Every year, inducted thespians from Georgia high schools gather in Columbus, Georgia, for the Georgia Thespian Conference, also known as Thescon. This year, eighteen students from Chamblee High attended the three-day Conference. Thescon offers many different shows and workshops for students to attend, regardless of students’ abilities and experience. Most of the workshops focus on the on-stage aspects of theater; however, there are options for the crew as well.
“Thescon is a conference where we go to workshops and see shows,” said Hansika Dinasarapu (‘25). “The workshops are all theater-related, so there’s a wide variety of dancing, acting, singing, improv, and more.”
Chamblee’s students attended all sorts of workshops that covered many skills and interests of students.
“My favorite workshop gave me the chance to look into Star Wars costuming and learn about how it played into people’s perception of the movie,” said Lilly Gamba (‘25). “It talked about the different eras of Star Wars and how continuity existed throughout the universe. It also showed the actual change in society throughout the movies, just through the use of the costuming.”
Over the three days, students have the opportunity to see a wide variety of productions, all put on by other students.
“My favorite part is always the student shows,” said Nora Glass (‘25). “I’m always so impressed by the talented people who are my age or younger than me.”
Students had many favorites from the shows they got to see. Most notable of the shows were Ride The Cyclone, Jekyll and Hyde, and Alice By Heart.
“Alice by Heart was the show that stood out to me the most,” said Sela Sokol (‘27). “They told a moving story with impressive choreography and excellent music.”
“I’d seen The Ballad of Jane Doe online, so I was excited to see it in a high school production,” said Frida Nieves (‘25). “It was really cool to see how they implemented certain features from the Broadway show on the high school level.”
At Thescon, students are able to gain independence by deciding their own workshops and shows to see. As students explore Columbus, they are able to meet other thespians from other schools.
“My favorite part about Thescon is being able to meet a bunch of other students who are also interested in theater,” said Sam Dunham (‘25).
Chamblee students wouldn’t be able to attend Thescon without the chaperones who make sure that everyone remains safe and accounted for. This year, Timothy Simmons, Chamblee’s musical theater and chorus teacher, attended Thescon for the first time.
“It was a great experience for me,” said Simmons. “I got a lot of ideas about what other schools are doing. There was a lot of great information in the workshops that we attended.”
Thescon is a great opportunity for students interested in theatre to spend time around other students with the same interests. Students get to take control of their schedules and attend the shows and workshops they are interested in, which is a great way for students to gain independence.
