January 19, 2000
Thespians shine at state competition
By Garret Leiva
Herald editor
Shining in the stage spotlight, Traverse City West Senior High School Thespian and Theatre students made a strong showing at this years Michigan State Thespian Competition in Grosse Point.
West Senior High Thespians earned nine "superior" ratings at the 15 school competition held earlier this month. Students receiving this exemplary rating not only received a medal, but are eligible to compete at the International Thespian Competition this June in Lincoln, Neb.
"They were a little nervous going into the competition, but they all did a great job," said West High School theater instructor, Kristie Bach. "We didn't have one performance that was rated less than excellent."
Excelling in the state competition, West Senior High students performed in a variety of categories including monologue, duet acting, musical theater and technical theater. Students eligible to compete at the international competition are: Monologue: Ashley Lieber, Annie Hess; Duet Acting: Rachael Marsh and Eryn Amalea Walker; Musical Theater Solo: Loren Hovas; Musical Theater Duet: Sara Baty and Andrew Douglass; Pantomime: Shawne Benson; Set Design: Meredith MacColeman.
Before students could participate in the state thespian competition, they first had to audition at the school level. Once they were selected for state, students chose and rehearsed their own material.
During the state competition, performers were given five minutes of stage time. Those in the technical theater, including stage design, were given 10 minutes to present their project. It was a competition where each second counted - for and against you.
"They are very strict. We had students in the duet acting category who received a superior rating but were four seconds over their time and were disqualified," Bach said.
Along with the time element, a panel of college and university judges also considered theme and movement in each category. Ratings were determined on a point scale, with 37 out of 40 being the minimum for superior status. Performance marks could span from superior, excellent, good and fair.
Achieving the lone perfect score for West High School was Shawne Benson. The senior presented "Last Breath at Auschwitz," a solo pantomime to music.
Bach said this was the largest group of local students to receive superior ratings. Last year the school received three such ratings and tied for first-place as the overall school winner. The winner of this years competition will be announced at a state theater festival in March, which will be held in Traverse City for the first time.
Aside from rehearsing for the International Thespian Competition, West Senior High students are also raising funds to pay for travel expenditures. One planned fund-raiser is two special performances of "Anne Frank & Me" in the West Senior High Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on January 28 and 29. General admission ticket prices will be $10. For ticket information, call 933-8389.
An encore performance, "Anne Frank & Me" was first presented this past November. Bach noted that the play will be adjudicated at the state festival in March and could be chosen for the International Thespian Competition.
Whether they've performed at an international level or not, Bach said her students are excited about the upcoming competition. Last year 2,800 students from schools throughout the world attended the week-long event that featured workshops, plays and recruiters from colleges and conservatories.
"It is just a culture and group of students they aren't exposed to here," said Bach, who noted that a Japanese school wore kimonos to dinner and Hawaiian students performed a traditional welcome dance.
"The students have been talking it up, so I think they're really excited about going."