On the trilogy of days April 9-11, 25 students from WVHS went to the Oregon Thespians state festival in Salem. They participated in various workshops and activities around downtown, saw 2 shows put on by other schools, and had a grand ‘ol weekend to explore all theatre has to offer.

The trip began on Thursday, where the students left school early to drive to the event. They ate lunch in town and explored the area around the convention center where the festival was held. That night, they attended the opening ceremony and participated in their first theatre workshop.

On Friday they saw two shows: The Addams Family, performed by Crater High School, and the Play That Goes Wrong, performed by Oregon City High School. Both performances were very enjoyable and it was fun to see thespians from other schools perform.

Sophomore Hailey Watts went to the festival and saw such shows. “They were very well done and had a lot of phenomenal talent in it.” The highlights of the trip for her were “getting to do workshops and meeting so many new people.”

“I learned how to clown around in a workshop. The experience was very fullfilling.” This workshop taught thespians to see inside themselves and find their inner clown. One of many unique experiences found only at the state festival!

On Saturday the students were presented with various showcases of both acting and technical theater done by students from many different schools. Monologues, musical numbers, and much more were all performed, and it showcased the wide variety of talent present in our state.

Junior Madison Banks said, “One thing I really liked…was seeing how each person had a different technique of acting. Whether it was tense body language to extreme vocal ranges…it was all fascinating to see how each person had their own technique.”

Her favorite memory was watching the Play That Goes Wrong, because “It was the funniest play I’ve ever seen. What impressed me about that show was how it didn’t really matter if things went wrong because that was the point of the show.”

The trip was a huge success, and everyone who went is eagerly awaiting their next opportunity to get out into the world and see some theatre!