Members of the Whitefield Dramatic Society traveled to Columbus the weekend of February 5-7 to attend the Georgia Thespian Conference at Columbus State University. Nearly 4,000 thespians from across the state of Georgia attended, including 200 student groups from both public and private schools.
Whitefield students participated in a variety of workshops led by theater professionals on topics such as cirque, dance, improvisation, voice, costuming, and stage lighting.
The most exciting part of the weekend, however, was when Whitefield students performed two shows of A Midsummer’s Night Dream in front of packed audiences. Whitefield was one of only 20 school groups invited to perform, and a local reporter captured the Whitefield team in action while doing a story on the conference. In addition to the Midsummer performances, the Whitefield students were able to see five shows, including Evita and a student Cirque show.
Another highlight of the weekend was seeing alumnus Cecil (Chase) Butler ('13), who was an active member of the
Bradley Washington, Anna Reeves McCutcheon, Austin Hoover, Cecil (Chase) Butler ('13), William Bell, Evan Johnson, Emily Sumlin, and Kayla Marsh.Dramatic Society while a student at Whitefield. Cecil was one of the Columbus State University judges in the improv contest. Five Whitefield students participated in the contest in which students were placed on teams with other conference attendees that they did not know. Junior Anna Reeves McCutcheon was on the team that won the runner-up spot in the contest.
“It was an incredible honor and a notable achievement for our students to be asked to perform,” said Kayla Marsh, Upper School drama instructor. “We had a fabulous experience at the conference.”
Marsh led Whitefield’s theater team to an award-winning performance of the play this past fall, winning the GHSA Regional One-Act competition. Sophomore Ruthie Evans also earned the GHSA Best Actress award at regionals for her portrayal of Puck.