Ten Parkway North students attended the Missouri Thespian Conference of 2024 from Nov. 3 to Nov. 6 in Kansas City. It was the biggest conference yet, with a total of 2,800 thespians from around Missouri attending.
Students left at 6 a.m. on the bus with students from Parkway West to get to Kansas City.
“I had never been on a charter bus before, but it was pretty nice. We all had plenty of space but close enough we could all talk,” junior Annie Zimmermann said
While at the conference, students attended workshops every day: from high school to College auditions, to Stage Manager 101, Swashbuckling, Legally Blonde Choreography, and more.
“I did a writing workshop with famous playwright John Cariani, and it was a great learning experience on how to just keep writing,” said senior Max Banashek.
Students attending the conference also saw the musical, “Mean Girls,” performed by Central High School, “The Taming of the Shrew” by Sullivan High School where they adapted the Shakespeare play to the 1920s and after WW2, and “The Glass Menagerie” performed by Marquette High School.
“I liked reading [The Glass Menagerie], and they did a really good job bringing it to life. The actress who played the mother did phenomenal,” junior Matt Andrews said.
Parkway North arrived a day early to explore Kansas City. The thespians went to the Kansas City public library, small shops in the city, and cute coffee shops.
Junior Jennifer Chin said, “My favorite part about walking around KC was exploring a whole new city. At night, we walked back to the hotel. It was fun seeing all the pretty lights.”
Banashek was installed as 1 of 4 of the student thespian officers at the end of the conference. He will help plan and organize the MTS for next year.
Students also listened to a guest speaker, John Cariani, an actor and playwright. Cariani has been in many popular shows like Lawn & Order. He talked about how he got to where he is and advice he wished he had known.
There were also several colleges offering scholarships and chances to interview for that college including Missouri State, Truman, etc.
“My favorite memory was… when John Cariani kept telling this guy ‘don’t hold back’ and ‘say what feels right’,” Banashek said.
At the very end, they announced awards in various categories including the best quick change, lighting, duets, monologue, etc. All though North did not win anything, two students got picked for the MTS play from South.
Next year, the conference will be held in Saint Louis City.
