10. New School Year-Welcome Back

Junior Thespians and all Middle Schoolers at MCS--Welcome or welcome back to Mount Carmel School.

The school year began for students on August 9, 2007. And Junior Thespians will be having its first meeting soon. Watch this blog for details.

Every MCS student in 6th, 7th and 8th grade is invited to come to the Troupe #88799 meetings and participate in Thespian activities. Our troupe is not just for actors and actresses. Artists, musicians, mathematicians and muscle are encouraged to join because they are also important in making productions happen.

We'll choose what we're going to do as a troupe this year.

Some possible activities include:
1. participation in the regional Thespian competitions. Winners in each category can win a trip to the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska in June, 2008 (provided PSS has funds for the tickets).

2. actor studio workshops. We can invite some of the talented actors, singers, and mime artists to give presentations and help us develop our (already awesome!) skills.

3. impromptu performances. We can have monthly performances at local venues, like the mini amphitheater on Beach Road by the pathway. This is a perfect place to practice mime, with a hat for passers-by to toss in coins!

4. behind-the-scenes / in-house competitions. Costume design and set design are exciting visual and tactile aspects of dramatic production. The senior Thespians have a regional competition in these areas, but there is no regional junior competition and no preparation (yet!) at the junior level. But we can have workshops and competitions to get our juices flowing and learn some basics early.

5. tech, fundraising, and other support for the MCS productions. We can, as a unified troupe, give special help to Mr. G. in the MCS plays this year.

As you come to meetings, participate in Thespian competitions, join in the MCS drama productions, and perform in your own venues, you can earn points toward full membership in the Junior Thespians troupe. And at the end of the year, we'll have another ceremony inducting new honorees--our new Junior Thespians.

For our seven already-inducted Junior Thespians (yay!), you can add to your point totals if you did any drama activities over the summer. Once you've reached 60 points, you get an honor bar to add to your card. Just let me know what you did, and have an adult (like your mother or father) sign off as additional corroboration.

If you have questions or comments, feel free to post them in the comments section.

Junior Thespians is an opportunity to perform, to learn stage and back-stage skills, to meet and participate with students from all over Saipan, and most importantly to have fun.

I'm looking forward to a fun year.