Murder story about what’s-her-name, the axe murder girl who- Lizzy Borden. Supposedly showing her point of view, or something, or there was someone following in her footsteps, idk. The first part of the play came before the murders, and then they jumped back, but I think all the actors switched around to play different people? At the end there was a “scary” part where the lights went out and she would appear at different points on the stage, bloody and threatening the audience with an axe. A bunch of people screamed, but it seemed really slow paced to me.
The Children’s Hour: Saw it the same year as Blood Relations, at least this one had a plot that could be followed. A pair of women run a sort of school together, but they make a bratty girl mad at them, so she starts spreading rumors that she saw them kissing. The town is very much against homosexuality, so they lose their jobs, think about leaving town, but there’s nowhere they could go where they couldn’t be famous. At the end, they have an argument where one of them wonders if maybe they really are lesbians, but the other woman won’t hear it. The first woman goes into the other room and you hear a gunshot, implying that she killed herself. For how depressing it is, I don’t remember anything especially bad about it.
2014
Grimm’s Fairytales: An original script written by the school performing it, perhaps collaboratively. Some friends of mine saw the first show and walked out during intermission, saying it was awful. Maybe it was, but I found it hilarious anyway. They probably only got to go to State because their set was massive and detailed, with staircases designed for an actual giant, and a huge storybook in the background. But the show was ridiculous, like a kids’ version of Into the Woods. The girl sitting next to me had stuff thrown at her for the duration of the show- not intentionally, she just happened to be in the pinpoint spot where everything got tossed, from corn seed to plastic bread. There was one point where the show converted entirely to a shadow puppet show, which I always joked about saying “This show was so bad, even the puppets didn’t want to show their faces.”
Annie Get Your Gun: Let me just say, I hate this show. Mostly because of the absolutely unbelievable romance (the guy is an asshole and she still falls for him), but that’s the main plot of the story. However, it was pretty well done... also, the lead was the tiniest, cutest ginger girl in the entire world, andmywholeschoolfellinlovewithherandwecreatedachartforallthepeoplewewouldtotallydatethatyearandshewasconnectedtoeveryoneandwe’refaceookfriendsnoweventhoughwe’veneverspokeninpersonbutIprobablynevercouldbecauseI’mtooinaweofhermajesty.
2015
Anything Goes: This show was like Annie Get Your Gun, but more boring and without the amazing lead. I spent that whole show about 200 feet in the air at the absolute highest point in the balconies wishing I wasn’t there (did I mention I hate heights).
I didn’t see a second show because I was in Moon Over Buffalo, which might I say, ahem, was the best show ever to be seen during my career at that festival and one of the judges was an idiot who didn’t know what a farce was.
Well, I survived my third and final year attending the Florida State Thespian Festival. It was a dream come true. For those who don't know, it is the largest high school theatre competition and festival in the nation. It's amazing to be surrounded by thousands of theatre kids just like you as you completely take over all of downtown Tampa. We are also the biggest donor to an organization called Broadway Equity Cares Fights Aids.
For the past two years, I have been able to attend as a result of receiving an "excellent" score on my District 3 Thespian Festival competition pieces. This year, however, my duet acting scene received a "superior". Of the plethora of superiors my Troupe placed at Districts, my duet was one of the five pieces chosen to perform at our Florida State Thespian Festival.
First off, let me tell you that the bus ride was agonizing. But as soon as I saw the Straz Center For The Performing Arts building on the horizon, I felt as though I were going to explode. It was a dream come true. We saw some outstanding one acts, one in particular being Animal Farm. We also saw several individual events that definitely deserved to be there.
We got to see two main stages during the festival. The first was Ragtime, which is a beautiful historical musical that deals with racial prejudice, immigration, pop culture, and family values during the early 1900's. We also saw Night Of The Living Dead in the Tampa Theater, a lovely venue filled to the brim with gothic architecture. Opening and closing ceremonies were a dream, especially since it was Hunger Games themed this year.
I managed to accomplish the following:
- Took pictures EVERY chance I could
- Purchased a pair of yoga pants, a pair of sweatpants, and a ring
- Looked fly as hell for the dance on the final night
- Met a kid named Indiana Jones
- Sat in front of Thomas Sanders at the closing ceremonies
- Received an overall "good" on our duet (the judges were hard to impress this year!)
- Got to witness an epic promposal
- Met a grown man wearing a denim jacket with the scout regiment's logo on the back (Attack on Titan). GOALS!
- Had the time of my life
- Managed to eat 16 White Castle cheeseburgers and a full Oreo cream pie in less than three days
Hey, so I spent a few more days away from the computer (I’ve been watching Kill la Kill, Being Human (UK), Flash, and Supernatural as well as playing Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Skyrim to pass the time until then), but last week I served my time on my last ever Florida State Thespians Festival. I played Richard in Moon Over Buffalo and had a great time with my mates from Troupe 6180. Within an hour of arriving on Tuesday, the day before the festival officially began, we were laughing our asses off in Taco Bus, and then every night in the hotel rooms.
Lots of people stopped to get pictures of the cast, and some on Saturday night even recognized me without George Haye’s actor standing nearby (while I was on the same trolley as Staci Stout, which was miraculous enough already!)
But, as I said before, I am of the class of 2015, so this was my last year. My only regret is not going my Freshman year. Well, that, and not performing more, and interacting with the other troupes more, and- holy Tennant, I don’t want to go!
So I’m really sad because I was at my state drama competition this weekend with my troupe, and Thomas Sanders was there! And I didn’t get to meet him! :’( my friend Savannah got a selfie with him and a saw him once but he disappeared right away before I could go talk to him.
So if you ever see this thatsthat24, I just wanted to say I love you, and that my best friends Sandy and Shelly also say they love you! You are one of the greatest people on this planet!
I was literally 20 feet and a boost of confidence away from actually meeting thatsthat24 this week in Tampa for the Florida State Thespians festival, but I was too shy to actually go through with talking to another human (plus he seemed like he was on the run when I did see him).
