During spring break,thousands theater-loving high school students from across Florida took Tampa by storm-congregating in the largest drama convention of its kind nationwide. Going to States is a four-day event bombarded with competitions, workshops, shows, and the general, theatrical feeling in the air. After a very successful time at IE (Individual Events) in Districts, over ten thespians were eligible to attend States in Tampa. Of these, five groups performed, and the CGHS thespians brought home 2 excellent and 2 superiors. This is the best the troupe has done in many years. When they were not competing, troupe members attended workshops to improve their skills, and top-notch performances from talented actors across the state of Florida.

States not only gave young thespians the opportunity to compete, but also it offered a plethora of workshops and resources for students. These classes were a few hours long, and encompassed the variety the theater has to offer in. These ranged from movement and dance classes to voice training to technical sessions. The workshops started at 8:30 in the morning and went on until 4:00 in the afternoon; days included were from Wednesday all the way to Saturday. An actor or actress could easily improve their dancing, acting, and singing in a single day; meanwhile, the avid techie might find themselves in learning about makeup, scene design, or directing. There were also several workshops available only to teachers and educators in order to improve their teaching range.

In addition to attending these workshops, students and adults were able to watch IE and other performances from schools across Florida. If a thespian did not want to participate in workshops, he or she could watch any variety of events, such as monologues, pantomimes, and one-acts. All events were open to students if they had the space provided. There were also entire shows students could watch as long as the teachers signed up on time. Troupe 0476 attended two, full-length shows at night. The first was the fantastic Annie Get Your Gun, a comedic show about the sharpshooter Annie Oakley and her romance with the vain, but handsome Frank Butler. The show was equivalent, if not greater, than anything you could have found at any reputable professional theater. The second was a production of UrineTown. This was a satirical comedy about a town where you have to pay to pee.

At the district level, troupe 0476  proudly brought home eight superiors and eight excellent.This year, only performers who ranked superiors were eligible to attend States. Since each school is only allowed to bring 5 performances, the seniority took priority. Sadly, one of the seniors was registered to perform, but did not attend states so CGHS brought only four performances instead of five. Still, those who performed did an amazing job and brought home two superiors and two excellents.

States was a great opportunity for young thespians to embrace the theater, and to share that love with others who have just as much appreciation for the theater. Troupe 0476 did great at states, bringing home two excellents and two superiors. We will miss the seniors who performed for the last time, and hope that next year’s troupe will do even better. We anticipate that the CGHS thespians will continue to make their school proud, and that they break-a-leg.