Over 2,000 students were expected to attend The Ohio State Thespian Conference this year, which originally was scheduled to occur March 27-29 at Dublin Scioto High School. Westerville South High School (WSHS) once again was going to be well represented and students were excited to attend, but the event was canceled due to the impact of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
“We had 20 students registered for individual events, a six-person team for the technical challenge competition, a full-length mainstage show, two marathon student-directed performances, three students up for state scholarships, and six students involved in the All-Ohio show,” said Matt Wolf, theatre teacher and director of WSHS Troupe 513. “Sadly, all of it was canceled, but we fully understand that everyone’s health and wellbeing had to take priority.”
Wolfe said one caveat to the cancellation of this year’s event is that the individual events scripts and films entered into the Playwriting and Filmmaking contest must be submitted well in advance of the conference. This gives judges appropriate time to adjudicate and score the entries. Despite the conference being canceled, entries had already been received and judges were able to complete their evaluations of students’ script and film submissions this year.
“Two judges, who are selected from secondary and collegiate institutions, evaluate the students' work and score them on four levels: Superior, Excellent, Good, and Fair,” Wolfe explained. “A double superior rating puts students’ work in the Showcase, where their talent is displayed for the conference goers to observe, review, and ask questions.”
The following WSHS students earned a Double Superior rating in their respective categories:
- Izzy Brinker, Senior, Short Play;
- Kimberlee Welch, Sophomore, Short Play; and
- Olivia Layson, Senior, Short Film: Documentary