During the weekend of December 2-4, several students from the BAHS Drama Club traveled to North Penn High School to participate in the International Thespian Society Conference. 

Students from several schools came together at the conference with a shared love of theatre. At this conference, students were able to watch a variety of productions (plays and musicals) that were performed from other schools, participate in theatre workshops, and interact with other theatre students from other schools.

These theatre workshops were an opportunity for students to learn more about theatre related topics from professionals in that field. Some examples of the workshops that were offered include musical theatre acting, how to use Broadway techniques to get cast, and the Broadway dance experience.

Senior Cecilia Mozzacco explained how she will use what she learned in her workshops in her future in theatre.

“My workshop with the Meisner acting technique was a nice review of the acting technique, since I haven’t worked with it for about a year now. I will use it in the future for acting practice and performance,” Cecilia said.

Junior Kate Harman participated in a workshop that provided her tips for future auditions.

“I will definitely use skills that I learned during this trip. I learned a lot about auditioning skills and portraying a character better,” Kate said.

One of several opportunities present at the International Thespian Conference was a senior showcase. At this showcase, students were able to compete for a scholarship by performing a song from a musical or a monologue. One member from the Bellefonte Drama Club, senior Noah Aberegg, participated in this showcase.

“I wanted to participate in the senior showcase because I enjoy singing and was interested in competing for the scholarship,” Noah said.

Apart from being the first overnight theatre trip that many of these high school students have experienced, it has also been a learning opportunity that has expanded on various aspects of theatre. 

Senior Cecilia Stanton discusses how she will use the knowledge gained from the workshops and productions in order to strengthen her own acting and singing. 

“I think this trip has given me some ideas of different things to do when I’m acting or singing on stage, and seeing so many well done productions has given me examples of what I should aspire to be when I’m performing,” Cecilia said.

Sophomore Erin Ashe shared how the trip impacted her view on the hard work that shows require.

“It really taught me about how much work is put into a show. This trip showed me that going into theatre after high school is difficult but definitely worth it,” Erin said.

Junior Sam Henry found the Thespian Conference to be a useful trip where he learned several tips about theatre that he will continue to use in his singing and acting career.

“I learned how to express my music with more emotions so that the song sounds better. I will use the stuff I learned to help prepare me more for roles with auditioning and practicing all the things I learned,” Sam said.

The students who went on the field trip were in agreement that it was very fun and that they enjoyed all aspects of the trip.

“I enjoyed hanging out with everyone at the hotel and the variety of shows offered to watch,” freshman Alex Stanton said.

Senior Hannah Coslo expressed how the trip exposed her to new ways to get involved in theatre after graduation.

“It made me realize that there are a lot more ways to be involved in theatre as an adult that many people don’t know about,” Hannah said.

The ITS trip is an annual event that the BAHS Drama Club hopes to attend every year in the future.