The Thespian Honor Society is an organization that brings together both technicians and performers to share their love of theatre. Members have multiple opportunities to show off their work to not just the school, but also to district and state competitions. The organization additionally provides blue and gold thespian honor cards for graduation. Ms. Brittany Brown, the Theatre Director and head of the Thespian Honors Society, had some informative comments about this society and the students who are willing to join.

If a student is wondering how to join the organization, Ms. Brown says “Thespians are inducted at the end of the fourth quarter during a ceremony here at school. To be inducted, future thespians must accumulate 10 points through participation in our two mainstage shows (fall play & spring musical) while they are in high school during the same school year.” Joining this society isn’t just about showing up. Students must be adaptable and creative, as well as capable to try new things and be open to new ideas, according to Ms. Brown. 

Stage fright is something most thespians go through, or some don’t always feel up to performing, but Ms. Brown states that there is a solution for this and a way to build confidence that helps the students. During all mainstage performances, students audition for the role that they want. Nevertheless, a student has a chance to talk and debate about what type of role they are most comfortable with during auditions. 

Though being a thespian can be thrilling and exciting, there are challenging aspects to joining this society. Not just for students, but directors like Ms. Brown. A challenge is balancing the different jobs needed to make the show go on, there isn’t usually time during the school day to work on productions, so all production work happens out of school hours, which is difficult for directors as well as students. Additionally, sound, set, lighting, and costume design are other aspects of a play that need a ton of work and support. Even so, “The work makes it worth it in the end when the show comes together in front of an audience!” 

There are times when being a director and a thespian is complicated, but Ms. Brown is hopeful and always has room to find accomplishments within her productions and students. She said this about her achievements as a director; “The achievements I have as a teacher aren’t really mine, but are the personal successes of the students I’ve worked with. One of my fondest memories from working with students is seeing the growth of a student who started rehearsals with stage fright and grew to have leading roles in later years in the program.” Even though there is always room for improvement despite all the accomplishments, Ms. Brown always hopes to “create well-rounded, humble, and caring theatre students. I want my students to have worked on both tech and performance at least once, especially because tech is something that students don’t get to experience until high school. I want them to be confident in their abilities and I want them to be able to use their voices to tell their stories as well as the stories of characters.”

Of course, there are many important lessons to learn and teach as a director, but Ms. Brown teaches all of her students one valuable lesson, in particular, to always remember. A lesson I hope to teach all my students is that “talent may get you the first job, but your character is what keeps you employed.” You may be the most talented student or person in the room, but if you are difficult to work with (rude, unprepared, constantly absent or late, etc…), then opportunities will be closed to you for the future. There is always going to be someone who is just as skilled and much more pleasant to be around. It’s essential to be kind, patient, and humble.