Thespian Troupe #6172
PAST UPDATES from AGES YORE


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Old and dusty Previous Updates from April '05 - December '07, presented for your awe and amazement.

(NOTE - Links from "Past Updates" are NOT updated, and may be obsolete)

12/30/07
My server provider, uplinkearth.com suffered a virus attack that implanted viruses in most of its customers' web pages.  I am reloading every single file from scratch tonight.  That should fix any problems anyone has had with our Troupe Site.
12/23/07
It's WINTER BREAK!   Enjoy the time off.  : )
12/20/07
Blah, I almost made it to the end of the semester without a sick day.  I'd like to thank everyone who came to school with a cough, sore throat and achy body over the last week, for making this illness possible. *hack* *cough* *ow*   If I don't happen to see you in school tomorrow (either I'm still sick, or you're heading out to break early with an excused absence) have a Happy Winter Break.
12/17/07
TROUPE NEWS (Wesley Chapel)
With our beloved President, Mary, in India for three weeks, Vice-President Jessica Olarte was sworn in as President 'pro tem' for the duration.  Acting President Olarte's first action was to immediately suspend the Troupe Constitution and declare herself "Dictator for Life."  Acting President Olarte released this statement via her Press Secretary earlier this morning,
"We must all act swiftly in order to secure our Troupe's borders in this time of fear and uncertainty.  I have already advised all airlines NOT to return President Powell to the United States due to the ever-present danger of rival troupe attacks.  At this time, I have ordered Troupe 6172 troops to the 300 Hallway border to establish a first line of defense in the event of an invasion from any troupes attacking from the West.  I hope you'll join me in wishing President Powell the best in her new, permanent home in India.  It is just too dangerous for her to return."
When asked when President Powell might return, and the Troupe constitution re-established, "Dictator for Life" Olarte responded, "When the crisis is over.  Didn't you listen to anything I said?  What's your name?  I'm writing it down.  I'm writing it!"
 
In other news, pictures for the Winter One Acts are now posted.
12/12/07
This just in.  Wednesday is 12/12, not 12/13.  I had intended for the deadline to be Wednesday - but due to my utter ineptitude at reading a calendar correctly, registrations will be accepted through Thursday.  This should take care of anyone who missed registration through no fault of their own.
 
Also, I'm still working on One Act pictures.  Each has to be imported separately, then scaled down to fit our server side, added to the clickable photo gallery, and captioned.  There are LOTS of pictures.
12/9/07
DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR DISTRICTS!! 
DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 13, 2007!! 
NO LATE REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED!!
 
See which competitors are model Thespians and have already signed up , and who is diabolically slacking until the last minute in a well-timed attempt at giving Mr. G a heart attack from stress.
12/5/07
District Competition auditions for contested events finished today.  Thank you to EVERYONE who braved the audition process!  Check out the master list of events to see who has finished their Districts Registration, and who has not.
12/3/07
Signup for Districts Competitions 2008 is now complete.  See who signed up!  I think I may have forgotten to copy down the Small Group Musical acts off of the signup board at school.  I'll double-check and add any of those in tomorrow.  NOTE: If you were funny enough to leave a student-created scene untitled, I created a scene name for you. 
 
Contested events: Monologue, Duet Acting, Solo Musical.  If you have enrolled for one of these events, you must earn the right to represent our troupe at District Competitions!  The top 5 acts in each slot will advance to Districts.
 
Drops & Changes : "Changing Your Mind" Amnesty
If you have registered for an event, you may
 
·         DROP any event
·         CHANGE the TITLE for an uncontested event
 
AT NO PENALTY provided this is done by 2:00pm Monday December 10, 2007.
12/1/07
Points page is updated.  Individual member pages are updated.  Prospective Members page is updated.
 
Still to do : create new pages for new members; One Act pictures with captions.
11/28/07
Welcome new Troupe 6172 Thespians : )  If you missed our meeting today, please pick up your Competitions signup packet in Room 229.  Our Thespian Calendar now reflects that our Large Group Musical event has been cancelled.
11/26/07
I won't be in school today.  When I went back to Massachusetts for my Reunion, I found that my grandmother was really, really sick and in the hospital.  I spent the three days there by her hospital bed.  She died on Sunday.  I'll need a little extra time to get back to "okay."
11/21/07
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  I'll be heading back home to Leominster, Massachusetts for my 20th High School Reunion this Thanksgiving Break.  I am thankful for all of you this year, and for our ability to somehow work really, really hard and have a really, really good time with each other doing it.  I won't be updating the site until after I come back - but when I do, I'll be tackling: individual member pages, and importing/captioning Cailyn's great pictures from the One Acts.
 
Have a great break, relax, and then come back ready to work on District Competitions!!
 
PS: The One Act was a star-studded event, too!  There were lots of Drama/Thespian alumni sightings at our One Act, including: Wes Ford ('07), Katy Jacobs ('06), Sean Davies ('06), Rachel Joyce ('02), Jon Blacklidge ('06), Stephen Hopkins ('07), Bobby Petitt ('07), Katie Gardner ('07) and Rachael Freeman ('07).  It was also nice to see Johora Ramotar ('07) and Marissa Moran ('06) drop by after Unity Day yesterday!
11/18/07
The Winter One Acts are now over.  Well done to all 73 students involved in our production, and THANK YOU to all of the audience members, family supporters, and community sponsors who made our performance possible!  Let's all take a nice, deep breath as we enter Thanksgiving Break next week.
 
When we come back, it'll be time to get ready for District Competitions!  That's right, the sign up board is back up on the Set Room door in the Drama Room.  Sign up for your favorite Competition event!  The Points page has been updated to reflect One Act performances.
 
As soon as I can get Cailyn's photobucket site to work for me, I'll sort through the pictures, select some, apply some poignant captions, and post them here!
11/12/07
The Winter One Act Festival is this week!  Let's put on a great show!
 
Tickets are only $5.00 ($3.00 for children under 12), and will be on sale in the Cafeteria during school, and at the Theater Box Office on the nights of the performances.  We'll be putting on two shows, 7:00pm Thur 11/15 and Fri 11/16.
 
We have also officially announced that our Spring Play will be "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller.
11/4/07
Two more tech competition scripts have come in, completing our WCHS library of 2008 Technical Event titles.  If you are planning on entering: Costume Design, Scene Design, Publicity Design, or Student Directed Scene you should check one of these scripts out!  Three copies of each script are available in Room 229 on a first-come, first-served basis.  You may check out up to two titles at any one time.
 
Complete list available:
NOTE: You may select one of the 2008 Musicals for Costume, Scene or Publicity Design, but you will be responsible for finding your own copy of the script and score.  (Steel Pier, Sweet Charity, Bat Boy)
11/1/07
The Points page has been updated to include Fundraising and Showcase!  Individual member pages will be updated soon to reflect these points.
10/31/07
Here are the links to two plays I'm considering for our Spring Play.  We talked about them at our Thespian Meeting tonight!
 
Temporary Heroes (David-Matthew Barnes)
The Bloody Attack of the Evil, Demonic Giraffe Puppet (Bradley Walton)
 
Another play to consider, that has that kind of "dramatic impact" opportunity we may be looking for, as well as "name recognition" is a story of a society where conformity has gone horribly wrong, and a simple accusation can eliminate your rivals:
The Crucible (Arthur Miller)
 
And another, a gentle drama about a man whose best friend is a six-foot tall invisible rabbit named "Harvey" that no one else can see.  His sisters think he's crazy and try to have him committed to an asylum.  The question the play asks is: what is normal?  This play was made into a movie starring Jimmy Stewart.
Harvey (Mary Chase)
10/29/07
Four of the Tech scripts for Competitions this year have arrived.  I have three copies of each play available for checkout.  Just check with Mr. G in Room 229!
Also, thank you to all of our Showcase performers today.  We had a wonderful in-class show!
10/16/07
Crew has been selected for the Winter One Act 2007.  Thank you to everyone who was interested in working backstage!  : )
10/15/07
The Fundraising page reflects all moneys brought in for the 2007-08 Donation Season.  Thanks to all who fundraised for our troupe!  I appreciate your time, dedication, and willingness to approach complete business strangers and ask for sponsorships for our troupe.  This money will go a long way towards making plays and competitions available to all students, regardless of their economic background.  It will also help to establish good business relationships with our community.
 
Thank you!
 
Fundraising 07-08 total: $2,215.00.
10/11/07
The Winter One Act 2007 page has been updated to include casts announced this week in Acting 1, 2 & 3 classes!  Fundraising will get a final update tomorrow with our 2007 total.
10/7/07
Cast for "15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play" is now posted.  Casting for "Reservations" and "The Booby Trap" will be announced this week.  Since these are "in-class" rehearsals and casting, there will be no specific audition for these parts. 
 
Time is ticking down for our Annual FUNDRAISING!  Check out our Fundraising Leader Board, which is updated through this weekend.
10/3/07
Designers and Cast are now announced for "The Love of Three Oranges."  That part of the "Winter One Act Fest 2007" page is now active.
 
SPECIAL : All alumni members of the April 2004 cast of "The Love of Three Oranges" will be admitted FREE to this first re-imagining of this "guided improv" commedia dell'arte piece!  Be ready for a brand new cast, and a new way of retelling the story you created almost 4 years ago!!
10/2/07
Fundraising Leader Boards page updated.
10/1/07
Fundraising is due in NINE DAYS!  As it is now, our trip to States will be a trip to the vending machines (bring your own $1.00 for soda).
 
One Acts are Announced officially:
Drama 1 : 15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play (Alan Haehnel)
Acting 1 : Reservations (Lisa Rand)
Acting 2 & 3 : The Booby Trap (Ed Monk)
Thespians (after school) : The Love of Three Oranges (Carlo Gozzi)
 
Also, congratulations to Lauren Vanhelden ('09) who has been selected as our Winter One Act Stage Manager!  Our Designer team will be announced tomorrow.
 
Our Secretary, Josh, has added another gem to his continuing series of "Crazy Thespian Meeting Notes No One Can Make Sense Of."  Check it out, but if you go blind or crazy, don't blame me for it.
 
Oh, I also just got notice of my 20th High School Reunion in the mail.  Cool!  So, all evening I've been going on a huge trip down memory lane.  I hope that our time together creates some really great high school memories for you to take away when you get "all grown up" and move on.  So yeah, I updated my classmates.com profile to include my pictures then and now.  So, in the spirit of full disclosure, I've included one of my pictures from the 1987 LHS yearbook on my sponsor page.
 
Minor update: Appearance of the Members page has been improved for readability.  Inactive members (moved to another school) have been removed.
9/26/07
Audition materials for the Drama I One Act, "15 Reasons Not to Be In a Play" by Alan Haehnal will be available in Mr. G's room (Room 229) by 1:45pm tomorrow.  You must be currently enrolled in a WCHS Drama I class to audition.
9/24/07
Leadership Opportunity
I am now looking for a Stage Manager for our Winter One Act production!  The Stage Manager will be responsible for: helping to run auditions, assisting in directing our One Act rehearsals (Thespian One Act, and then either Acting 1 or Acting 2 & 3), and running the show from the Stage Manager booth on the nights of our performances on November 15 & 16th.  Please see Mr. G if you are interested in this unique directing opportunity!
 
Also Needed: Set Designer, Props Master, Costume Designer, Makeup Designer, and Light/Sound Designer.  No previous experience is necessary, but is helpful.
 
It's official!  We are bringing back WCHS' most hilariously fast-paced comedy to date: "The Love of Three Oranges" for our Thespian One Act performance!  This time, we have a BRAND NEW CAST with brand new tricks up our sleeves.  Let's see how 4 years of wisdom and comedy know-how have sharpened our production abilities!
 
Auditions will be held Wednesday October 3, 2007 from 2:00-3:30pm.  Audition materials are now available from Mr. G in the Drama Room.
 
The Thespian Calendar has been updated with a finalized rehearsal calendar for the One Acts.  The side navigation link has been enhanced to show the last date the Calendar was updated.  This should make it easy to tell at a glance if anything's been changed recently.
9/20/07
A brand new site feature: the Fundraising Leaders Board is now posted! 
 
Fundraising drives our events each year.  Fundraising is what makes Drama possible for everyone in our troupe to afford to put on plays, and go to competitions.  Troupe 6172 is proud to be entering its EIGHTH year without requiring dues of any of its members; this makes it possible for every student from every walk of life to live out their performing dreams.  So, for those of you who've already hit the Fundraising, THANK YOU!  To every one else, let's roll up those sleeves and get fundraising! 
9/16/07
I have posted a Thespian Calendar for all of our Rehearsals for the upcoming Thespian year!  This includes rehearsals, workshops, competitions, and performances. 
 
I think that each year, we start the year raring to go and ready to load up our schedule with events.  Those of us who have been through a whole season before, though, know that what we're in right now is just the "calm of the storm."  For example: After October 1st, we have 54 scheduled days and 1 unscheduled day (not counting the week of Thanksgiving Break).  When we come back from Winter Break, we have 1 unscheduled day until April 18th (our Spring Play's closing night).  On several days, we have more than one event meeting during the day and/or after school.
 
So, I've been trying to figure out why I'm reluctant to enter our Troupe into the One Acts Competition this year.  I've been listening to your feedback, and sifting past through my experiences of our past eight years as a Troupe and think I've found out why that is.
 
I think our urge to bring our One Act to competition comes from a desire to "prove ourselves."  While this cooperative competition is useful, our calendar already has two major scheduled events where we come together in competition: Us against The Judges.   (Feb 2 IEs, May 1, 2 & 3 States)  With the death of the Homecoming Carnival, what we really don't have is a special Thespians-only event where we just get together and entertain people.  No judges, just an audience in front of us.  Rehearsal and preparation time dedicated to entertaining, not scoring well on a sheet.
 
Look, I want us to be amazingly awesome and respected.  There are lots of dates blocked out for Workshops and Competitions this year.  My stated goal for this year is to "FILL THE WALL."  I want us to absolutely nail every detail and win Superiors left and right at Districts, and I want lots of students earning the right to compete at States.  I'd even like to paint someone's name on the wall in that one spot I have reserved for "States Critics' Choice."  I am not afraid of challenge; I embrace it every single year that we go out there to a strange place, in front of theater professionals with loads of credentials, and perform our butts off for a score.
 
We already have a full year.  Let's try this year out with a balanced approach: Time for competing, and time to spend together.  Let's spend a year without so many events stacked on top of each other that we're desperate for it all to end by the time we hit March because we've already used up everything we have.  Let's focus on the quality of our competed events, not their quantity.  Let's push ourselves to succeed, but remember why we became Thespians in the first place.  We love performing.  Let's make plays and movies together and make those the main centerpiece of our year together, not our auditions for a Superior.
 
That said, I have decided not to enroll our Troupe in the One Acts this year.  It may help you to know that several other troupes have come to the same conclusion, too over the years: only 4 schools out of the 14 in our District competed in the One Act event last year.
 
If you have any questions, or feedback, or would like to talk about this please feel free to chat with me anytime in the Drama Room!
9/2/07
We had our Thespian Meeting on Wednesday.  If you didn't go, make sure you pick up your Fundraising Packet for this year!!  Fundraising is due back by October 10, 2007.
 
We also announced 4 tentative One Act picks for this year:
15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play (Drama 1)
Reservations (Acting 1)
The Booby Trap (Acting 2 & 3)
Judgment Day (Thespians, if we go to Competitions)
The Still Alarm (Thespians, if we don't go to Competitions) -- script available in Mr. G's room.   Not suitable for One Act competitions, as fog/smoke special effects are specifically banned in the competition rules.
 
Thespians are also encouraged to check out the Competitions section of this site.  Individual Events will be on us BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.  Find out what the big to-do is over this unique opportunity: read firsthand advice from Thespians who have gone before you, and see the online walls of fame for each of the events YOU could be entering this Winter.
 
UPDATE 10:30pm : I just got an e-mail from David LeMaster, the author of "Did Someone Say, Murder?", who had just looked through our production's pictures.  He said we did "a fabulous job!" and asked our troupe's permission to use our pictures on Brooklyn Publishing's website.  I said yes : )
8/27/07
Thespian Meeting this Wednesday from 2:00-2:40pm.  Please wear your black & white "Proud to Be a Thespian!" T-shirt.  : )
 
UPDATE: I've just figured out that Wednesday is also Picture Day.  If you'd like to wear your shirt on Thursday or Friday, that'd be fine too!  I'll be wearing mine on Friday for the Wildcat Spirit Day.
8/20/07
A fond farewell to those Thespians who have moved on to other schools this year: Kim Morin ('09) and Fauve Wilson ('09) to Wiregrass Ranch HS; Chelsea Butts ('08) to Gaither HS; and Margie Williams ('08) to Land O' Lakes HS.  Good luck, we'll miss you - and remember, you're Thespians for life!!
8/18/07
A big THANK YOU to Lindsay Hail ('10), Kali Vansweringen ('10) and Christoph Revelia ('08) who came in this week to varnish the Drama Room stage.  It really looks shiny and brand new.  Thank you for your hard work - it really makes the room!
 
The Points Board has been reset for the 2007-08 school year.  Points have been added in for the Drama Room Reconstruction.
8/9/07
Thank you to all of the Thespians and Drama Room Afficionados who came out to our 2007 Drama Room Reconstruction!  Andrew Garces ('08), Lindsay Hail ('10), Vice Prez Jessica Olarte ('08), Kelsey Loynaz ('08), Chanteau Knight ('09), Secretary Josh Dohmann ('08), Alex Reuille ('10), Prez Mary Powell ('08), Cailyn Quevedo ('08), Susan Belliveau ('08), Megan Russell ('08), Kim Morin ('09) and special guest Alum Stephen Hopkins ('07) came out to move stuff around and shine our room up!
 
We ended up repainting the whole stage - meaning it needs to be re-varnished.  I'm looking for two people with about 45-60 minutes available early next week to come in and make it look all beautiful.  Any volunteers?
 
UPDATE: Thank you to Lindsay Hail ('10) and Christoph Revelia ('08) who volunteered to varnish the stage on Tuesday from 2:00-3:00! 
8/6/07
I still need a few more Thespians for our Reconstruction Day!  A lot of effort goes into making our Drama Room look nice for all of us each year and we need a lot of hands to make it happen.   Help!
 
UPDATE: We now have enough people volunteering.  Thanks!!!!!
8/2/07
Drama Room Reconstruction Extravaganza Wed Aug 8 12:00-1:30
Prepare to be AMAZED at the FUN you'll find on August 8th from 12:00-1:30!
THRILL to repainting the STAGE and STAIRS!
GASP in amazement as desks SLIDE into place for the start of the new year!
REVEL in glee as bookcases and paper supplies are FILED NEATLY!
WATCH as the room becomes assembled signaling the START OF A NEW DRAMA SEASON!
 
VOLUNTEER for this once-a-year opportunity of a lifetime!!  Send e-mail to Mr. G to confirm.
(Worth 1 Thespian point.  This is our annual sneak preview of the new school year!)
 
Spread the word!!
 
Confirmed Reconstruction Volunteers as of 10pm 8/7/07
Andrew Garces ('08), Lindsay Hail ('10), Vice Prez Jessica Olarte ('08), Kelsey Loynaz ('08), Chanteau Knight ('09), Secretary Josh Dohmann ('08), Alex Reuille ('10), Prez Mary Powell ('08), Cailyn Quevedo ('08) and Susan Belliveau ('08)
7/30/07
Summer break=awesome.  I mean, really.  What better way to spend your hard-earned vacation than watching EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" back-to-back in a marathon?  Yow!
 
Right around now each year I get a letter from WCHS telling me what our schedule looks like for our pre-planning week.  Once I get that schedule, I'll post for our long-awaited Drama Room Reconstruction Day!!  Revisit old fellow Thespians, move desks, paint stairs, and fix up the ole Drama Room so she's ready for another year of Drama amazingness.  It's all coming up SOON!
7/15/07
Well, that was a very relaxing month off!  Went on a cruise to the Caribbean, and generally bummed around doing very little.  But now, the ole urge to put on some good Drama is getting bigger and bigger.  I'm scouting plays for next year!
 
If you know of any Full-Length or One Act play that might be good for us, let me know!  In August, before school starts, our Exec Council and I are going to get together and look through some different scripts.  If you have an idea, make sure your voice is heard.  Restrictions: For full-length plays, I'd like at least 10 characters.  Also, gender-flexible casts are the best to work with.  I can't have a full-length script with more male characters than female - we just don't have that population at this time.
6/16/07
Added in "Next Year's Season" to the sidebar navigation, just to generate a little bit of extra excitement about the upcoming year.  Woo hoo!
 
Also, I'd like to acknowledge that the last crossword puzzle on auditions is, yes, very unfairly difficult.  But really, you have lots of spare time to figure it out, right?
6/15/07
Made a new crossword puzzle!  Every answer is a term that has to do with that highly emotional event every actor has to deal with : The Audition.  English is a funny language though, as you'll see with the challenging clues to each Audition Word.  Enjoy!
 
In the spirit of the Auditions Crossword, I have also resurrected my old Audition Advice page from the old site.
 
Also, our new Secretary, Josh Dohmann ('08) wrote up Secretary Notes for the first meeting of our new Executive Council.  Check 'em out.  And if they make no sense at all, why not email Josh to find out what the notes actually mean?
6/5/07
Made a new crossword puzzle about Competitions.  All of the information you need to solve the puzzle is somewhere on this site!
 
Also, improved the appearance and functionality of the sidebar navigation.  I also made the "All About Thespians" area a little easier to understand for first-time readers.
5/31/07
6172 page updated with 4 new entries.  I've gotten two positive feedbacks on the Crossword so far, so thanks to Chanel & Alex!
5/29/07
Summer Fun Pictures!  Make the numbers 6172 in a new and creative way and get your pic published!  See our 6172 page for more details.
 
Added in a Crossword Puzzle that I made, based on Thespians trivia!  If you like it, send me an e-mail.  If I get enough positive feedback, I'll make another one.  Maybe.  I dunno.  It's Summer, ya know?  (( goes back to bed ))
 
       NOTE: All of the answers are somewhere on this site!
 
Added a new link to my self-indulgent Favorite Movies page, a listing of movies I just happen to like.  The old link was only accessible from the Drama Classes page.
 
And okay, you knew the time was coming .......... the recently graduated Class of 2007 has been given their own page, Legacy 2007.  The Member page and the Points Page now reflect currently active WCHS Thespians.  For those of you who graduated: although you're not on the Active List anymore, remember that much like some sinister, cultlike crime organization - you're part of the Thespian Family for life!!! 
 
Improved the functionality of the Points Page further.  You can now click on anyone's name and see their web page pop up.  (With the exception of 2001 & 2002 Drama Award recipients who graduated before I started this site)
5/25/07
Minor updates to some pages for accuracy.  Made this page the top index page for surfing ease.  Reformatted indexes for Legacy pages to make them easier to search through.  Deleted archive '05-06 Drama class pages which were previously accessible if you knew the URL, to preserve server space.
 
Yea, it's all about as exciting as it seems when I explain it.
 
Added in States 2007 pictures, taken by Jessica Olarte ('08).  Added in member pictures for the Thespians who were recently inducted.  Updated member pages to reflect point changes due to Drama Classes and/or Senior Showcase.
 
Updated points page.  Also improved the Points Page functionality : you can now click on any name in the Top Twenty of All Time to jump immediately to their web page!
5/13/07
Updated pages for new members.  New pictures will be forthcoming!
5/8/07
Just a quick note that I will be doing a final end-of-the-year update soon.  Please email any corrections to web pages to me!  New members will get their own pages, too.   For Seniors, I'll be printing out your web page and asking you to make any final corrections, as well as your answer to a new survey question: "What is one final thought or piece of advice you'd like to leave behind?"
 
As a note for all new Thespians, this is a one-man-run volunteer site that I make with my free time.  Updates are made sporadically, as the whim and time strikes me.  For a reasonable guess as to the timeline, feel free to check out our archive of past updates to get an idea.
5/2/07
Good luck to all of our graduating Seniors.  And welcome to all of our new Thespians. 
 
This has been a wonderful four years filled with powerful memories.  For those of you interested in a copy of my farewell slide show that I showed at our Thespian meeting can feel free to download it.  : )  (size 13.3MB, right-click and choose "Save Target As").
4/30/07
Congratulations to Josh Dohmann ('08) who was elected our Secretary-Publicist for 2007-08! 
 
Our induction/awards/new officer/graduation ceremony is THIS WEDNESDAY from 2-3pm.  All new, current, and graduating Thespians must attend!  We'll have scenes from our incoming and outgoing officers, awards, pizza and ice cream.
 
LOOKING FOR PICTURES FROM STATES!  Mail 'em in!
 
Thespian Miranda Ross ('08) would like to invite anyone interested to her Entertainment Revue, a song and dance performance.  It takes place at 5:30pm Sunday May 16, 2007 at Jefferson High School.  Tickets are reported $15.00.
 
Prospective Thespians has been updated, as has the Member List.
 
The Points page has been updated to show Officer points, and Drama/Acting class points.  I checked "Final Year" averages as accurate through this afternoon.  New members about to be inducted have also been included.  Without any further corrections, these will be our Final Points for the 2006-7 year.
4/27/07
There will be a RUNOFF ELECTION for Secretary-Publicist.  None of the seven nominees received a majority of the votes.  A runoff election between the two highest vote getters (in alphabetic order): Josh Dohmann and Kelsey Loynaz will be held Monday.  If you are not in school tomorrow, you may vote by email, provided it is received before 2:00pm April 30, 2007.
4/26/07
Congratulations to Jessica Olarte ('08) who was elected our Vice-President for 2007-08!  Elections for Secretary-Publicist will begin tomorrow morning, and run through 2:00pm.
4/25/07
There will be a RUNOFF ELECTION for Vice-President.  None of the eight nominees received a majority of the votes.  A runoff election between the two highest vote getters (in alphabetic order): Karly Muzik and Jessica Olarte will be held tomorrow.  If you are not in school tomorrow, you may vote by email, provided it is received before 2:00pm April 26, 2007.
4/24/07
Congratulations to Mary Powell ('08) who was elected our President for 2007-08!  Elections for Vice-President will begin tomorrow morning, and run through 2:00pm.
 
A special "Hello" goes out to Thespian Andrew Garces ('08) who called in to vote from the hospital today.  Our great democracy salutes you, sir!!  And get better quickly : )
4/23/07
There will be a RUNOFF ELECTION for President.  None of the nine nominees received a majority of the votes.  A runoff election between the two highest vote getters (in alphabetic order): Jessica Olarte and Mary Powell will be held tomorrow.  If you are not in school tomorrow, you may vote by email, provided it is received before 2:00pm April 24, 2007.
 
Points are now updated to reflect States attendance and performance.
Member pages are now updated as well to reflect States.  Competitions pages now reflect States achievements.
 
Please send in States Pictures for our site!  I know there are about a billion of them out there : )
 
Tech Selections for 2007-08 are now announced.
 
Tech Event Script List for 2007-08
All tech events (except Playwriting) must be chosen from a certain list of plays.  This list changes every year.  The State Board of Directors chooses this list.  They post a new list after each States Festival on the Florida State Thespian web page.  Students may NOT direct the Musical Theater choices for Student Directed Scene.
 
The 2007-08 tech selections are:
4/21/07
Yesterday's results ...
Irene Mincuzzi, "Superior" Publicity Design!
Wes Ford & Stephen Hopkins, "Excellent" Duet Acting!
 
Final results : 1 Superior, 2 Excellents, 0 Goods, 0 Fairs, 0 Poors.  And, at least one judge in EVERY one of our events scored our Thespians as Superior.  Great job, lots of fun ... and lots of sleep to catch up on.  Zzz....
4/20/07
This just in ... Congratulations to Kelsey Loynaz & Jessica Olarte (aka Jessikelsey) for their "Excellent" in Duet Acting for "Anything For You" including one judge who rated them a "Superior"!
4/17/07
I've been out this week, taking care of Mrs. G who was in the hospital on Monday and Tuesday.  Mrs. G had some complications in her surgery, but is all right now.  She requires a lot of care at home for really basic things, so I will not be here on Wednesday.
 
I know that some of you will be worried about how this affects States.  I am afraid that I will have to cut our Thursday trip short - and return to school by 3:00pm.  I have to bring Mrs. G back in to her doctor Thursday afternoon - and this is the only way I can manage things without outright cancelling our field trip. 
 
I had also planned to be at school at least one day this week before our Field Trip day to arrange transportation - we have three drivers (Me, Miss Taylor, Mrs. Hill).
 
I need two volunteers to drive for States on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  You can volunteer for just one day, for two, or all three.  You must be able to fit at least 4 Thespians in your car, have a clean driving record, and be fully insured.  Please email me immediately when you can verify that you can drive.
 
Also - please SPREAD AROUND THE NEWS about our shortened field trip day on Thursday.  I'm working hard to both take care of Mrs. G, and to make sure that our field trip goes on as planned, and our performers and designers who have worked so hard this year can showcase their talents.
 
Thank you. 
4/9/07
Pictures for Districts '07 are now up.  Pictures for "Did Someone Say, Murder?" are now up, too.
 
Also made about a billion updates to member pages, including 12 new pictures.  Resumes now include "Did Someone Say, Murder?" and the 7th Annual Independent Film Festival.  Check yours out!  If there's anything missing, or if there's anything you'd like updated just send me an email.
4/2/07
Happy Spring Break!  I've updated our "Past Productions" list to reflect our productions for this year.  I've also split up the list of productions into Play lists and Film Festival lists.  It's hard to believe, looking back at it, that I've already produced 22 different productions at our school since we opened.  I was going to teach English, maybe publish a school creative writing journal eventually ... wha' happened? 
3/28/07
Congratulations to the cast of "Only in Dreams" : Josh Dohmann, Wes Ford, Stephen Hopkins, Kelsey Loynaz, Jessica Olarte, and Chris Revelia -- the winners of Best Picture at the 7th Annual Independent Film Festival!  Click here for the full list of winners of every award!  Points are also updated to reflect Film Finalists, Best Picture, Individual Awards, Production Council, Host, and Live Musical Guest points.
 
It was a celebrity filled night as lots of Troupe 6172 alum came out for the Film Fest last night, including Kevin "Kolumbo" Kimble ('04), Patrick Lane ('05), Sean Davies ('06), Adrian Padilla ('06), Jon Blacklidge ('06) and Lindsay Fleming ('06).
 
In other words, I'm very tired.  At least last night, the dog next door took a break from barking his head off ... until 5:50am.  So yeah, picture updates, individual page updates, etcetera will come later ... zzzzzzzzzzzz .....
3/19/07
Judges are now announced for the Film Festival.  Also, minor cosmetic changes to a few pages.
3/18/07
"Did Someone Say, Murder?" played well this week - with lots of laughs, and thousands of plot twists.  Great job to the cast and crew!!  Pictures will be up as they come in, and I clip them up so they all fit on my little site.  Points are now updated to reflect our Spring Play.
 
At our Thespian Meeting this month, we'll be discussing among other things: Officers for the 2007-08 Season.  Come ready to learn about our officers, what the jobs mean, and how we'll be voting!
 
We'll have a brief 15-minute Film Festival Council meeting on Wednesday following our Thespian Meeting.  All council members should be ready with their sponsor names and comedy material.
 
And, be ready for our final big thing of the season : The 7th Annual Independent Film Festival on March 27th.  Woo hoo!!
3/12/07
Movies for the 7th Annual Independent Film Festival are now announced.  Click RIGHT HERE to see the entire list of nominees for Best Picture, performance awards, and technical awards.  Thank you to EVERYONE who entered their films into the contest!!
 
There will be a signup sheet on the Room 229 whiteboard for signing up for Ticket Sales for "Did Someone Say, Murder?"  Come on in and sign up to sell tickets during Lunch!
3/11/07
Updated Member pages to reflect competitions, and the 8th Annual Talent Show.
3/9/07
Updated the all-time Competition pages to reflect our Districts 2007 scores.  So many Excellents and Superiors!!!  : )
3/6/07
Added in a page for "Did Someone Say, Murder?"
 
Photographer needed for rehearsals and backstage work.  Also: Looking for old pics from Districts competitions!!
2/26/07
Online rehearsal calendar for "Did Someone Say, Murder?" added.
 
Also SET CREW meets this Wed, Thur & Fri from 2:00-4:00 each day in Room 229!
2/21/07
Points page is now updated! 
 
Pictures from Opening Night finally added to the Winter Comedy Festival picture page.
 
2/11/07
Yeah, yeah, it's been a while since the last update.  That's what happens when you're organizing States Registration, and Auditions/Crew setup for the Spring Production.  Nevertheless, I have some updated pictures on the member pages for you.  22 new member pics to be exact!
 
Upcoming updates :
That is all.
1/29/07
I need pictures from the actual One Act shows (opening or closing night) and I need pictures from Competitions.  Send 'em in, please!!
 
Audition materials for our Spring Production, "Did Someone Say, Murder?" are now available in Room 229.
 
Official rules for the 7th Annual Independent Film Festival are also available in Room 229.
1/18/07
DIfficult-to-please judges at this year's Districts have challenged us to become better performers.  In some events, NO TROUPE AT ALL earned any Superiors.  We were, however, declared an overwhelmingly EXCELLENT troupe - which is a very, very respectable score to earn.  We earned 2 Superiors, including Wes Ford and Stephen Hopkin's Critics' Choice Duet Acting scene and Irene Mincuzzi's free and easy Publicity Design - and 14 Excellents.
 
This left me with a difficult choice - which Excellent event to send to States?  I used the following criteria to arrive at my decision:
With this in mind, I cut the list down to five, then three, and then a heartbreaking two to choose from.  I finally chose Kelsey Loynaz and Jessica Olarte's Duet Acting scene to advance.  Please see our results page for the complete scoring results for all Superiors and Excellents.
 
Remember, we are EXCELLENT which is something to be proud of!  And if we commit ourselves to listening to the judges' comments with open minds and a willingness to improve, next year we will be SUPERIOR.  Congratulations on a Competition well fought.  : )
1/15/07
Competitions are coming up this Saturday!  If you have already had a Scored Workshop, this Tuesday's workshop is VOLUNTARY.  I will be doing signups on the whiteboard in the Drama Room.  If you already feel that you have a good handle on your event and enough to work on, please use that time for rehearsal instead.
 
A few small updates made to the Points Page.
1/9/07
I discovered that they've renamed our Spring production from "Dinner and a Murder" to "Did Someone Say, Murder?"  No big whoop, but it is kind of interesting.  I guess they got tired of people going to the play only to find that there was no dinner being served. 
 
I've ordered the scripts, and applied for the royalties.  Also, I've ordered us two solid, sturdy steel garment racks to replace the embarrassing "fall apart" plasticky ones we've had for years.
 
Times for the Individual Events are posted on the Drama room door.  I'll get 'em transcribed and put up here on site.
1/7/07
Added/updated a total of 21 Member page pictures.  I hope to get some new ones once I get some pictures taken DURING the performances themselves.
1/5/07
I've added in the Prospective Thespian Points page!  This page is for those students who have earned at least half of the 10-point requirement to become a Thespian.  There are links on the page to request additions or updates.
 
I've also updated grades for the first Semester, for those of you who follow that sort of thing, on ESembler.
1/2/07
Updated resumes on the Member pages.  Pictures will come later.  (Pics take up about 40% of the total amount of time needed to update the site)
 
Pictures for "Behind the Scenes" added to the Winter Comedy 2006 section.  I am looking for any pictures that any parent or friend may have taken DURING the November 30 or December 1 shows to include on that page.  Have any?  Let me know!
 
See anything missing from your resume, or have any questions?  Just let me know!  With so many Thespians, and over a hundred jobs/roles per production - I quite frequently miss a few things.  It's not you.  Really.
1/1/07
Points page has been updated to reflect all new members, and any "Thespian Point Requests."
 
New Member pages for recently inducted Thespians have been added.
 
In other news, Winter Break thoroughly rocks.
12/19/06
Coming website plans for the Winter Break :
12/11/06
Thespian Meeting next Wednesday from 2:00-2:45.  We'll be inducting new members!  Originally, we'd planned it for this Wednesday, but I'm sending out some new member invitations this week, and would like to induct everyone together.
12/05/06
Points are now updated for the Winter One Act, and the District One Act competition.  Individual detail updates to the web pages will take significantly longer.  Also, thank you to Cailyn Quevedo ('08) who took pictures for our One Acts.  I'll be getting some from her sizeable photo bucket and integrating them soon!
 
We had some great attendance at our Winter Comedy Festival, a total of 458 audience members for the two performances.  Also, there were quite a few Celebrity Alumni Thespians sightings, including Jon Blacklidge ('06), Denise Foshee ('06), Heather Johnson ('06), Tanya Follick ('06), Kevin Winterfeld ('05), Matt Frankel ('05),  Kim Howard ('06), Patrick Lane ('05) and Sean Davies ('06).  While I didn't get to say "hi" to all of you, it was nice to see you all there!
12/03/06
We're done with the One Act.  We did great.  We went to Competitions.  We got a score of "Excellent."  More later.  Now back to bed for me.
11/26/06
Looking for four stools of the same height for one of our One Acts.  They do not need to be matching color.  If you have some you can loan through next Saturday, please let me know!
11/23/06
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
11/20/06
Needed!  At least one more driver for our One Act Competition.  See Mr. G if you're on the cast or crew.  If we do not get another driver, we will have to cancel our registration.
 
UPDATE: Thanks to Rachael and Claire's moms we now have enough drivers.  Thanks!!
11/13/06
Descriptions for the Winter One Act Comedy Festival have been posted.  Thank you to Cailyn Quevedo for volunteering to take pictures of our One Act in progress!
 
Rehearsal for "The Bible in 30 Minutes...Or Less" has intensified with news that there are only four schools competing in our District One Act competition this year.  So we have a 25% chance of winning! 
 
Except that we are, um, going up against last year's winner.  And, oh yeah, the Harrison Performing Arts School where you have to audition to even get into the program.  And Mitchell.  And we have a comedy, the type of performance entry that doesn't win Academy Awards.  So yeah.  At least it isn't "Go Ask Alice: The One Act!"
11/07/06
Crew is announced for our One Act Festival.  Names have been posted on the door for a while, but I've added them to the lists online.
 
NEEDED : Picture takers for the rehearsals!  I'm looking for about a dozen from each of the four plays for rehearsal, plus a dedicated picture taker for the dress rehearsal.  See Mr. G in Room 229 if you're interested!  You must have a digital camera, and the ability to email 'em to me. 
 
I also updated the Competition guides to round out some "TBA" areas in the Advice columns, and fixed some minor formatting problems.
10/25/06
All four of our Winter One Acts are now cast!  Check out the cast lists, and our designers on its new page.  Information for crews will be out either Thursday or Friday.
 
We have ONE contested event: Duet Acting.  If you signed up for it, make sure you attend auditions on Friday 10/27 from 2:00-2:45pm.  Be on time, or risk LOSING YOUR PART.  Seriously.
10/22/06
Auditions for the Thespian One Act, "The Bible in 30 Minutes ... Or Less" are Monday from 2:00-3:30.  Audition materials are due back to Mr. G by 7:30am Monday.  Good luck, everyone!
10/17/06
One Act Competition information is now available!  See Mr. G for audition forms, rehearsal times, and other information.  Auditions will be held Monday 10/23 from 2:00-3:30 and are open to all active Thespians.
 
Many apologies too, to our new, yet-uninducted Thespians.  I am STILL waiting for our T-Shirt vendor to ship us the shirts we designed.  This is a new vendor that I am required to use by the District, and I am not pleased with their shipping delay at all.
 
Oh, and I wasn't allergic to Claritin-D.  Apparently I have some jaw thing (TMJ) maybe from doing those monster-stretching jaw exercises for every single period of the day.  Or [insert joke about Mr. G talking too much here.]  Yeah.
10/9/06
Well, this weekend I discovered that I'm allergic to Claritin-D, a really strong 24-hour allergy medicine.  Yes, that is just a little too ironic - being allergic to allergy medicine.  I've had on-and-off blazing headache/earaches, and a seriously reduced ability to sleep.  I'm told it should "run its course through my system" 2-3 days after my last dose, which takes me through Monday.  I hate being out, but I have to.
 
To all of you bringing in Fundraising on Monday - THANK YOU.  I'm going to ask that you please hold onto it for one day longer, and give it to me on Tuesday.
 
While I'm on, I'm also looking for a Stage Manager for the upcoming Winter One Act Festival.  If you are interested, please see me anytime before the long weekend coming up.
10/4/06
I know it's been a slow start to the year, with the Homecoming Carnival being cancelled.  But oh ho, boy are we about to make up for lost time ...
 
The Winter One Acts have been announced!  Check out the first 80% of each play online by following the link.  Audition materials will be forthcoming.
 
Thespian Competition One Act (open audition to all Active Thespians)
"The Bible in 30 Minutes ... or Less!"
 
Advanced Acting Class period 1 (no audition necessary, rehearsed in class)
"The Least Offensive Play in the Whole Darn World"
 
Advanced Acting Class period 2 (no audition necessary, rehearsed in class)
"Check Please"
 
Acting 1 and Drama 1 classes (open only to periods 3, 5 & 6)
directed by Miss Taylor, who taught Drama 1 last year
"Employees Must Wash Hands ... Before Murder"
 
I also now have three copies of each of the (non-musical) Tech Theater plays available for signout, for those of you willing to take on the challenge of Scene Design, Costume Design, Publicity Design, or Student-Directed Scene.  Any aspiring Playwrights are welcome to make an appointment with me at any time to talk about playwriting tips and tricks.  Play writing is my personal passion, and while I can't write your play for you, I'd be happy to talk about any ideas or developments you've got.
 
The points page is updated to reflect Showcase points.  Member pages still need to be individually updated with the Showcase entries.
9/25/06
If you haven't picked up your competitions info from the last meeting, see Mr. G today!  Also, check out our comprehensive Competitions section on this site for more information about each of the events.
 
Congratulations to Stephen Hopkins ('07) who was just elected Wesley Chapel High's Homecoming King!  Reliable word has it that our new monarch, King Stephen I, plans to dissolve Parliament and reinstate the Tea Act of 1773 in "a returne to ye properre values of olde."  He talks like that now.
 
Also, some member page updates.  And I finally finished the Legacy '06 page.
9/17/06
So Competitions are COMING UP!  Come to our next meeting to find out about all the events, advice from past competitors, meet other Thespians who want to compete, find groups, and learn how to register for your very own events!  Next meeting : Wed 9/20 2-3pm in Room 229!
 
Our Spring Play is now officially "Dinner And a Murder" (pending securing production rights).  Thanks for the suggestion, Wes!
 
Our quiet start-of-the-year is ending soon ... the good stuff is coming up!!
8/30/06
Fundraising Option: Anyone interested in working some hours with Karly Muzik ('09) can earn some serious donations for their Fundraising total.  Her and her Mom are selling "Dipping Dots" at the Home Show at the Tampa Convention Center (where we have States each year). 
 
Check in with Karly - who I see every day during 3rd period for Acting I class.  The dates she's going out are Fri 9/1 from 3:00-8:00; and Sat 9/2, Sun 9/3, Mon 9/4 from 11:00-8:00.  The vendor will donate money to WCHS Thespians, which will count for your total.  Apparently there is the opportunity to make some serious $ - so check it out!  You can even get a ride from the WC Target down to the Convention Center.  You can also write Karly at karlykorn@aol.com.  If you choose to do this, you are doing it on your own (like any Fundraising trip to see a business).  This is not a WCHS sponsored field trip.
 
Also: Bad news from the Student Council.  They have cancelled the 2006 Homecoming Carnival this September.  No gypsying for us.  : (
 
The Exec Council is currently reviewing a copy of "Dinner and a Murder" - a possible Spring Play suggested by our own Wes Ford ('07).  It looks promising - but we'll let you know after we've all read it!
8/28/06
Made a few requested changes made to member pages and the Points sheet.
8/23/06
We're off to a great start, and had our first Thespian meeting today.  If you didn't make it, please check in with Mr. G for handouts on what you missed.  Your Prez, VP and I will be going to Nature Coast Tech High School on Sep 9 to learn details about this year's competitions.
 
If you're interested in being part of the Homecoming Carnival - check in with VP Stephen Hopkins, who is heading up the Gypsy Fortune-Teller's Booth this year.
 
If you're interested in being part of a Large Group Musical entry at competitions - check in with Secretary Megan Russell, who is heading up that event this year.
 
Let's make 2006-07 a year to remember!!
8/3/06
I'm continuing to fix up the room with posters, signs, and etcetera, for the new year.  I'm getting really excited about the upcoming year!
 
Still looking for anyone who'd like to, to come help out good ole Mrs. G for a few community service hours on Monday.  You can volunteer by clicking this link! 
 
Added about 15 new pictures to the member pages.  Again, pictures take the longest to do since they require cropping and re-formatting.  Member pages now reflect the Drama Room Reconstruction, as does the points page.
 
8/1/06
Thanks to everyone who came to our 2006 Drama Room Reconstruction!  We worked hard, quickly, and got the job done.  Once I make and put up our signs we'll be ready to roll next year.
 
Calling all Thespians looking for Community Service Hours!
 
Mrs. Gaudet is looking for a few brave students to re-theme her room for the new school year.  Come paint, pretty-up, and put YOUR stamp on the ESOL Room.  We're looking both for people with good ideas, and people who are comfortable just aiming a paint brush at a wall and putting pretty colors on top of ugly ones.  Paint, redecorate, and be merry!
 
Looking for volunteers for Monday August 7, 2006 from 12:00-3:00 who are willing to wear clothes that they either a) hate and want to get paint on, or b) have already got paint on and are already resigned to getting more paint on them.
 
Please send an email here if you're interested!!
7/31/06
Thanks for signing up for the Drama Room Reconstruction!  It will be tomorrow from 1:30-3:30.  Consider it to be probably about 50% work (the first part) and 50% talking about next year (the second part).
 
Current signups : Stephen Hopkins,  Kristina Otero, Johora Ramotar, Desiree Bonilla, Katie Gardner, Londa Edwards,  Cara Dozier, Lauren Van Helden, Megan Russell, Starlett Hill, Miranda Ross, Brandon Armstrong, Mary Powell and Claire Elmblad.
 
The crisis has been averted.  I will no longer definitely put on "The Arkansaw Bear" -- although I hear it is a very popular favorite for those who've already taken Acting with me!  : D
 
Also, a big Happy Birthday goes out to my Grandma who is 87 today!!
7/27/06
/bump for the Drama Room Reconstruction
 
If I don't get enough to come, I will be forced to choose "The Arkansaw Bear" as our major Spring play.  Prevent my mad grab for power and sign up for it!!
 
DRAMA ROOM RECONSTRUCTION
1:30-3:30pm Tuesday August 1, Room 229 (the Drama Room)
Come to rebuild the Drama Room stage, do painting touchups, see old friends, set up chairs, desks, and also have YOUR voice heard about the new year!  We'll be discussing new topics like t-shirts (keep or change the design), Film Festival (what rules to change, what ones to keep), plays (which ones to do) -- and generally having a good, relaxed time hanging out with each other. 
 
Drama Room Reconstruction is also worth 1 Thespian point.  Please remember that you must earn a minimum of 5 points per year to maintain active Thespian membership.  In your final year, you must earn a minimum of 5 points to graduate with Thespian Honors.
 
If you want to be a part of the decision-making, come on out!   Please send a message to Mr. G if you are thinking about coming.
7/21/06
More pictures added to the member pages!  Also ... I'm putting the finishing touches on a message forum for our troupe.  Which should be cool.
7/20/06
Pictures added to some member pages.  Backstage pics for "Our Town" have been added to that page, courtesy of Mr. Bradley Morris (thanks!)
7/18/06
The new school year is rapidly approaching ... look for an update in the upcoming week!
6/6/06
Newly inducted members have new pages now.  Pictures (which take the longest out of everything) still need to be updated for individual web pages. 
 
I'm hoping Bradley will send me those backstage pics for "Our Town" to fill those out.  All I have now really are cast pics for it, and very few pics of our crew!
 
Class of '06 has been moved to their own Legacy Page which still needs lots o' construction.  Points page is now updated to reflect the start of the '06-07 Season.
5/30/06
It's Summer Time!  Updates will happen when they happen ... enjoy all the time off.  :o)
5/10/06
One very tearful farewell later, and our Seniors have left the building.  : (  Good luck to you all out there in the 'real world!'  Or to those of you hiding out in college for another 2-4 years, good work at continuing to avoid the real world for as long as possible.  : )
 
Welcome aboard to the phenomenal EIGHTEEN Thespians inducted at our last ceremony of the year!  It's great to have you here.  And it was equally great to have so many black & white T-shirted Thespians slightly dominating our school for one day.
 
Your new Executive Council will be meeting Wednesday to set a course for next year.  If you have anything you'd like to do or see, please talk to Johora, Stephen, Megan, or me (Mr. G) sometime soon!
 
Updates made to the Member Pages for Seniors reflecting their survey updates.  Also, added the 18 new Thespians to the Points spreadsheet and points (which takes approximately a billion years, by the way.)  "Our Town" pictures are up, too, with captions!
5/5/06
Congratulations to our ...
President-Elect for the 2006-7 Season : Johora Ramotar
Vice-President Elect for the 2006-7 Season : Stephen Hopkins
Secretary Elect for the 2006-7 Season : Megan Russell
 
Thanks to everyone who ran, and who voted over this weeklong process!
 
Make sure you come to the final, End-of-the-Year ceremony this Wednesday 5/10 from 3:00-4:30pm.  We'll be having free pizza and ice cream in recognition of our outstanding achievement at States this year.  : )
 
Points page is updated.  Member surveys for the last round of inductions are entered, with a few left over.  I still have "Our Town" pics to add in, and some random Thespian pics to add.  And, of course, all-new member pages for the FIFTEEN Thespians we'll be inducting on Wednesday!  Tons o' content to add in - so stay tuned.
5/1 through 5/4/06
Voting instructions and links have been deleted from this History.
4/28/06
INDUCTION & GRADUATION CEREMONY
3:00pm Room 229 - Wednesday May 10, 2006
4/23/06
Our Season is officially ended!  Last up this year : new Officer Elections for 2006-07, and the grand end-of-year New Member Inductions & Senior Graduation Ceremony.  I'll post the time for the Ceremony on this site, and on the Drama room door within the next couple of days.
 
Cast and crew of "Our Town" did a wonderful job.  We ended Closing NIght with a partial standing-ovation, which always feel nice.  Definite thanks go out to first-time stage manager Desiree Foley who nailed the many technically challenging cue calls on Closing Night.  We also had some celebrity sightings of Thespian Alumni, at our shows including Jaclyn Marchisella ('05), Patrick Lane ('05), Marissa Moran ('05) and Matt Frankel ('05).
 
Elections are coming up next!  Check the Drama Room door on Tuesday for information on making nominations.  We are looking for a :
 
PRESIDENT : The heart and soul of the Troupe 6172.  The President should, ideally, be a proven hard worker, with a strong sense of responsibility and follow-through.  The President should have their own ideas, and be willing to listen and adapt to others' conflicting views when appropriate.  Above all, a President must be able and willing to represent ALL Thespians, not just a small percentage or clique.
 
SECRETARY/PUBLICIST : Put simply: this person will get people to come to our plays.  Innovative, energetic, and determined, the Secretary will make phone calls, send out press releases, make posters, hand out flyers, and make community connections for our Troupe. 
 
Start thinking about who YOU think would make good leaders for our troupe!  Voting is restricted to those Thespians who have already been inducted, and who are returning to Wesley Chapel High School next year.  Nominees must also have been inducted, and be returning to WCHS next year.
4/19/06
WANTED : One Box Office worker and One Usher for Thursday and Friday night!!  6:00-7:20pm for either or both nights, and ya get to see the rest of the show for free!  (Also worth 1 Thespian point for those of you who are counting).  Please see or email Mr. G.  First come, first served!
 
FREE : Blue three-seater couch with a dramatic history.  We must lose our blue couch - set design star of many such plays as "The Boardinghouse Reach,"  "Ten Little Indians,"  and "The Odd Couple."  We have to lose it because apparently any cloth furniture is a fire hazard in our classroom.  Unlike our, um, wooden desks.  (?)  Please see or email Mr. G.   You must pick it up by Friday April 21st or it will be heaved into some random ditch (i.e. our dumpster).
 
FOUND : A cell-phone in our box office briefcase for "Our Town."  Come by Room 229 and pick it up!
4/16/06
Happy Easter!  I've finished the member pages, and made one last change to the Points Page.  Can you believe "Our Town" opens in 4 days?   Aiggghhhh!!!!!!
4/14/06
Senior pages are now updated.  Next up are Junior, Sophomore, and New Thespian pages.  The Points Page has been readjusted, as I double-check my entries on the individual pages.  Notice something missing?  Just let me know!
 
The member pages also have a sharp new look.  Meaning that with my new hard drive, I no longer have the "Century Schoolbook" font and I'm too lazy to download it.
 
Don't forget to redeem your Thespian Points for amazing gifts and prizes at a "Skee-Ball" booth in any major amusement park before you graduate!  (Stick of gum = 150 points; Color TV = 5,050 points)
4/11/06
Points page is updated.  I think there's one showcase missing from this formula.  My notes are back at school, and I'll look at re-updating after "Our Town."  Thanks to Meredith for catching the missing data!
 
Next up : Updating the member pages.  It'll take a bit.
4/6/06
States Scores Finale : 4 Superiors and 2 Excellents!
Marc Quiles ... Superior in Solo Musical!
Erin Thiele ... Excellent in Costume Design!
Jessie Moreira, Denise Foshee & Heather Johnson ... Excellent in Ensemble Acting!
Katy Jacobs & Kelly Herreid ... Superior in Duet Acting!
Claire Elmblad ... Superior in Publicity Design!
Wes Ford & Adrian Padilla ... Superior in Duet Acting!
 
This was our best showing ever at States BY FAR!
4/2/06
I just got my computer fixed and am now beginning to tackle my backlog of site updates.
3/17/06
Selections for the 2006 Film Festival have been made.
 
In total, we watched over 7 hours of film footage.  We made nominations in eleven different categories, including the coveted "Best Picture" category.  Debate is some categories was quite lengthy - even calling for some movies to come out and be watched again.  Overall, I feel that the movies we selected represent some of the best moviemaking our school has ever seen.
 
The lists you see are a composite of our evaluations - every one of us had to give up a favorite movie, or designer, or performer to make these lists.  Our original list of "Best Picture" nominees was nine movies long!!  And the argument for the final "5th" finalist slot took us twenty minutes alone.  I wish we had more time to show them all to the public - but remember, those of you in Drama classes will be seeing 'em all. 
 
Congratulations to all you nominees!  To everyone else, thank you for entering!!
 
NOTE!  Four nominated films are missing pieces of paperwork!  Creators of "Dance!" "Indian Idol" "Rarvey" and "Saved By Grace" must see Mr. Gaudet at 8:20am on Monday!!  A general amnesty paperwork extension will be held until 8:00am on Tuesday, after which point new nominations will be made to replace any film still missing any portion of their application.
3/3/06
Updated all Member Pages.  Any errors - let me know!  We're now full swing in "Our Town" rehearsals.  All movies for the 6th Annual Independent Film Festival are due by March 13, 2006!
2/24/06
Cast is announced for "Our Town."  We had auditions today with lots of great talent, and met some talented performers who sadly walked away without a part.  Thank you all for your courage, your effort, and your passion for performing.
 
Crew, and crew meetings will be posted on Friday on the Drama Room door, and here on your friendly neighborhood Thespian site too.  Designer positions will first be offered to Stagecraft class members, and then opened to the school at large should any still be open.
 
And yes, I know I still have to add One Act Fest info to individual member pages.  Points for these activities are already reflected in the Points total page.
2/16/06
Sorry I've been out a couple of days.  Mrs. G has been really sick.  I've been driving her around to get tests and taking care of her.  I'll accept Audition Forms for "Our Town" up through next Tuesday.  So, don't stress - you've got plenty of time to ask me questions & hand in stuff.  I'll also be adjusting in-class deadlines, too.  It looks 50/50 for tomorrow for me.
 
Hopefully I'll see you all tomorrow.  Thanks for understanding!!
2/15/06
There will be a mandatory meeting for all Thespians competing at States this April on Tuesday Feb 21 from 3:00-3:30 in Room 229.  This is for all performance and tech event competitors.
2/6/06
Points page is updated.  I'm also working on pictures.  They take a long time to reformat and caption.  I'm still looking for any "2006 One Act Festival" pictures - especially for "Competition Piece" - and for any from the Twicknam competition.  Pic pages are now up for One Act Festival and '06 Districts.
 
I'm also in the process of updating Member page information, and making new pics.  I'm three hours in - and about an hour-and-a-half left to go. 
1/29/06
Current Thespians going to States : Wes Ford, Denise Foshee.  All registrations are due by Wednesday.  They require parent signatures, and health insurance information - so don't delay!!
1/22/06
Unless you're afraid of too much awesomeness ... make sure you come to our FREE One Act Festival on Tuesday at 7:00pm!
 
Updated Member Pages and the Points Page.  I'm sure I made several hilarious/tragic omissions and mistakes.  Please email them to me and I'll fix 'em up.
1/14/06
This just in ... WE RULE!!
 
We shattered last year's mark of 4 Superiors and 8 Excellents.  This year we took away 12 Superiors and 13 Excellents!  I can say with great pride that this is truly our greatest trip to Districts ever, as a troupe!!!
 
I have all scores in the Drama Room for your perusal.  You can, of course, make any copies you'd like.  I will keep the originals on file for safekeeping as well as for our archives. 
 
We had a very new problem this year.  Up until now, every one of our Superiors has advanced to States.  However, this year, we had to invoke the "5 maximum Superiors" rule for Performances.  I checked the scores over carefully, and chose the five which seemed to have the best chance of earning a Superior at States.  So ... check out who is advancing to States, along with my notes.
 
Kelly Herreid ('06) and Katy Jacobs ('06) took home the Critics' Choice in Duet Acting prize!  Serious kudos go out to them for outstanding accomplishment in a highly competitive field.  Additionally, we had 5 more events where we earned "Straight Superiors" (a score of Superior from every judge) and were in contention for Critic's Choice awards in Ensemble Acting, Duet Musical, Tech Theater.
 
I'll be updating the Points, Competition Pages, and individual Member pages later to reflect our great accomplishment. 
 
Congratulations on putting Wesley Chapel High on the Competition map!
1/7/06
Rehearsal & Workshop Schedule
If you are not scheduled for a specific workshop time you MUST be spending that time rehearsing; you must stay the entire time.  You will only be workshopping for a portion of this time.  Please check in at Room 229 at 3:00pm, and check back out at 5:00pm.  You may check out at 4:40pm if you are going home by afternoon/9th grade bus.  If you have only a solo event (monologue, solo musical) - please pair up with another performer for the peer workshop experience which is a critical element to your success.
 
To streamline our workshop process, I will be doing silent adjudication for our workshops.  After each group, I will allow a 5-minute discussion period so that performers may share their observations with each other, review sample judge sheets, and ask questions.
 
For Tech workshop, I will have each Designer do a 5-minute practice presentation, and go over common questions that a judge will ask you.  You must stay for your entire time slot (3:00-3:45) or (3:45-4:30) but do not need to stay for the others.  You may use that alternate time to apply any finishing touches you wish to your design in the Drama Room, but are not required to.
 
Tue 1/10 3:00-5:00pm
3:00 Monologues & Solo Musicals
3:30 Duet Acting & Duet Musicals
4:00 Ensemble Acting & Group Musicals
4:30 Pantomime
 
Wed 1/11 3:00-4:00pm
3:00 Costume & Scene Design
3:45 Publicity Design & Student-Directed Scene
 
Thu 1/10 3:00-5:00pm
3:00 Monologues & Solo Musicals
3:30 Duet Acting & Duet Musicals
4:00 Ensemble Acting & Group Musicals
4:30 Pantomime
 
Sat 1/12 : Competition Day!
Arrive at Room 229 by 7:45am.  Late arrivals are responsible for their own transportation.  Thespians who "no show"  for their event without an amazingly good emergency reason that prevented you from calling will not be allowed in any Thespian activity for the remainder of this year - including out-of-class Film Festival entries, and "Our Town."  They will also not be allowed to compete in any competition event  next year.  Any Senior who "no shows" will not graduate with Thespian Honors.
1/1/06
Happy New Year!  I just got the schedule for IE's in my e-mail.  See you all soon!
12/28/05
Well, it's a wonderful Winter Break.  I think many of us had burnt ourselves out with our multitude of projects this year, and it's nice to have some time to recharge.  Certainly this site has seen much more frequent updates in the past.  But of course, we weren't writing a musical while preparing for a four-cast One Act show, while preparing and workshopping for IE's, and getting "Our Town" ready either, this time last year.
 
This month, we had a nice induction ceremony and welcomed 5 new Thespians to our troupe : Adrian Padilla, Rachael Freeman, Lisa Noury, Katie Gardner, and Lexi Davies. (Pictures for their web pages will be forthcoming; they always take lots more time.)  We also finished our multi-month after-school playwriting project codenamed "Presidents."
 
Next month, we'll have our One Act performance on January 24th.  It'll feature Drama I students performing "Competition Piece" under the direction of Miss Taylor; Acting I students performing Thespian Wes Ford's play "X"; Acting II & III students performing last year's Florida State Superior play "Oh About That" (by Katy Jacobs & Kelly Herreid); and our most ambitious project ever, our student-written musical, "Presidents!" written by me, Kelly Herreid, Katy Jacobs, Erin Thiele and Meredith Watt.
 
We'll be starting back up again on January 10th, and somehow cramming all of our remaining IE scene and techwork in 4 days; then blocking, scoring, and choreographing 4 one act plays 10 days later.  Then we'll start up auditions for "Our Town."  Say ... when does our next vacation start?
12/3/05
Congratulations to the performers, staff and crew of "The Mystery at Twicknam Vicarage!"  We earned our HIGHEST EVER One Act score of 'EXCELLENT' in Performance, and 'EXCELLENT' in Tech!
 
Updates to Points and Member pages should now reflect One Acts.
11/24/05
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  Enjoy the break.
11/17/05

Reminder : Performance Workshops

Individual Events

 

All Thespian competitors must attend four out of these seven dates, or you will not advance to States, even with a “Superior” score.

 

Wed 11/16/05

Mon 11/21/05

Wed 11/30/05

Wed 12/14/05

Wed 12/21/05

Tue 1/10/06*

Thu 1/12/06*

 

(* If you are a member of the Acting II & III class, you only need to attend these two workshops  for your Acting class scene, but must attend the regular 4 workshops for any other scenes)

11/6/05
Shakespeare is done!  Yay!  Thanks to the crew, and to Cast 2 : Kelly Herreid, Chad Lucas & Courtney Lemay; and Cast 3 : Rachael Freeman, Jon Blacklidge, Lindsay Fleming!
 
Put up a pictures page for Shakespeare.  I may still have more in my camera.  Also, Construction Day of the pictures for the Homecoming Carnival are up.   If anyone has any pictures of an actual performance night, send em over!
 
Also updated the points page.  Missing something, or messed something up?  It's quite possible, it's very late, and my eyes are getting blurry - just email me a correction.
11/1/05
Thanks to all of the gypsies who came out to put on our Homecoming Carnival.  Attendance was significantly lighter at the football game compared to last year.  Even so, it was pretty good fun, including getting semi-yelled at for not packing up quickly enough.  Darn all those safety pins holding our tent together!  Definite thanks to David Frankulin for saving our booth with his garage sale tent.
 
Put up a page for Districts, basically copying down the Thespian Competitions poster in the Drama Room.  Student Director Katy Jacobs auditioned today for her One Act entry, "The Mystery at Twicknam Vicarage."  Anyone else interested in putting on a One Act needs to register with me by November 7, 2005 or "Twicknam" automatically represents us at Districts.
10/28/05
Come out tonight and tomorrow for our amazing Fortune Teller booth at the Homecoming Carnival!
10/25/05
All Thespians : We are looking for ALUMINUM FOIL for our Homecoming Carnival concept.  Have any?  Bring some in, please!
10/24/05
Clearly, there is no Homecoming Carnival meeting today.  The meeting has been postponed to tomorrow, 3-4pm in Room 229.  I think we need to rethink our idea ... do we want to put our "Shakespeare" stage flats outside, exposed to the elements for 48 hours when we still have 2 shows left on November 4 & 5?  Something to think about.
 
Updated Member pages, and the Points page.  Since "Shakespeare" isn't done yet, I've pro-rated the points until the actual performance is over.  If all your duties are over then you've earned all the points.  If you haven't yet, you've earned a percentage equal to what you've already done so far.  Complicated?  Yes, but I needed a points and member page update and didn't want to wait until November 6th.
10/20/05
Two words: STANDING OVATION!  Great work!  I'd write more, but I'm swooning with a combination of exultation, relief, fatigue, and illness I've been staving off for 10 days because we couldn't lose a single day of rehearsal or intense preparation.  Let me just say: definite props go out to Cast 1: Katy Jacobs, Wes Ford, and Sean Davies.  You kicked royal "behind!" our there.  Great tech work by assistant directors Meredith Watt and Zico Tabet, and our crew of a dozen behind the scenes.
 
Thanks too, to a very live crowd including Thespian alum: Jaclyn Marchisella ('05), Marissa Moran ('05), Corey Monson ('03), Patrick Lane ('05), Frank Freeman ('05) and Rusty Gillespie ('03).  It was also nice to have a visit from alum Alex Masters ('03) during a rehearsal late last week.  It really feels like a great extended family that keeps growing!
 
In weather news, we've postponed our 10/22 and 10/23 performances because of this big hurricane thing headed our way.  New dates have already been booked.  Mark your calendars for November 4 & 5 and come out to see our show two more times, with two brand new casts!
10/16/05
Added a final Production Week schedule for everyone involved in "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)."
 
Looking for at least 6 people to come to the Homecoming Carnival meeting on Tuesday from 3-4pm.  This is a great way for anyone not in the cast of ' Shakespeare to make a big impact on our year!  If you are planning on coming, please email me.
10/10/05
OK - time to start thinking about the Homecoming Carnival on Oct 27 & 28!  We'll be making a Planning Committee who will design our booth, plan how we'll run it, find supplies, etc.  If you want in on our award-winning ways, come next Tuesday to Room 229 at 3:00!  Because this is at the same time as our Tech Rehearsal for "Shakespeare" this committee is limited only to those Thespians who are not Shakespeare Designers or cast members.
 
If you haven't picked up your Districts registration package, please do so immediately at Room 229.  Your completed package, including parent signature for your transportation release is due by November 1st.  I will also need 2-3 parents to chaperone our One Act on December 3rd (not sure of times, probably 12 noon - 8pm) and our Individual Events on January 14th (not sure of times, probably 8am - 9pm).
 
Also updated the Points page, and did minor maintenance on the Members page.
10/3/05
Rehearsals are crazy - going til 5pm every day as we march inexorably to Opening night for 'Shakespeare.  Look for information on Homecoming in the next 7-10 days on this site!  Time for me to get back to organizing crew stuff for Shakespeare, working on "Presidents!" (our one act), developing curricula for Acting 1 and Stagecraft and ... yeah.
 
Made a link for Shakespeare, and updated the Past Productions page to reflect Season Seven.
 
Don't forget to sign up for your Districts events in Room 229!  You must sign up by November 1, 2005.
9/19/05
Katy Jacobs ('06) and Miranda Ross ('08) have raised a total of $1,150 together!  Yow!!!  Everyone else, a grand total of, um, $0. 
 
Casting for our first play, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" should be finished by next Tuesday.  In Stagecraft, I'll be releasing information about the different designers and crews to shore up the Tech Theater end of the play.  It's about time for Thespians in Acting 2 & 3 class to be thinking about whether or not they are willing to put in the additional after school work it will take to make the play's Opening on October 20 the scintillating success it should be!
 
Our next Thespian meeting will be on Wed September 28, 2005 from 3-4pm in Room 229.
 
Wes sent me a bunch of movie links.  Here's the only one that didn't cause my computer to hopelessly lock up and/or lose sound while playing.  You moviemakers entering the Film Festival better get your stuff together now - here is some real cinematography at work.
 
http://www.vtfilms.com/veracityfilms/movs/EllaWEB.mov - "A Scene from 'Ella Minnow Pea'." If there were a serious movie based on the book (made by us) this would be a scene from that movie. 
9/8/05
Fundraising is at a nice, tidy $0.00 total.  Please make sure you get out and find the sponsors it takes to keep our Troupe going.  Thespians is fun, builds great skills, and provides you with a lifetime of hilarious memories and successes - but it does take this effort at the beginning of every year.  Please do your part to insure that we will be able to continue to attend Competitions, like we have for the past five years.
 
Also - extreme thanks to Zico Tabet ('06) and Jennifer Alkire ('07) who came out from Stagecraft for an event-filled trip to the Home Depot.  We got loads of lumber, and plywood that threatened to fly away from our roof.  We posted a record combined 26 injuries, including three lasting ones: a huge bruise on Zico's forearm, broken skin on Jennifer's knuckle, and finally a bizarre welt that mysteriously opened up on Zico's neck.  (????)  Thanks to you two, we'll be able to continue our work on the Drama stage.  Woo hoo!
8/14/05
I have chosen our two plays for the Spring year : "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" and "Our Town" - pending paying royalties and getting the rights to put them on.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to offer their opinion and perspective!
 
We have also received news on our dates for Districts this year : December 3, 2005 for the One Act; January 14, 2006 for Individual Events.
8/7/05
Welcome back!
Oh - and hey, my alma mater, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst is on the Travel Channel right now.  Woo hoo!
8/4/05
Our 2005-06 Season is over there to the left.  I also have the sketch of rehearsals and performances for our official Thespian Calendar '05-06.  Working in class is going to actually save us LOTS of time, thanks to our Acting and Stagecraft classes working our plays during school. 
 
For example, "Go Ask Alice" took 30 after school days, and gave us a total of 69 rehearsal hours.  Our new Fall Play (TBA) will take only 12 after school days, but thanks to in-class work will give us a total of 76 rehearsal hours!
 
I'm still tweaking the calendar, and only have the bare necessities up on the Drama side of the site.  Stagecraft - we're going to start by designing and building a stage for our good ol' Drama Room.
 
This is going to be a great year.  I can't wait to start! 
7/26/05
What is it with great movies that have hideously gratuitous sex scenes in them?  I've just watched three great movies, including "Sideways" (nominated for 5 Academy Awards, I believe) which just suddenly have these bizarrely-placed XXX scenes in them.  Running a family-type website here, I can't really recommend them.  Even though in "Sideways," Paul Giamatti has an incredible, perfectly nuanced performance, and plays off Thomas Haden Church perfectly. 
 
See, because if I recommend movies like this, although they are exemplary models of performance and writing, then someone with a high-pitched nasal voice will say, "How dare you recommend this to my son/daughter/child of whom I am a guardian?!  I am offended, sir!"  And then my whole site, and career comes down.  So, since I know Hollywood is desperate for my opinion let me say, to all of the thousands of movie producers that read this site :  "HEY!  Let's drop with the XXX that makes watching movies together amazingly awkward, and let the acting speak for itself!"  Wow, that's the most conservative thing I think I've ever said.
 
Oh yeah, and For you obsessive-types, the bare-boned schedule for the 2005-06 Season is now available.
 
Coming tomorrow, so far: Kelly Herreid, Katy Jacobs, Brandon Armstrong, Desiree Foley, Meredith Watt, Sean Davies, Stephen o'kin', and Erin Thiele.  One thing I particularly want to discuss is: How are we going to ensure 9th grader participation, with the new challenges of a 10-period day?  Come with your ideas!
7/25/05
Drama Room Reconstruction III is on!  1:00-2:30pm Thursday July 28, 2005
I need just a few Thespians to help move our furniture back into place.   Let me know if you can come.  It should be pretty low-key, low-stress, and fun.  We'll also talk about what the next year will look like.
7/20/05
The Houses keep trickling in.  (see 7/15 update)  Also, tonight, I'll be watching a special on my favorite master of comedy, Bob Newhart (8:00pm, PBS).  Bob Newhart is my hero of understated comedy - the guy who can deliver a line that is absolutely funny while being completely serious (the good old deadpan delivery).  Not doing anything?  Check it out tonight!
7/15/05
Finished reading "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" at 3:00am.  Whoo!  Saw lots of Thespians at the Barnes & Noble in Carrollwood for the midnight sale, including: Jessie Moreira, Brandon Armstrong and Wes Ford.  There were some Alumni sightings, including Jaclyn Marchisella ('05), Patrick Lane ('05), Rusty Gillespie ('03) and Libby McCleland ('03).  Rusty was wearing a Slytherin shirt, which of course, brings up the Harry Potter question: Which house would the Sorting Hat put you in?  Let me know and I'll start a little summer list right here.  And if nobody answers, well then I'll just erase all this and pretend I never asked the question.
 
Sorting Hat (in the order EMails were received)
Mr. G : Hufflepuff (and proud of it!)
Wes Ford : Ravenclaw
Zico Tabet : Ravenclaw
Mrs. G : Ravenclaw
Patrick Lane : Slytherin
Sean Davies : Gryffindor
Meredith Watt : Gryffindor
Katy Jacobs : Gryffindor
Brandon Armstrong : Hufflepuff
7/13/05
Reading up lots and coming up with tentative plans for our three new classes.  What we can do in class and what we can do after school, however, is really dependent on whether/how much I'm sharing my room with another teacher this year.  If there are no classes periods 8-10, then I can have some after-school rehearsals for plays.  If not, then I have to do lots of things in class.  Whichever way it goes, it will have a profound impact on scheduling and lesson plans within the classroom.  So - I'm going to have to wait, probably until the week before school starts, and then come up with a plan that makes sense.
 
I am REALLY looking forward to this upcoming year.  Splitting up Acting and Tech Theater is going to really allow us to do some great things.  Woo hoo!
6/30/05
Check out some films from some of our own Thespians while you're bored this summer!
 
"Heroes of the Force"
http://www.plpfilms.com/video/projects/HeroesWeb.mov
 
"Ella Minnow Pea"
http://www.vtfilms.com/veracityfilms/EllaMinnowPea.mov
6/28/05
Ahhh ... vacation.  I'm feeling human again.  Lots of time still being sunk into WoW.  The few work things I've done over the past few weeks have been over on the other side of the site - the Drama classes side.  Also, I've been watching some movies - um, I mean, doing Drama research  - some have been good,  some okay. 
 
As a note, not all movies are appropriate for all ages.  Some movies are hideously inappropriate for high school students, either by being too childish or too adult.  Check your local listings and MPAA ratings.  Don't say I didn't warn you!
Word Wars : 2 stars out of 5
Scrabble movie "doc"
Rearrange letters, what fun!
I played "QWYJIBO"
 
Dirty Filthy Love : 3 1/2 stars out of 5
O.C.D., Tourettes
Can consume, but you're still you.
Obsession is pain
 
Maria Full of Grace : 4 stars out of 5
I don't speak Spanish
But Maria does, a lot.
Thank you, subtitles.
Star Wars III: The Revenge of the Sith:
4 stars out of 5
Yoda rocks, Darth rules
The circle is now complete
Loved this much, I did
 
Birth : 3 stars out of 5
Reincarnation
Nicole Kidman's love, reborn?
Disturbing!  Yet smart

 
6/14/05
Doing something completely non-Thespianic, and taking actual vacation time.  Well, actually I'm still sitting in my chair here, but I'm off in the World of Warcraft, an online game with a cast of thousands, on a roleplaying server.  So it's kind of like acting.  Except far, far dorkier.
 
Got your own haiku review, in exactly 17 syllables?  Send it to me, and I'll put you on.  Here's another one, courtesy of my Blockbuster MoviePass.
 
White Noise : 2 1/2 stars out of 5
Static on the tube
Dead wife talking - a good thing?
Turn off the TV!
6/9/05
Updated the "Pictures" main page.  I've always hated it.  And now, I hate it less.
 
Also, moved over the Class of 2005 to their own Legacy page.  I also revamped the other legacy pages, which were (in retrospect) actually quite hideous to behold.  And, because I'm just that clever, I made my own amazing graphics addition on the Members page to get there.
 
The Points page also looks a lot lonelier with all of the graduated Thespians subtracted.  (bursts into tears)
 
Have watched three movies so far this summer (on DVD).  Here are some haiku reviews for you.
 
Meet the Fockers : 2 stars out of 5
Loved "Meet the Parents"
This should have been funny too
Cliches are just lame
 
Open Water : 1/2 star out of 5
Adrift in the sea
Hold the camera steady!
'Hob Joe' was better
National Treasure : 1 1/2 stars out of 5
The sets are clever
Too bad it's predictable
Where's the fun buried?

 
5/25/05
In the infamous words of Pierre Rutherford (Drama I showcase, 2004)
 
School is out, what?
School is out, what?
School is out school is out school is out
What?
 
Enjoy the summer.
5/20/05
Went to Graduation today which was, of course, fabulously well-organized and non-chaotic.  I was proud to see so many of our Thespians up there graduating.  The next step of life is so scary, and exciting and wonderful - so get out there and make the most of your adult life now!  I'll be working on making the Class of 2005 their own "Legacy Page" this summer.
 
On a side note, Thespian prez and "Junior Marshall" Katy Jacobs marshalled the most unruly row in the entire graduation ceremony, according to one eyewitness close to the action (me).
 
Also sighted attending the graduation day festivities were Thespian Alums Rabecca Delestowicz ('04), Corey Monson ('03), and Jessie Luczynski ('04).  Rabecca, Corey and I had one of those great conversations where you start off really strong, make a few inside jokes and then BAM you have nothing to say because actually lots of time has passed since the last time any of you have said anything to each other.   *awkward silence*  *koff*  Then you laugh about how awkward it is, then you laugh about you laughing about it being awkward, but that only takes a few minutes and then it's all awkward and silent again.  I also realized that I am probably the most socially awkward person on earth outside of the classroom.  So overall, good times.  *big awkward smile, thumbs up* 
5/14/05
Thanks to all those Thespians who came in yesterday to help cover up our concrete painting "mishaps," build shelving, reorganize the costume closet, sort out bolts and screws, clean up the workshop counter, and dissemble the hideous old bookshelf in the prop room.  While there's still plenty to be do, you got a LOT of work done!  Thanks to : Katy, Meredith, Erin, Jessie, Desiree, Kelly, Jon, Stephen, Ashley and Marc!
5/7/05
Community Theater Notice!
An Arts-In-Motion Production "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare will be perfomed for FREE at 7 pm at PHCC (near Dade City and Pasco High on Prospect Road) in room 241: Conference Room on the second floor. Come support our troupe's involved Thespians--Zico Tabet, Jaclyn Marchisella, Sean Davies, Wes Ford, Miranda Ross, Jon Blacklidge, Matt Frankel, and Stephen Hopkins!
 
Interesting fact: It is a "modern" version of the play, using the same script and language. For example, some characters wear sport jackets or Converse but still speak Old English. "Fare thee well, nymph."
 
Also : Anyone out there have a copy of the St. Pete Times that has our troupe on the front, from States?  I'd love to scan that in and put it on our site!
 
**** NOTE: Just came back from the show.  Nice job, everyone! ****
5/5/05
Thanks to all who performed in the Kaleidoscope Concert II.  It was nice to see Thespians in the audience, too.  We even had a Rusty Gillespie (c/o '03) sighting - weird new dyed haircut and all. 
 
Updated many member pages, and the Points page to include end-of-the-year grades as they stand now.  A special "woo hoo!" to Jaclyn Marchisella, who (with 122 points) is now the #1 Troupe 6172 Thespian of all time!
 
Oh, and yes.  I know some of you hate your member page pics.  I'll get to 'em when I can; editing new ones and replacing them, and coming up with those oh-so-clever captions takes time!
5/4/05
Hey - come to the Kaleidoscope concert tomorrow night at the Performing Arts Center at 7:00pm.  It's free, and you'll get to see our Music and Choral departments perform, as well as some cool Thespian Acts including :
5/3/05
Yikes!  Suddenly, there's no Club Meeting tomorrow.  So, we have to postpone the whole big End o' Year ceremony to Monday, May 9, 2005.
 
In other news, I'm updating new web pages for new members.  I'm also switching around some member pics.  And I'm updating points.  Phew!
 
4/28/05
Congrats to Kelly Herried ('06) for her election to the office of Secretary/Publicist.  Our newly elected Executive Council will be meeting after school on Friday from 2-2:30 to discuss our upcoming '05-'06 school year. 
 
Next Wednesday, May 4, we'll have our big INDUCTION and GRADUATION Ceremony.   Every Thespian must attend!
 
Thanks to Jaclyn and Sean, our outgoing Prez & VP, we have pictures from States.  What?  Your pic isn't in there?  Well, send yours in!
4/21/05
Congratulations to Meredith Watt ('06) - our new Vice President!  She won a very close run-off election to earn her position.  Meredith joins Katy Jacobs on our Executive Council.  Elections for Secretary/Publicist will take place next Monday and Tuesday.  See Mr. G for your ballot.
4/19/05
Katy Jacobs was elected President last Friday (as you probably guessed by that huge banner I had above the "Latest Updates" on Friday afternoon!)
 
There was a tie between Meredith Watt & Tanya Follick for Vice-President, so there'll be a runoff election immediately that will end by 2:00pm on Thursday.  This pushes back the Secretarial election until next week.
 
Spring Inductions, Senior Farewells, and the end-of-the-year awards will take place in the Drama Room (229) during club period on Wednesday May 4th.   All Thespians must attend!!
4/13/05
Sad news today for everyone who was in the cast and crew of "Go Ask Alice."
 
I just received an email that I'll repeat below, for you, in its entirety:
This is John Torres Cousin, I want to inform all of you that Juan or John died on March 7, 2005 in Bogota, Colombia. His mom would like to open up a website on his memory with messages from the people who knew him better, so if anyone has anything they would like to say about Juan or John that u would like for it to be on the website please let me know... u can email me back to this email or to my email which is [forward all mail to Mr. G, who will send it on.]
Thank you

Soy la prima de John Torres, quiero informarles que Juan o John murio el 7 de marzo del aņo 2005 en Bogota, Colombia. Su mama quiere abrir una pagina de internet en su memoria con mensages de las personas que lo conosieron, si alguien desea compartir acerca de el que quiera q este en la pagina porfavor denjenme saberlo.... me pueden mandar los mensajes a este email o al mio q es [forward all mail to Mr. G, who will send it on.]
Gracias
Yushi, as we better knew him, played the part of Tom.  My favorite memory is making him do that line "I'm not a doctor, I'm an intern." (Intern what?)  "International!!!!!"  over and over again in rehearsal, because he made me laugh so hard every time he said it.  He was a fine young man, filled with the spark of life, a love for laughter and theater, and he will be missed.
 
I'm sure Yushi's cousin would appreciate any pictures, or thoughts, or memories you might have.
 
-Mr. G
4/10/05
Congratulations to our STATES SUPERIORS :
Kelly Herreid & Katy Jacobs in Playwriting
Kelly Herreid in Publicity Design.
 
And to our Mime Showcase Stars performing in Ferguson Hall :
Tanya Follick & Sean Davies.
 
Special thanks from our District Chair, Lori Erickson, to all of the doorkeepers who worked on Friday.  According to the judges who worked in the Monologue and Duet Musical room, we had some of the most professional and committed volunteers working the IE rooms at the Festival.  Thanks to all of you!
 
Get your nominations in for 2005-06 : for President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Publicist.  Please make sure that the person you are nominating WANTS the job before nominating them.  Nominations are due to Mr. G by 2:00pm on Tuesday April 12, 2005.  You may see me in person, or email me with your nomination.  You may self-nominate.  One person may be nominated for more than one job.  It sounds complicated, but after all of the nominations are in, we'll have to vote for a President first (April 13-15), announce the winner, then vote for a Vice-President (April 18 & 19), and a Secretary (April 20 & 21).  You may pick up your ballot IN PERSON ONLY at Room 229 starting April 13th.
 
Also: I need States pictures!  Send 'em to me, and I'll make a wacky States 2005 memory page!
4/6/05
Any one going to States: be there by 7:00am on Thursday morning!!
 
I have added a 5th film finalist to this year's set of films.  Great filmmaking out there, Drama students!!!  It was hard to actually cut one out of this year's show.  In fact, I ended up rewatching two of them this afternoon very carefully to decide which one to pick.  So, many apologies to "He's Mine" - which had a great combination of silliness, melodramatic overacting, appropriate music choices, and actually the first successful implementation of cross-dressing I've ever seen in a film festival entry.  Huge kudos to you!  In any other year to date, you would have been a finalist.
 
Nominations for elections are due to Mr. G by TUESDAY APRIL 8, 2005.
4/2/05
Thank you to all of the students who showed great responsibility, and stayed late into the night on Friday as well (7:00pm!) : Claire Elmblad, Katy Jacobs, Heather Johnson, and Meredith Watt. Thanks to them, and others who worked throughout the day, the Festival is on.  Thanks also to TV Production editor Amy Kovacs who stayed to help. Check out details, including a second chance for movies that weren't edited, or were under-edited on the Film Festival page.
 
Also check out the information for States next Thursday through Saturday!