Sixteen of NC’s talented thespians traveled to Columbus, Georgia for a three-day theater convention over the weekend. NC’s Thespian Troupe 4225 makes this two-hour drive annually to emerge themselves in a weekend of theater-filled fun. Although always eager to attend Thescon, this year’s trip fostered more anticipation than usual, as the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic hindered the possibilities of 2021’s Thescon. This year’s Thescon constituted the first in-person conference since 2020, contrasting the past two years of online accommodations.

Annually Georgia’s Thescon attracts thousands of thespians from around the state. This weekend four thousand thespians braved the cold weather and rain as they traveled to Columbus. Umbrellas, ponchos and the warm attitudes of thespians combated the chilly weather in Columbus creating a successful weekend for all attendees. The three-day convention invited students to add to their theatrical repertoire by attending acting, singing, dancing and technical classes in addition to workshops. With seven workshops over the course of the weekend, students could tailor their itinerary to their specific interests. 

“My favorite part about Thescon has to be hanging out with some of my closest friends all weekend and rooming with them too. Not to mention, the shows at Thescon never disappoint, they are absolutely incredible,” senior honor thespian Julian Herrera said.

Columbus State University (CSU) hosted Thescon and thespians navigated their way around the beautiful historic campus that served as their home for the weekend. With five theaters and numerous mirrored dance rooms, CSU creates the perfect location to host Thescon each year. This year, in celebration of reuniting in person, Thescon staff and State Thespian Officers (STOs) stressed the importance of each other’s company. The theme “living in color” emphasized this ideal by highlighting the importance of forging new friendships and strengthening old ones. 

In an admirable effort to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Thescon enforced a strict mask policy. This policy required all attendees to wear masks in every indoor conference facility. Name badges stood out as a traditional form of safety and security for the thespians In an effort to embellish these name tags, it has become a timeless tradition to make “hug pins” to decorate one’s name tag. Decorating hug pins gives thespians a creative way to prepare for Thescon and creates the perfect opportunity to make new friends. At Thescon, introducing oneself to an unfamiliar face and asking to trade hug pins remains a common occurrence.

The realm of theater typically attracts a wide array of unique personalities. Serving as a testament to this, Thescon strives to embrace all personalities. Dancers, actors and crew members unite at Thescon as they participate in numerous workshops. Taught by a professional from each specified field, every workshop allowed participants to obtain new skills and refine old ones as they experimented with new acting and dance styles.

 Although dance and acting classes remained extremely popular, two classes stood out: “Zombie Ducks” and “Cirqueshop 2022” garnered popularity as students fought to earn a spot in each class. “Zombie Ducks” allowed students to learn the basics of sewing in a costuming mindset while simultaneously creating a fun souvenir to take home. With a plethora of unique workshops, each attendee walked away from Thescon Saturday afternoon with a different experience.

In addition to attending seven workshops, attendees watched five shows put on by other high school thespians traveling with their troupes. Allowed to choose what shows to attend, students catered the shows they watched to their interests and enjoyed the different shows boasting various plotlines.                                                                      

“My favorite part of Thescon was definitely all of the performances. Seeing people like you who aspire to achieve the same things that you do pull off these amazing performances is breathtaking. It’s everything that you want it to be and you hope you can reach that someday and I just loved getting to witness it,” senior LJ Taylor said.

As NC’s thespians boarded the bus back home to Kennesaw with sore muscles from countless dance classes, they brought new skills, hug pins and lifelong memories with them. Embarking the bus back home cultivated a bittersweet experience for seniors who attended Thescon for the final time. Underclassmen look forward to returning to Thescon next year, but until then, NC’s thespians apply what they learned at Thescon to their current theatrical endeavors as they devote themselves to rehearsing for their spring musical: High School Musical.