Senior Jack Kennedy, State Thespian Officer
What is the Indiana Thespians State Conference?
The State Thespian Conference happens every January, and it is the big event for Indiana thespians. There’s a play competition, so we all have different regionals throughout the fall and November, December. The top two plays from each regional go to state. There’s 10 plays, there’s a ton of workshops and different scholarship opportunities, and it’s a great way for all of the Indiana thespians to come together for the love of theater and participate in so many different ways.
What do you do within your role as a State Thespian Officer?

So the State Thespian Officers, the STOs, we help organize all of the thespian events. We’ll get all the information together from troupe directors and our judges, and then we will also be with people, presenting that information in front of the (state) conference, so we’ll speak, and then we are also helping any way we can for anyone else that needs help. We help with directions, and are really just kind of the face of the organization for anyone that needs any sort of help.
What is the process of preparing for this competition like?
So, there’s two different ways you can participate in terms of performance, you can either be one of the finalists for the play competition, and unfortunately, this year, we are not competing with the play; our show did not make it from regionals to state. Then there’s the Thespys which are individual, duo or group events that different people can participate in. This year, I’m doing monologues and a duet scene. So (preparing for the conference) includes working on my monologues—we have to do two—and then rehearsing my scene. I often use my own personal experience as a director to help with that, but then also looking at the rubrics online to try and get the best possible ranking. It’s not really a competition, in terms of the Thespys, but more of a self-ranked system of how well you meet their criteria.
What are you most excited for about this experience?
I’m really excited to see all my friends that I don’t really get to see anywhere else. There’s a lot of people I’ve met through Indiana Thespians, and without having that community, I wouldn’t see them or know them. I’m really excited to be surrounded by all those people, but also to be surrounded by so many people that love the same thing I do and to share our love of theater over one weekend where that’s all we do.
How long have you been preparing for the Thespy performances that you’re doing?
I’ve been preparing with (junior) Luke (Boyce) for our musical Thespy since July. Over the summer, we decided that we wanted to do a song and because we’re both really busy, we were able to sprinkle in a couple rehearsals every month for the past few months to get ready for it. Me and (senior) Jack (Kennedy) have been working on our duet scene for a little over a month, and so, you just work on it once or twice a week whenever you can, just to make sure that it’s staying solid.
What is the process of preparing and rehearsing for competitions like this?
It’s very individual on the students. You get together with someone that you want to work with, you decide by yourself what you want to do, and it’s pretty much your responsibility to say, “hey, we’re going to meet here,” or, “we’re gonna be at my house, we’re gonna be at your house on Saturday to work for it for a couple hours.” It’s completely run by the students and the people who are doing the competitions. It’s up to them to get it rehearsed.
What has been the most challenging aspect of preparing for this conference?
Honestly, just finding the time to rehearse, but also since it’s pretty individual and we don’t have a lot of influence from the teachers, it’s just feeling like we are hitting our potential, you know, and feeling really content about it because we’re directing ourselves.

What are you most excited for about this experience?
I’m really excited to spend a whole weekend in theater (and) watching the shows. I’m really excited to see what (shows) made it to state, watching “Horse Girls,” which was one of the shows at our regional competition. I’m really excited to see that. I probably won’t be doing many workshops or masterclasses, just because I’m really interested in seeing the shows and I’m really excited to do my Thespys that we’ve been working on for so long.
What was your experience like going to this conference last year?
Last year I went as a part of the regional and state tech crew for “A Monster Calls.” I wasn’t part of the tech crew when we performed at (the) IndyFringe (Festival) in the summer, but oh my gosh it was so fun. It was fun, but anxiety inducing at the same time. We competed our show, and it was terrifying, but it was so rewarding. We ended up getting first place, which was so awesome. It was just so awesome to be a part of such a big group and to also get such a big accomplishment, especially (with) it being my freshman year, it was just such a rewarding experience and process.
What are you most excited for about this experience?
This year I applied to become a State Thespian Officer (STO). Right now I’m preparing my schedule with my Thespy and it’s nice not bringing a show the year I get to go through the application process. (Being an STO applicant will) probably make my time more stressful. I couldn’t do a tech challenge either, which is a big part of us going to state this year because we don’t have a show to compete, which I’m sad about, but I am still excited to experience it differently than everyone else.
Is there anything else you think readers should know?
I think it’s such an amazing experience and opportunity to meet people who love what you love. I always say I love people who love theater. Theater is one of my biggest passions—I’d say my biggest passion—and being in a room with people who feel the exact same way as you is so exciting. Although it’s a different experience for us this year, as we don’t bring a show to state, it’s going to be so rewarding no matter what.
Salima Sher • Jan 30, 2025 at 10:44 pm
It’s so interesting to hear from these talented actors! Keep the content coming
Salima Sher • Jan 30, 2025 at 10:35 pm
This graphic is amazing!