After weeks of preparations, Thespian Troupe 2660 took on District 9 IE’s with various performances, in hopes to make it to states. Only having one shot to wow the judges, RHS made it happen.

District  IE’s, or Individual Events on Oct. 8. Students had the opportunity to perform solo and duet songs, solo and duet monologues, and small and large group numbers. There were also categories that included costume design, makeup, set design and much more.

All events are scored on a scale that ranges from poor to superior. If your act receives superior, you move on to states which will take place over spring break. Many RHS students have moved on to states with their superior acts. The judging is based on criteria that include vocals, acting, commitment, connection to the piece, choreography and much more.

Robinson brought home three superiors and will be moving on states at the Tampa Convention Center during the week of spring break; no date has been chosen yet. The acts which earned these spots were Traditional Vice President and Dance Captain Jayden Fernandez’s (‘23) solo musical, Maddy Ruyle’s (‘23) solo musical, and a small group number that included President Ava LeClair (‘23), Leroy Chambers (‘23), Ingalls Witte (‘23), Serena Sebring (‘23), Connor Trimble (‘23) and Fernandez.

Due to Hurricane Ian, rehearsal time was cut down drastically leaving little time to prepare. The thespians had to crunch down and work extremely hard.

Throughout the whole process, the thespian officers had to collaborate with each other and the rest of the troupe to be well prepared for the IE’s.

Fernandez and LeClair worked together to make sure vocals sounded smooth, taught choreography to the others and tried their best to bring all new members out of their comfort zones to build confidence in their performances.

“The other leaders and I tried to bring all of the new members out of their shells,” Fernandez said. “[To] help them become more confident when performing.”

With practice time being cut down, responsibilities get increased and everyone begins to feel the pressure.

“I was trying to keep a positive attitude because competition season can be really stressful,” LeClair said. “The last thing I wanted to do was stress everyone out more, especially for our first performances of the year.”

The Thespians are very excited to be attending states and are ready to do their best.

“I’m very excited. Last year was the first time our troupe went to states, and it was very fun and entertaining even only just going for one day” Sebring said. “There are performances to see, workshops to learn and experience new things, and meeting other thespians across the state.”