By: Jacob Sanford
On February 6-8, Columbus High School’s Thespian Troupe 5390 attended the 2025 Georgia Thespian Conference, also known as ThesCon.
The International Thespian Society is an honor society for high school students interested in the theatrical arts. It is open to both performers and technical people.
Every year in early February, the Georgia chapter of the International Thespian Society holds the Georgia Thespian Conference, colloquially known as ThesCon, in downtown Columbus.
When asked why ThesCon was an important experience for students, Troupe Director Ms. Stephens said that students “get a chance to learn new skills, network, and prepare for their future within the theatre industry” and also “get a chance to experience a variety of shows put on by people their own age from all over the state.”
This year, more than 6,000 Thespian students, directors, and teachers from all around the state of Georgia attended the conference.
At the conference, students can attend various workshops, where they can have fun and learn valuable skills for the theatre world.
Students can also go see amazing shows put on by other high schools from around Georgia at any of downtown Columbus’s beautiful theatres, including the Springer Opera House and the RiverCenter. On Friday, February 7, CHS students had lots of fun watching Denmark High School’s performance of Jekyll & Hyde and Milton High School’s production of Alice by Heart at the RiverCenter.
Troupe member Sav Elder (11) remarked, "Jekyll and Hyde was a beautiful show that I not only enjoyed but inspired me to put more effort into my set design work for theatre!"
Columbus High School was not just there to watch shows and go to workshops, though. Two students achieved the high honor of getting overall superior grades on their Thespys. The Thespys is an award competition put on by the conference for all students.
Troupe member Dash Morris (12) got an overall superior for her costume design for the show Anastasia.
When asked about her ThesCon experiences, Dash states, “My last ThesCon was truly an experience to remember. There were a lot of new people that I got to meet, as well as a lot of colleges to connect with. My favorite part was meeting Reagan and Gavin, representatives of Shorter University, a private Baptist school in Rome, GA. I thought I did overall good on my Thespy. Being able to advance to the next level was an honor, and I'm so excited to visit the theatre capital of the world, Bloomington, Indiana”
Additionally, Troupe Historian Carolina Thompson (12) got an overall superior for her dance performance to the song “I’m a Brass Band” from the musical Sweet Charity. She was allowed to perform her dance in front of half of the 6,000+ Thespians in attendance at the closing ceremony on Saturday, February 8.
In response to her performance grade, Carolina said, “It was honestly so surreal. I did not think that out of 638 entries that mine would be selected to perform in front of 3,000 thespians. It was amazing to know and see that the work that I put in wasn’t for nothing and that my choreography was critiqued well by the judges!”.
Σχόλια