Thescon 2018 happened almost two weeks ago, and it was the most fun thing I’ve done as a Thespian.

What is ThesCon, you ask? Well, it’s a convention for Thespian Troupes, which is just fancy words for groups of theatre kids. Troupes from all over Colorado come together at the Bellco Convention Center in Denver and get to know each other through workshops. The workshops can help expand acting, singing, and dancing skills, as well as help someone with a career path or interest. Students can also choose to perform their own monologues, songs, or tech experience for a chance to perform in front of all of the Troupes on the Main Stage or perform at Nationals in Nebraska.

Broomfield Troupe #874 went up to Denver right after school on Wednesday. The Convention started on Thursday, so our troupe killed time on Wednesday by practicing performances and preparing our schedule for the coming days of Con. The Troupe went to dinner at Cheesecake Factory, where they made us the official high school of that location! When Thursday came around, I took my roommates (Elaiza Wilson-Roussel (10), Kristina Petrov (10), and Hayley Anne Sayre (10)) to breakfast and window shopping on 16th street because the Convention didn’t start until 2:30. We scouted places to eat lunch and dinner for the coming days, and took some pictures.

The first workshop was Intro To Prosthetic Makeup with Melanie Aksamit, who did work on Stranger Things and American Horror Story. She talked about her experience with makeup and showed us how to apply a prosthetic cut to someone’s neck. The second workshop was Truth On Making A Living In Show Business with Mitch Samu, who composed and conducted on Broadway. He walked around the room asking people what their future was going to look like, and made them rephrase if someone said “hopefully.” He was very inspiring and answered many questions on how to survive in New York.

My troupe grabbed a quick dinner and went to the auditorium for the Opening Ceremonies. Christine Pedi, an actress from Broadway, performed a few songs and speeches. She was spectacular. After that, Frederick High School’s Newsies showed, and the choreography and vocals were amazing. It was a long night, causing us  all to crash afterwards.

Friday’s first workshop started at 8:30, so we woke up our room at 5:30 and we were at breakfast by 6:30. Hand To Hand Stage Combat with Peter Bernstein was the first session, and it was an exciting experience. I met up with one of my Legacy friends and we learned how to stage slap, punch, knee, throw, stomach, and face kick. It was a cool experience, and I got the pleasure of punching Jack Vanderberg (12) a few times. Playwriting Your Revolution with Dee Covington was next, and she answered questions about how to be a better playwright. She told us to “surprise ourselves” when we’re writing, because if you yourself are surprised at what you make a character do, then the story will be more developed. After lunch, I went to Shakespeare Crash Course with Becca Postma with my Complete Works crew: Annie Stromberg (10) and Grace Marcontell (12). We played some improv games with Shakespeare language, and it was nice to do some Shakespeare stuff with my girls again. Bonni Fuller (10) and I then went down to Theatre Speaking To The Transgender Experience with Dee Covington. In there, we all introduced ourselves and our gender identities, and watched a short play about the transgender experience. After a long day, I didn’t care what the last session was, so Bonni dragged Isa Lovato (11) and I to Consent In The Theater with Tara Wolfe. In there, I volunteered to read a short scene from Almost, Maine that has a LOT of kissing in it. The guy I was reading with and I weren’t allowed to kiss (because consent), and it was cool how people cared so much.

The show for that night was Sister Act by Regis Jesuit High School, and it was one of the best musicals by a high school I’ve seen. The whole cast was full of so much energy and passion, and I adored that production.

Saturday was the last day, which meant breakfast, check out, and the first workshop– Taking The Reins: Creating Your Own Opportunities In The Theatre with Kevin Rich. It was not the most exciting workshop of the con, but I got new ideas for possible plays. The last session of Thescon was Rainbow Alley-LGBTQ Resources with Cara Lipford and others. My roommates, Isa, Bonni, and Flynn Shaw (12) went with me, and they were the perfect people to take. This wasn’t really a workshop, but more of a safe place for people of the LGBTQ+ community. We had a runway and lip-syncing contest, and I met a lot of cool people.

Closing Ceremonies had multiple performers. Whoever did the best with their Individual Performances got to be on the Main Stage, and we saw many talented people. Adam Fazio (12), Austin Jensen (12), Charlize Golbitz (12), Dylan Scott (12), Emma Keggerris (12), Evette Srouji (12), Grace Marcontell (12), Jack Vanderberg (12), Matt Peters (12), Nathan Shamblin (12), Olivia Stone (12), Axel Susuras (11), Drake Susuras (11), Kaylah Mohrmann (11), Mia Correa (11), Rachel Long (11), and Mara Stone (10) all made Nationals in Nebraska with their performances!

Overall, ThesCon was amazing and an awesome experience for me. I made so many new friends and met so many kind people. Next year will be even better!