GRHS Theater brings home State Championship

The Green River High School Theater Department continues to not only show the talent and dedication of the students, but to beat their own records.

Over 30 students participated in this year's Wyoming State Thespian Festival, hosted at Casper College at the beginning of the month.

"Last year we set a new school record with 19 All State awards and recognitions that were given, and this year we even topped that with now 22 All State recognitions," Theater Director Bradlee Skinner explained.

Not only did they beat their own record, but the Wolves beat out the competition, taking the title of 3A State Champions. The overall win included a first-place win in 3A Arena Theater and a second-place win in 3A Devised Theater.

"We've just got amazing, amazing talent in this program," Skinner said.

The Thespian Festival

The three-day State Thespian Festival has 22 different events that students can compete in, ranging from stage acting and musical theater dance to competitions for technical elements like costumes, makeup, set design and more. There are also larger competitions like Devised Theater, where students write, create and perform an original show.

Students also have the opportunity to attend workshops to learn from experienced professors, actors, directors and choreographers, giving them the chance to work with professionals in the industry.

"There's just tons of events," Skinner explained. "Really, there's something for everybody."

One of the benefits of the festival is having so many different areas for students to compete in, according to Skinner, because it allows them to focus on what they're interested in and spend time perfecting their craft.

"But also we hope that it helps with some students finding something that they're interested in for a future career," he added. "Even if it may not necessarily be in theater, those skills that they're using at the state level can translate to other possible career areas."

Seven of the students who participated in state theater this year were Junior Grace Gomez, Sophomore Davin Welch, Junior Megan Wilson, Junior Kiera Mollman, Junior 

Rhiannon Schultz, Freshman Jeremy Neher and Freshman Kaitlyn Tanner.

Several of the students focused on acting and musical theater events, as well as participating in Devised Theater and Arena Theater. Other students, like Wilson, focused on technical competitions like costume construction. Both Mollman and Schultz also created short films for the competition, with Mollman's film being one of the All State wins.

The challenges

Competing at a state level always comes with challenges, which were different for each student.

Some challenges were practical, like Mollman figuring out how to navigate the campus of Casper College to get to events on time. Some were emotional, like Welch doing a difficult duet acting piece from "The Laramie Project," or Tanner dealing with the anxiety that comes before performing. Other challenges were creative, like Wilson competing in costume construction and having to "dig deep" to find ways to bring her own creativity to a costume rather than relying on previous versions of a character.

One of the biggest challenges multiple students faced was being short on time. This was especially challenging for Schultz, who was put into several competitions with short notice. She explained that she only had four days to prepare for the group musical, and only had an hour to prepare for the group dance. Thankfully that routine was one she had performed before, but it was still difficult to jump in at the last minute.

Skinner explained that it's not uncommon for students to have to fill in on short notice if other students can't compete for various reasons.

"Having other students that are willing and able to step up and fill in some of those gaps is vital for our success," Skinner said.

Still, not having much time to prepare was something almost all the students had in common this year.

"So much of our efforts at the beginning of this year have been focused on our musical that it didn't leave us with a lot of time to then switch gears," Skinner explained.

While students had been working on individual pieces and even some class time was used for preparation, the musical still took up most of the theater department's focus. This meant everyone only had about two and a half weeks to spend dedicated time preparing for the competition.

"It was tough, it was a short time period, but I think that focus and that dedication helped us achieve what we did," Skinner said.

The rewards

The achievements were part of what made all the challenges worth it in the end.

For Gomez, helping direct and acting in the Devised Theater piece was difficult but also exciting.

"We managed to pull through and get second place on it," she said. "So it was really rewarding."

Although Tanner struggled with anxiety before her duet performance, it was all better once it was over.

"It was amazing to feel we did the best that we could do," she said. "And we did great for what we did."

For several of the students, just going to the festival was its own reward.

"The most rewarding part and best part about State Theater though is just getting the chance to go there, be there, have that experience, meet all these new people," Welch said. "It's awesome. And it seems scary at first, but once you get there and you're in it, it's just amazing."

"What was really rewarding is just being around people and doing the things you love in theater," Schultz added. "It's just really fun and I want to do it again."

For many of those who attended, though, the best part was winning the championship.

"The most rewarding part was probably seeing everyone's face when we got told that we won," Wilson said. "Everyone jumped up. That was just awesome."

"I don't think anything can top that," Neher said of the win.

The lessons

In addition to the excitement of bringing home a title, the students who participated in the Thespian Festival were excited to bring home lessons they can take with them throughout their future.

Perseverance was one of Gomez's biggest takeaways.

"I think that theater is extremely challenging in mental aspects and things like that but also can be in physical aspects," she said, explaining sometimes she gets to the point of being exhausted. "Just knowing that you can keep going forward is probably one of the biggest things that will help me in the future."

Welch felt like the idea he focused on was cliche, but he genuinely stressed the importance of not being afraid to follow your dreams. This is especially important in theater, which can be extremely intimidating.

"You're so open to everyone," he explained. "You are just out there, you have a spotlight on you, people can just see you, and it's terrifying. But once you get going and you really get into it, you find this sort of comforting feeling. . . Don't be afraid to get out there and let yourself go because it feels great. And once you're out there, you don't ever want to go back."

Wilson agreed, adding that sometimes hearing people describe stereotypes and express negative perspectives on people who participate in theater can be discouraging. Even as someone who works in tech behind the scenes, she has felt pressure and been worried about what others say. But she's always wanted to pursue theater, and doing so let her and the others be part of a championship win. So one of her biggest lessons was learning "just go for it."

Other students like Mollman and Neher said they learned the importance of being prepared. Schultz agreed, but noted that even without always being prepared, attitude makes a difference.

"No matter the stress or the time it just really depends on what you put in towards your work," she said. "So whatever you do, you can achieve. So as long as you stick with it, you can get to it."

For Tanner, the State Theater experience was even more personal.

"What I think I took away from it is that theater is a family," she said. "You are all connected. You are all pushing to do something great. And as you work together to create this one big thing, you become closer and those connections mean more. And so I think something that I took away is that you will always have people in that family who support you."

The students also felt the connection and support of the community, particularly when they were escorted into town after their win and welcomed by rows of cars. While parents and friends showed up, so did community members who just wanted to show their support.

"I think it's one of the cool things about not just our school, but our community, that that kind of support is there for every activity, every sport," Skinner said. "That just speaks volumes to our school, building that kind of climate and culture that values everything that our students are doing. But it speaks huge to our community. . . To see that kind of support from our community was really special."