June 12, 2002
All the world a stage for actors
West students present work at international thespian competition
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
With precision choreography and keen timing, Brandon Sparks let fly some vicious punches at Craig Filkins.
The two seniors at Traverse City West High School were practicing their duet acting routine Friday afternoon at the school. The two will present their intense, father-son fight scene from a play called "Dino" later this month at the International Thespian Competition in Lincoln, Neb.
"The competition is going to be a lot of fun," said Filkins, noting that Tom Johnson, a local actor and mime, coached the duo on their fight scene. "I want to attend workshops on stage combat and improv."
A veteran athlete, Sparks said the scene is like a wrestling match and before each rehearsal the two walk through each gesture and punch. However, the physical aspect of the presentation is not the hardest part of being on stage for him.
"The most challenging part is to stop being an 18-year-old person and be a 40-year-old man," said Sparks, who joined the Thespian Club this year at Filkins' request and has directed some plays together with him. "That and getting over my awkwardness; I had bad stage fright in a play as a sophomore."
Three other students at West High School will also be competing in Lincoln: Jacob Bach, Catherine Pociask and Shanna Scheele. The competition includes ten categories for students, including monologue, musical theater solo, duet and group, pantomime and duet acting.
With more than 3,000 students from around the world expected to attend the competition, the five West High School students will have their work cut out for them.
"The kids in the competition will have no costumes, no props and no introduction is allowed," said Kristie Bach, a teacher at West and the school's Thespian Coach for six years. "They have to convey the essence of the scene through their acting."
Fourteen other students from West High School's Thespian Club will attend the week-long conference and participate in the many educational seminars.
Jacob Bach will perform a scene from "Children of a Lesser God" with classmate Catherine Pociask at the International Thespian Competition. Both students learned sign language for the four-minute scene, which features Bach both speaking and signing and Pociask only signing. They presented this scene at the state competition in Big Rapids in December, earning marks that qualified them to attend the international competition.
"The sign language helps because it gives movement to your speech," he said, noting they learned their parts in a week, coached by a local sign language interpreter.
Bach is also looking forward to attending seminars as well as watching the presentations of other students in the competitions. With students coming from all over the world, including countries such as Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Canada, the competition is a great way to learn about other cultures and lifestyles.
"I am looking forward to meeting people from all over the world," said Bach, who competed in an international Odyssey of the Mind competition earlier this spring.
The members of the thespian club enjoy their time in the limelight, both at competitions and on stage in various plays. Many are also members of the school's Drama Club, also coached by Kristie Bach.
"The whole theater experience is great, I like the people the most," said Filkins, winding up his second year in the Thespian Club. "There's so many cool people involved and you get to hang out with them."
"Acting has also helped my self-confidence and interactions with the world," he noted.