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By: STO Gentry Phillips, Springtown High School, Troupe 1494
Puppets might not be the first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks of theatre, but puppets have played a vital role on stage and in film for decades now. The world of puppet theatre has come a long way since 3000 years ago, and I say it’s high time Texas Thespians gave it the recognition it deserves. Let's step back in time and learn just what puppet theatre is all about! Puppet theatre is a very impressive and time consuming form of stage art. As I said, puppetry goes back hundreds of centuries, and has branched out in many countries including but not limited to: China, Africa, Germany, Indonesia, and the United States! Each culture has brought their own unique spin on this impressive talent, and has contributed something to its history. With all this diversity, we cannot expect every puppet to look like a Muppet. There are many types of puppets used in theatre and they all function and look drastically different from one another. For example, Taiwanese puppetry relies on the puppeteers skill of moving the puppet in complicated motion to tell the story, while in India the puppet show might be made of shadows entirely. Puppet theatre has been used to tell many stories all throughout time. Originally it was very common to see these types of shows in churches or holy buildings to tell a story important to that culture's religion. Puppets were also used to tell stories of morality and other traditions. However as time and technology advanced, puppets were seen in many different places. During the 18th century, it was likely you would see puppets used in opera. After the Great Depression puppets started to appear widely in American television. Thus in the 1950’s the most well beloved and iconic puppets were created: The Muppets! All types of puppetry are still used today, in blockbuster movies and on physical stages. There is so much history to the world of this art that it was hard to pick and choose what I wanted to say in this blog. I encourage you to research further if you're interested! The world of puppet theatre is simply a spectacular one! Best wishes, Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers Source: TheaterSeatStore Blog. 2022. History of Puppetry. [online] Available at: <https://www.theaterseatstore.com/blog/history-of-puppetry> [Accessed 16 January 2022].
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By: STO Marisa Berrones, Midland High School, Troupe 3376  STO Jessica Pisana was a part of Troupe 7637, where she worked as a tech member who specialized in sound design. She served on the 2018 board when the theme was “Beyond Your Wildest Dreams” and 2019 when the theme was “Build”. She is currently a student studying education and human sciences.
Q: What was it that made you want to run to be an STO? A: There was an STO a year before me, Heather, and I was amazed by everything she was doing. It was so cool seeing the officers at festival! I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Also, because I feel theatre education is extremely important and wanted to help advocate for the arts. Q: What is your favorite memory of being an STO? A: My favorite memory of being an STO was the very last night of the 2019 festival. All the STOs were on stage dancing together just enjoying the last moments we knew we were all going to be together. I remember being overfilled with emotions because I was so proud of everything we accomplished that year. I never wanted that moment to end. Q: What was your favorite musical then? What is it now? A: My favorite musical then was the “Great Comet of 1812”. My favorite musical now is still the “Great Comet of 1812”, because it is the most amazing musical! Q: What did you learn as an STO that you still carry with you? A: I learned to take in every moment. Especially as an STO, time is very limited, so it really taught me to make memories on every occasion. Q: If you could go back, what would you have done differently in high school? A: I would have spent less time stressing and more time hanging out with the people I care about. Q: What would you have done differently in your troupe? A: I wish I would have made it more clear that I was there to support every one of them. Q: What would you have done differently as an STO? A: Especially my first year as in an STO, I would have tried to put myself out there more. I was too nervous to speak my opinion or show what I could offer. I know now that was so silly because everyone there was very supportive and kind. Q: If you could send your troupe one message what would it be? A: I would thank them for helping me meet my two best friends and showing me what friendship really means. I would thank Emma and Emily for being by my side through it all and still being there to support me. Finally, I would remind my troupe to always be inclusive. Would you like to be like Jess and represent Texas Thespians? Check out how to become an STO here! Happy New Year, Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers By: STO Folarin Oyeleye, Foster High School, Troupe 7961
Happy soon to be holidays everyone! If you’re not in the mood for festivities then boy oh boy, we’ve got something to fix that. Our lovely STO and adult board has taken the time to regale some of their favorite holiday memories/traditions. All the way from the cold winds of Christmas/Hanukkah, to the . . . semi cold of Thanksgiving! Feel free to comment your favorite holiday along with your favorite memories! Adult: Nicole Morgan Favorite Holiday: Christmas Favorite Holiday Activity: Family gatherings with food and fun What You Look Forward to During the Holiday Season: All of the family and food and fun. STO: Maleah Favorite Holiday: Christmas Favorite Holiday Activity: Seeing Christmas lights and drinking hot chocolate. Family Tradition: Every Christmas Eve my family has a tradition of eating soup and sandwiches and watching “Elf”. STO: Gentry Favorite Holiday: Halloween Favorite Holiday Activity: Watching movies What You Want For Christmas: This year for Christmas I would like a film camera. STO: Karis Favorite Holiday: St. Patrick’s Day Favorite Holiday Activity: Making Christmas Cookies Fun Holiday Memory: Getting scared at scary houses while Trick or treating STO: Piper Favorite Holiday: Christmas Favorite Holiday Activity: Baking Holiday Desserts Fun Holiday Memory: Decorating for Christmas with my family! STO: Avery Favorite Holiday: Christmas Favorite Holiday Activity: Playing card games on Christmas day with my family Family Tradition: My sisters and I would always stay up watching the Santa tracker together as kids on Christmas Eve. STO: Brenna Favorite Holiday: Christmas Favorite Holiday Activity: Watching Christmas movies and eating cookies! Family Tradition: Every Christmas Eve we exchange secret Santa gifts and eat sandwiches on the living room floor! STO: Talya Favorite Holiday: Passover Favorite Holiday Activity: Looking for the Afikoman Fun Holiday Memory: Making Latkes on Hanukkah STO: Brooke Favorite Holiday: Halloween! Favorite Holiday Activity: Making a costume Favorite Holiday Memory: My favorite holiday memory is my dog, Atlas, trying to eat the wrapping paper!! STO: Marisa Favorite Holiday: Christmas Favorite Holiday Activity: Eating Fun Holiday Memory: One year we made this weird cinnamon roll thing that didn’t turn out the best but it was fun to make STO: Me! Folarin! Favorite Holiday: Christmas Favorite Holiday Activity: Eating all the food my mom and aunts cook Fun Holiday Memory: When my sister and I were younger, we would try to stay up till midnight to open our presents. I would always fall asleep first so one year she shot me with a nerf gun to help keep me awake lol. It's crazy to think that this will be our last blog of 2021! Thank you to everyone who has kept up with us. We hope y'all won't be too bored without your weekly blogs. See you all next year! Happy Holidays, Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers By: STO Folarin Oyeleye, Foster High School, Troupe 7961
Hello my fellow thespians! I hope you’ve all had a restful break. I also hope you’re glad to receive your weekly blog. Now I know we usually talk about a wide array of topics, but today this isn’t us informing you on anything. Today, we’re checking up on you. We’re aware some students may be feeling stressed with maybe still completing make up work and it’s even harder considering we’re in finals season. However, we’re just here to tell y’all to take it easy when you need to. Just remember that if you are struggling, there are other theatre kids out there who get you, so take solace in that. Just do your best and remember to ask for help! Best of luck in your academics! Catch you later, Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers By: STO Gentry Phillips, Springtown High School, Troupe 1494
This year's festival was definitely one for the books! I think I speak on behalf of all the STO’s when I say we had the time of our lives. We hope all of the wonderful thespians who attended feel the same way. Although it has not been very long since it happened, over Thanksgiving Break I found myself to be really nostalgic for festival already. Why don’t we take a trip down memory lane together and remember some of the absolutely awesome things that happened at Thes Fest! First and foremost, let's get the cat out of the bag, it was so nice to see everyone in person again and connect with thespians from all across the state! I terribly missed in person workshops and shows, and it was so nice to meet new people and form new friendships! Texas Thespians really pack a punch when it comes to talent! The amount of incredible mainstage shows, marathon shows, performance IE’s, and amazing tech competitions were astonishing. It was so rejuvenating to watch everyone do what they love, do it well, and share that with thousands of other people. Congratulations to everyone who won an award, from mainstage to short film! Keep on being spectacular! Of course I have to mention our lovely keynote speakers, the incredible Barry Busby, the astonishing Leslie Flesner, and the jaw dropping talented Tyler Mount! It was such an honor and pleasure to have these artists speak and teach at our festival. Thank you for taking the time to come and celebrate theater with us! This festival was just all around fun and such a breath of fresh air. Being around such amazing people and talent really just makes you take a step back and appreciate the wonderful art of the stage. I think we soared above and beyond this year and I’m overjoyed that I could do it with all of you! See you in the sky, Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers By: STO Gentry Phillips, Springtown High School, Troupe 1494
Omigod! Omigod you guys! It’s festival week!!! Yes, the week we have waited all year for, it's finally here! I know we are all just bursting at the seams to get on the road and experience festival, but before we take off we need to prepare ourselves for the ride. After all, festival is supposed to be fun (even the packing part)! So what exactly should you pack? The essentials, obviously, but what about theme days? What can you wear to look absolutely down right fabulous? I’ll let you in on the scoop! Tacky Tourist Thursday With our festival theme revolving around plans, how could we not have this theme day?! Pull out those floral shirts and sunglasses, we’re going on vacation! There is a lot of variation you can have with a theme day like this one. Give your character a backstory. Maybe they are on vacation to bird watch, so you carry around a book about birds. Maybe your character is obsessed with not getting sunburnt, so you have on a comical amount of sunscreen. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. Dress for the Flight Friday Whether you prefer to dress to the nines or just want to don some comfy sweats, this theme day is great for everyone. Bring your most fashionable outfit to wow the crowds or prioritize yourself and wear your cushy clothes. Whatever you decide to wear, you will be 100% prepared to take flight! Souvenir Saturday Parting is such sweet sorrow, so why not celebrate the awesome time you had at festival with this last theme day! Wear the merch you got at festival, from cool socks to fun t-shirts. It’s like school spirit day, only this time there's ten times the people. Can’t wait to see you, Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers By: STO Folarin Oyeleye, Foster High School, Troupe 7961
It’s the most wonderful time of the year (and no, I’m not talking about Thanksgiving)! Festival is only a few days away! I hope all of you are excited to head on over to the Gaylord. I think I speak for all my fellow STO’s when I say that this is the moment we’ve been waiting for since we were candidates. Not only because we get to make festival a fun experience for y’all, but also because we’re going back to an in-person festival! So, let me give you a quick rundown of what to expect, and I’m not talking about IE’s. I’m talking about all our fun little stops as we soar to new heights! Workshops: Workshops are the perfect place to learn new skills. We’ve got a wide array: from sewing to dancing, and from dancing to acting. We’re bringing in the best of the best so you can gain new tools to your theatrical arsenal. Or should I say souvenirs to take home with you after your vacation. Stalls: Look, I’m gonna say just one thing. BRING MONEY! There’s going to be so many vendors selling who knows what (even those cool little steampunk goggles)! But there are two wonderful items you’ll want to save money for: ducks and crazy socks. Both of which you’ll find more info on if you keep on following us :) ACE Events: So, have you ever wondered what it’d be like to be in a room with, let’s say… 8,000+ theatre kids? And you get the experience to see famous guest speakers on stage? Or even better, the STO’s annual dance number! If so, you definitely won’t be disappointed with what we have in store for y’all. The best thing about festival is getting to see various other theatre kids and being able to connect with them. This is something that a lot of us missed out on last year, so we’ll make sure that at this festival, you get that experience back with interest! Counting down the days till we see y’all. See you later, Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers By: STO Gentry Phillips, Springtown High School, Troupe 1494
There are many ways a theatre can be unique and special. Things such as when the theatre was built, the history of the theatre, or the way the stage and backstage areas are constructed can all give a performance space character. However, a majority of this character can also lie in another trait theatres have in common. What would that be? Why ghosts of course! These invisible, sometimes mischievous, companions really do add personality to any space, including theatres! My theatre is haunted by a ghost named Dave. Dave likes to make sounds in the catwalk and mess with the lightboard, what joy! Multiple people in my troupe have had experiences regarding Dave, myself included. My freshman year we were doing a public performance of our One Act Play. Emotions had run pretty high that night, so I was in the very dark and very empty black box trying to collect myself. I was sitting on a couch, when I heard a strange sound come from behind me. I turned around to find nothing but a Christmas tree on the floor, so I turned back around. Maybe it was my imagination? But then, it happened again! I turned around and this time I saw the Christmas tree sliding back into the dark. Needless to say, I am now very afraid of the black box. I’m not the only STO that has a haunted theatre or spooky friend hanging out. STO Talya and STO Michael have also had some paranormal experiences in their performance spaces as well! STO Talya Hammerman from Ridge Point High School, troupe 7678, reports that her theatre ghoul-friend is relatively chill! This ghost lives in the fly rail and provides the occasional chill all throughout the auditorium. She also likes to turn out all the lights and only turn on the one Talya’s troupe has deemed as her “ghost light”. Don’t fret, Talya reports that this haunt is very friendly, sometimes it even feels as if this ghost is watching over them. How nice! STO Michael Hernandez from Royse City High School, troupe 8003, says that there have been multiple instances when he has felt another presence in an empty room. Michael’s theatre is built on top of am abandoned race track where unfortunately a terrible accident occurred, which resulted in one of the racers passing on. Michaels troupe says that many times they will hear creaking and other mysterious noises all around their performing arts center. Once Michael was alone in the makeup room when he thought he saw someone standing behind him in one of the mirrors. He turned around to find nobody else there! He looked back at himself in the mirror to only then experience a sudden chill occurring on his neck, as if someone was breathing on him. Creepy! Regardless if your current theatre is haunted or not, every thespian will encounter some supernatural friend in some performance space. Remember to be kind and courteous, ghosts are friends! Happy Halloween! Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers By: STO Gentry Phillips, Springtown Highschool, Troupe 1494
Spooky season is officially in full swing! Break out the Jack O’ Lanterns and costumes, it’s time to get festive! Regardless if you’re up for spooky shenanigans or not, every theatre kid can share this one fear: stage fright!!! Stage fright, the monster under the bed for everyone that has ever stepped foot on stage. This can be a big challenge to get over, the anxiety of it all can be overwhelming in itself. So, how do we combat this and bewitch this ghoul back into its proper place? Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need to make the perfect potion to stop being afraid of taking the stage. Ingredient one: a bottle of preparedness. Being prepared not only helps you know your stuff when performing, but also gives you confidence! Being fully aware of things like lines, cues, and blocking makes you ready to go at any time. Knowing your stuff and being prepared is the best thing you can do for yourself and for your company as a whole. Ingredient two: a bushel of healthy eating. Make sure before any performance you are giving your body good things to digest! Avoid caffeinated drinks and eat a sensible meal before your show. It's the worst when you perform on an empty stomach! Take care of yourself, the show is not the only priority. Ingredient three: a pinch of positive focus. Instead of focusing on yourself or what could go wrong, put the focus on your character, the people around you, or having fun! Hyperfocusing on the bad will just make you even more scared to show your stuff. You know you’re great, so be confident and have fun! With these tools you should be more than prepared enough to face whatever is hiding in the shadows. With this newfound confidence, you’ll be able to hex stage fright right out of your life (hopefully) forever! If the results don’t work the first time, just keep working at it! Trust me, there are no negative side effects to this brew. Stay spooky, Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers By: STO Karis Klammer, Montgomery High School, Troupe 5986 After a super busy summer it is finally down to pull out the cute sweaters, bring out the spooky decorations, and order all of your favorite pumpkin spiced flavored items. I mean, who doesn’t love fall? October is one of my favorite months of the year because of a very special holiday that takes place. You might assume that I am talking about Halloween, but here at Texas Thespians, we are talking about J-Fest! J-Fest stands for Junior Festival, and is a mini festival that takes place for junior high school. You may be thinking “Karis, it says junior in the title! How good can it be?” well I am glad that you asked and I will answer with a story! Back in June when the STOs were at camp, our lovely Junior Festival Direction, Miss Gette, told us these words when we were planning J-Fest. “If big festival is a cake, J-Fest is a cupcake” as you can imagine, we were all very confused. How could an analogy about delicious desserts possibly be an outline for an entire festival? After thinking about it for a while it started to make sense! Our goal is to make J-Fest just as fun an experience as Big Festival, and to give junior high students a headstart for starting high school theatre. Here are some of the workshops that the STOs will be teaching at J-Fest! Acting: Starting with this one, because I will be teaching it! Here we will learn about the importance of warm ups and character voices! We will also be heavily discussing what to expect and how to prepare for auditions. Tech: In the Tech workshop, students will learn about all the different elements of technical theatre. From stage managing to props to lighting and scenic design! You will learn it all! There will also be many opportunities for everyone to ask question! J-Fest will be such an incredible learning experience for our young thespians and we are so excited to be seeing everybody on October 23! Sincerely, Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers |
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