Theater competes at state competition, earns superiors
Photo courtesy of Alex Cheatham
Some cast members from Into the Woods at the Florida State Thespian Festival pose with Chuck Wagner at his master class. Wagner, who played the original Rapunzel’s Prince in the Into the Woods, hosted a separate class with the entire cast at Plant.
The theater program attended the Florida State Thespian Festival from March 14 through 17 over spring break, sending six performance acts to compete along with other students who went to various workshops.
The festival was held in downtown Tampa in the Tampa Convention Center and the Straz Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“I was happy to see the great work and the awards everyone got,” sophomore Audrey Taylor said. “They really represented our troupe greatly, as they always do. I hope next year to also compete and represent Plant Theater Company at the festival.”
Among the performances was “Unworthy Of Your Love”, a duet from “Assassins” sung by junior Logan Franke and senior Harrison Reed, which received a perfect score.
“[The competition] was really fun,” Reed said. “Everyone there had the same passion for theater as I do, so it was cool to be around a group of people have the same interest as me. I got to attend some cool workshops that I feel like really helped me, so if I just put the things that I learned there into use, I feel like I could become a better performer.”
Unlike at the One Acts Festival that theater attended earlier in the year, the Florida State Thespian Festival includes workshops students attend to improve certain aspects of their craft.
“You get to meet famous people, like I met Laura Bell Bundy with Maggie Musco, who is the original Elle Woods from ‘Legally Blonde’,” junior Alex Cheatham said. “My favorite part [of the festival] would be the Laura Bell Bundy workshop because she was just a really cool person: super funny, and she just gave a lot of good advice.”
Theater programs from across the state were showcased at the festival, with some schools staying overnight.
“[The festival] was kind of hectic, because there were so many kids there, but it was just so much fun,” freshman Toni Keene said. “You got to see everybody from all different troupes in Florida, and that was really fun. I hope that next year I get to perform, but it’s definitely good to go with a group of people and just to have fun. It’s just what it’s all about- it’s what theater is about- is having fun.”
If you wish to see more of Plant Theater Company’s work, their upcoming musical, “Into The Woods”, premieres April 12 through the 13 and April 18 through 22 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for general admission