On Saturday, December 6th, the St. Thomas Aquinas International Thespian Honor Society, Troupe 5999, attended the District 13 Thespy Competition. This year’s event was held at NSU University School, with the theme, based on Hadestown, “Way-Down Thespytown.” Students had the opportunity to compete in a range of categories, both performance and technical. Each category was scored based on a rubric, and then compared to other competitive pieces to determine Critic’s Choice and Best in Show. STA had a successful show of artistry, earning one Critics Choice Award, two Honorable Mentions, 18 Superior ratings, and 12 Excellent ratings.
STA students showcased their incredible talents across a wide variety of performances, once again demonstrating the commitment and dedication that students have applied to their individual growth, along with the school’s theater program. Multiple performances scored Excellent ratings, which highlights the skillfulness of students.
- Duet musical piece “I Can’t Lose You” from Frozen the Musical performed by Mickenna Desroches and Amanda Henry
- Duet acting piece The Day the Internet Died performed by Valentina Clemente and Karina Gallagher
- Small group musical piece “Light” from Next to Normal performed by Mickenna Desroches, Amanda Henry, Emily Boy, Christian Van Splunteren, William Pobiack, and Paris Walkins
- Solo musical theatre piece “In My Dream” from Anastasia performed by Ellison Howard
- Solo musical piece “Different” from Honk performed by Emma Sanchez
- Costume design for Mount Olympus by Isabella Nordone
- Costume design for Macbeth by Layna Lowe
- Playwriting by Alana Rutigliano
- Duet acting piece from Hamlet performed by Nico Barreiros-Plata and Dylan Saito
- Contrasting monologues from Macbeth and The Revolutionists performed by Maya Quintana-Burgess
- Makeup design for Cabaret by Un Ange Leslie.
The competition also resulted in a very impressive number of Superior ratings, which are the highest level of award.“We worked really hard to prepare for this, and I couldn’t be happier with the results!” said junior, Avery Patterson.
- Small group musical piece “She’s In Love” from The Little Mermaid performed by Avery Patterson, Valentina Clemente, Julia Lopez, Agustina Molnar, Olivia Gonzalez, Maya Quintana-Burgess, and Kate Turner
- Solo musical theatre piece “Good Girl Winnie Foster” from Tuck Everlasting performed by Olivia Gonzalez
- Solo musical theatre piece “The Life of the Party” from Wild Party performed by Avery Patterson
- Solo musical theatre piece “Already Gone” from 1660 Vine performed by Victoria Mendez
- Small group acting piece from The Revolutionists performed by Avery Patterson, Paris Walkins, Maya Quintana-Burgess, and Julia Lopez
- Small group acting piece also from The Revolutionists performed by Anaelle Jean-Jacques, Rebecca Hilbert, Valentina Clemente, and Karina Gallagher
- Contrasting Monologues from Antigone 3021 and The Semi Amazing, Sort-of Sensational, Almost Unbelievable Christmas Spectacular performed by Dylan Saito
- Duet musical theatre piece “It Takes Two” from Into the Woods performed by Cody Straka and Juli Bohm
- Pantomime entitled “Dreamageddon” performed by Juliana Bohm, Cody Straka, Cole Christianson, and Ethan Schaefer
- Solo musical theatre piece “Moving Too Fast” from Last Five Years performed by Cole Christianson
- Presley Dean’s directing piece from Medea performed by Ethan Schaefer and Avery Patterson
- Solo musical theatre piece “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret performed by Kate Turner
- Duet musical theatre piece “Only Us” from Dear Evan Hansen performed by Cole Christianson and Victoria Mendez
- Duet acting piece from Macbeth performed by Cody Straka and Juli Bohm
- Prop Construction for Macbeth by Rebecca Hilbert
- Contrasting Monologues from Macbeth and Death of a Salesman performed by Cody Straka
- Solo musical theatre piece “When He Sees Me” from Waitress performed by Julia Lopez
- Makeup design for Macbeth by Avery Patterson
These performances demonstrate the strong collaboration and storytelling skills of STA students. Students were also recognized for their amazing directing and prop construction which played a key role in the performances. In addition to all these very impressive ratings that students received, Julia Lopez stood out by receiving a perfect score and an Honorable Mention for her solo musical performance of “When He Sees Me” from the musical Waitress , and Un’Ange Leslie received an Honorable Mention for her Makeup Design for Cabaret, while Avery Patterson received a Critics Choice award for her extremely impressive Makeup Design for Macbeth. Overall, the Thespian competition highlighted STA students’ hard work, creativity, and passion. Through this amazing showing, students have proved their commitment to theater, which only continues to keep growing overtime, and succeeding on a competitive stage.
Each school can only advance six of the Superior scoring events to the state competition. The pieces that will represent STA at the State Competition in Tampa are:
Small group musical piece “She’s In Love” from The Little Mermaid performed by Avery Patterson, Valentina Clemente, Julia Lopez, Agustina Molnar, Olivia Gonzalez, Maya Quintana-Burgess, and Kate Turner
Small group acting piece from “The Revolutionists” performed by Avery Patterson, Paris Walkins, Maya Quintana-Burgess, and Julia Lopez
Contrasting Monologues from Antigone 3021 and The Semi Amazing, Sort-of Sensational, Almost Unbelievable Christmas Spectacular performed by Dylan Saito
Duet acting piece from Macbeth performed by Cody Straka and Juli Bohm
Solo musical theatre performance of “When He Sees Me” from Waitress performed by Julia Lopez
Makeup design for Macbeth by Avery Patterson
