Every year, the Missouri State Thespians hold the Missouri State Thespian Conference in January. Every two years the location switches; in 2018 it was held in St. Louis, and this year and next year it will be held in Kansas City.

FHC’s Thespian Troupe–Troupe #5743–attended the annual conference as they have done for many years previously. This year was a special year, however, due to all of the competitions the Spotlight Players participated in.

Senior Janelle Klos was the only student to audition for a scholarship in technical theatre.

“I won the Missouri Thespian Technical Scholarship,” Klos said. “I was one of two people in the whole state to win it. I get $2000 towards classes. No matter what school I go to, I can put my scholarship towards classes there.”

For senior Sage Russell, she competed in a team event. Her and the rest of Improv Central — Klos, juniors Isaiah Henry and Josiah Haan, sophomore Taylor Krieg — competed in Improv Intensive.

“For Improv Intensive we take a team of five [to state],” Russell said. “We compete in three rounds with three different games and get a score from judges. [The judges] give us six games it could be [in the competition], we prepare al six and get ready for months during after school practices.”

From the judges remarks the improv teams are scored from Fair, Good, Excellent, or Superior. This year, Improv Central was one of only nine teams to achieve a superior rating.

Besides Improv Intensive, Haan and Henry performed together in an Individual Event.

“We did an Individual Event, which has a lot of different categories [to perform in],” Henry said. “It’s when you or multiple people with you perform a short scene or a song for a panel of judges.”

After being judged, like improvers, the performers are judged and receive a score on the same scale. Henry and Haan were one of 40 Individual Events to receive a Superior rating with their performance of “You and Me (But Mostly Me)” from “The Book of Mormon.”

“They announced our names and we both completely freaked out,” Henry recalled. “I just really couldn’t believe it.”

Likewise, junior Sam Cole was cast in the all-state production of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The production is made up of a cast and crew from students across the state and will be performed at the 2020 Thespian Conference.

After all of the success from Thescon, the theatre department is gearing up for their spring production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. If interested in performing or working on a crew, pick up an application from Ms. Stallard’s room, room 22.