
State Conference Information 2025
The PA State Thespian Conference meets annually in a host high school locstion or collegiate campus. Students and teachers serve on the PA Thespian State Board to help organize the conference and promote theatre in our schools.
The PA State Thespians are a subgroup of the International Thespian Society, a world-renowned honor society for students studying theatre. Ridley High School is one of the only schools in Deware County to have an ITS charter. We typically try to enter the lottery to perform every other year. Thus far we have brought mainstage shows like Shrek, the Musical, White Christmas, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Drowsy Chaperone, and The Play That Goes Wrong to conference as well as many one-act plays over the years.
This year, we will be bringing Mean Girls, High School Edition to conference, which means that those who participate in the show as leads and featured roles must also agree to attend conference on January 4th to perform the show. We will visit Parkland High School in in Allentown, PA to perform our show in front of almost 2000 students and teachers of theatre, the best audience around!
In addition, every year our students participate in scholarship auditions, workshops, and the popular "Technical Challenge" at conference, showcasing their skills and competing for recognition. Hall of Fame students are named for performance, tech, and leadership, as well as the Responder's choice for best actor in performing shows. Last year, Ridley took home many awards for their achievements.
Finally, each year, students from around the state can go through a leadership process to audition and apply to be a State Thespian Officer. These students are responsible for meeting with the adult state board multiple times a year to choose a them for conference, plan its events, and organizer materials before everyone arrives. While at conference, these students run the performances and take care of all things conference, including training and selecting the following year's student board! Last year, Zac Calamita, ITS Vice President served in this role.
