Central Catholic Drama Students Attend Ohio Thespian Expo - Two Selected for All-Ohio Show
Four students from Central Catholic’s Drama Club attended the Fall ThesFest and Thespian Expo in Columbus on November 1. The experience provided an opportunity to connect, perform, and celebrate theatre with nearly 300 other students representing over 50 schools from across Ohio.
Junior Madeleine Robinson attended and helped lead the event as a State Thespian Officer representing the Northwest Ohio area. Junior Kennedy Coker attended the expo workshops, and juniors Marnyc Glover and Mykailah Welborn were selected through a taped audition process to attend a dance callback for the All-Ohio show, which will be performed at the State Thespian Conference in April.
Marnyc and Mykailah were then chosen to be in the ensemble for the All-Ohio show, the musical production of Ragtime. This is the first time Central Catholic students will be performing at the state level.
The All-Ohio production serves to bring together the best high school theatre artists throughout the state for an experience they may not have in their school communities, working with a production team of professional theatre artists.
The CCHS students are members of Thespian Troupe 10967. Every inducted Thespian is invited to audition and interview for the company. Once the company is selected, the All-Ohio production is created over four immersive rehearsal, tech weekends leading up to opening night. The All-Ohio Show is the featured MainStage show to open the Ohio Thespian Festival each year.
“I’m very proud of the work these girls had to do to get to the expo and to be chosen to perform in the All-Ohio show,” said Angela Mills, CCHS Drama Club director. “Marnyc and Mykailah both sent in audition tapes for the All-Ohio musical. They received callbacks, attended their dance callback at the Thespian Expo, and both of them earned parts in the ensemble of the show. They have a huge commitment ahead of them, traveling to different parts of Ohio to put together a musical in just a few weekends to be ready for the State Thespian Festival in April.”
“I auditioned for the All-Ohio show because I've been inspired by the shows they have been putting on since my freshman year at CCHS,” Marnyc said. “I saw professional actors and directors working together for only a short period of time, and they still put on an amazing show that makes me cry after watching it every time. I have been performing in musicals and plays since the sixth grade, and doing this is very important to me. I’m excited to learn new things from this experience and meet new people. After receiving the callback from them, I am certain that musical theatre is what I want to do for a very long time.”
“I wanted to try out for the All-Ohio show because I've always wanted to be a part of a production that wasn't fully connected to my school, almost like a professional experience with people I've never seen before,” said Mykailah. “When I saw the All-Ohio show, Head Over Heels, as a freshman, I was instantly in love with the overall quality and professionalism of the show, and I knew that was where I wanted to be.
“This will be a fairly new experience for me, as Ragtime will only be the second musical I've ever done. I'm excited to work with the directors and my cast mates. Being away from what I'm used to and getting into this new fast-paced journey makes me a little anxious because I want to be great, but I also want to absorb this experience as much as I can. Having to juggle the long rehearsal weekends and keep up in school will definitely be a challenge, but I know that we will make it work!”
