And We Proudly Represent Troupe...

Cypress Bay High School has had an awarding winning Thespian troupe since practically the creation of the school and its drama program. In only my four years here I have seen our troupe been recognized and awarded countless times for its talent and dedication. This is the power and success of Troupe 6510.

With the District Festival taking place in December every year, members of our Troupe begin brainstorming and working on their pieces from the beginning of the school year in August, some even earlier. All of our performance and tech presentations are completely student produced with minimal help and assistance from adult professionals, making the final products of our pieces all the more impressive. Performance categories students can compete in in Thespians include solo musical, duet musical, small and large group musical, monologues, duet acting, ensemble acting, and pantomime; tech categories, though less popular because of their tedious and rigorous nature, include costume construction, costume design, sound design, scene design, marketing design, makeup design, student choreography, student directing, and playwriting. Members of Troupe 6510 are ambitious and fearless in selecting their events every year, filling up the spots for the popular events and bravely tackling the less popular ones, typically earning top rankings of Excellent or Superior, and often times, the coveted Critic’s Choice award- which is the best piece selected from each category- and State Selected honor- which allows the piece to represent the district at the Opening Ceremonies Showcase at States.

In the past four years, some of our troupe’s triumphs concerning the Thespian District and State Festival include:

2013:

• Critic's Choice Duet Musical (Benny Elfont and Dominic Santiago- Bro Duet)
• Critic's Choice Small Group Musical (Rabin & Co.- Big Tits)

2014:

• Critic's Choice Large Group Musical (Vallejo & Co.- In)
• Critic's Choice Monologues (Magali Trench- The Shadow Box/ The Good Body)

2015:

• Critic's Choice and State Selected Large Group Musical (Trench & Co.- The Ballad of Sara Berry)
• Critic's Choice Pantomime (Valladares & Co.- The Kiss on Victory of Japan Day)
• State Selected One Act (Emotional Creature)

2016:

• Critic's Choice Large Group Musical (Valladares & Co.- Living Dead)
• Critic's Choice Pantomime (Valladares & Co.)
• Critic's Choice Duet Musical (Alejandra and Julia- Fran and Janie)
• Critic's Choice Playwriting (Michael Valladares)
• Critic's Choice Costume Design (Diego Ramirez)
• Alternate State Selected One Act (The Yellow Boat)

Troupe 6510 "In"; 2014 Large Group Musical Critic's Choice 

Troupe 6510 "The Ballad of Sara Berry"; 2015 Large Group  Musical Critic's Choice 

Troupe 6510 "Living Dead"; 2016 Large Group Musical Critic's Choice

As you can see, we, as Troupe 6510, have, throughout the years, created an extremely impressive and reputable reputation for ourselves. Because of the success and involvement of our troupe within Thespian’s, we are the perfect basis for my documentary. Especially this year since we had such an overwhelming success at the District Festival, meaning our Troupe will have a heavier presence at States as far as performance and competition.

Although I have been attending the State Festival since sophomore year, last year was my first year performing. I was part of the large group and one act play, which although may not seem like much, between last minute clean up rehearsal for both pieces and the other activities of States, it was quite the experience. This year I will once again be competing in the large group category as well as duet music. This being said, for the first two days- which is when both of my performances are scheduled for- I will be pretty busy so I must set a schedule for myself and make sure I find time to film and document those two days, not allowing my performances to overshadow my filming process. The good thing is, that because I have already gone through one year of performing at States, I more or less know the drill in time management for the days and will be knowledgeable, prepared, and strategic about setting aside time for both rehearsal and filming.

States has always been a crazy ride each year; this year, I can't wait to document it completely and introduce this project into the mix!

Take Two

Here we go again… Welcome back to my blog! It feels good to be starting again on this journey. As I embark on the process of producing my A Level Media Studies project, I’m anxious, but excited, for the following six weeks as work begins getting done and my ideas and visions start to become realities. This year for my portfolio project I will be doing the “documentary package” which includes:

• an extract from an original documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes
• a website for the documentary 
• a promotional poster for the documentary 

So my tasks are clear, but what is going to be the basis of my documentary?

Every year, over 7,000 high school students, adjudicators, and observers from 16 districts gather in Tampa, Florida for the Florida State Thespians Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the entire country. The festival is comprised of a long weekend filled with talks, workshops, shows, and most importantly, competitions in different categories, all of which surrounding theater. I’ve attended this festival all throughout high school since my sophomore year when my schools allows you to attend the festival, provided you get a coveted Superior ranking on your performance piece at the district level. This year, the festival will be taking place March 15-19 and I, for my final year, will be attending. Throughout this extended weekend I will be following my troupe and peers throughout Tampa documenting the incredible States experience and captivating the ambiance that is felt throughout the festival as the city is invaded by students with a passion for theater, performance, and the arts.

The main problem I am facing right now, however, is what direction I will take my general idea. I am torn between two different perspectives I can take with my documentary. One being focusing on the experience, all the festival has to offer, and my troupe’s performance throughout. The other being the idea of focusing on the seniors in my troupe who will be pursuing theater and performance as a professional career at the collegiate level and how their final States trip and performances serves as a stepping stone and transition into this career.

By the end of this week, I will have decided on a specific route to take and begin planning exactly what I want to capture in my documentary and creating an outline for it. Until then, I leave you with this thought:

“If you were born with the ability to change someone’s perspective or emotions, never waste that gift. It is one of the most powerful gifts God can give—the ability to influence.”

-Shannon L. Alder