Theatre students from across Missouri gathered Jan. 11-13 for the Missouri Thespian Conference at the Marriott Grand Hotel in downtown St. Louis. OHS sent 12 theatre students.

The conference, commonly known as ThesCon, is put on every year by the Missouri chapter of the International Thespian Society. ThesCon is comprised of two large stage productions, called “mainstages,” and workshops ranging from stage makeup techniques to Polynesian dance to musical theatre singing. These workshops are taught by teachers and professionals with years of experience, many having been high school thespians themselves.

“My favorite workshop was the 60-minute film challenge,” said Taylor Zapf (12). “We only had an hour to complete a short film. I helped to film it and my experience in broadcast helped a lot, but it was challenging to coordinate with the writers and directors.”

Students also had the opportunity to apply and compete for scholarships. Isabelle Zurcher (12) applied for three theatre education scholarships. Zurcher had to submit an application, including a resume, headshot, and original essay. She then created a portfolio of her work in theatre and was interviewed by a panel of current and retired theatre teachers on Jan. 12.

At the conference’s closing ceremony, Zurcher was presented with the Missouri State Thespian Theatre Educator Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship presented to an outstanding future theatre teacher.

“I felt good about it,” said Zurcher. “I didn’t know if I would actually win the scholarship, but it was exciting.”