The cast is practicing lines and the crew is tweaking lighting as the cast of Bexley’s fall production, “Scapino!,” prepares to go to the State Thespian Conference at Ashland University in April.
The State Thespian Conference allows selected schools around the state to perform their shows. Students may also participate in workshops and compete in individual events, said senior “Scapino!” cast member Ian Klingenberg.
Shows are selected to perform at the conference according to ratings given by members of the Board of the Ohio Educational Theatre Association, said theatre director Rebecca Rhinehart.
“Scapino!” received 45 superior and two excellent ratings, Rhinehart said.
“The actors and crew did a fabulous job putting ‘Scapino!’ together, and because of the high degree of talent and dedication, we were able to pull together a fantastic show,” Rhinehart said.
Schools who are invited to attend the conference are normally asked to perform only a portion of their show, Klingenberg said.
Because of its high ratings, “Scapino!” was invited to perform full-length on the main stage at the state conference, Rhinehart said.
“This is the first time that Bexley has been invited to take a full show main stage,” Rhinehart said. “It is a big honor, since only nine schools are invited every year. It is also exciting because ‘Scapino!’ is a great way to show off our talents.”
Cast member Emma Sullivan said she is excited to perform on the main stage because of the attention the show will receive.
“It’s the performance that everyone goes to,” Sullivan said. “It has the biggest audience, and it actually has a stage.”
Rhinehart is also looking forward to performing on the main stage but is nervous about how much work it will require. “
It is a lot of work to take a show on the road, especially one with a set as humongous as ‘Scapino!’s’,” Rhinehart said.
But it’s not the cast that she’s worried about.
“The actors will do a fabulous job, no question,” Rhinehart said. “I’m simply worried about the set because we not only have to load it onto a truck and take it two hours away, but we also have to set it up and tear it down in an hour.”
In preparation, the cast will have two weeks of rehearsal: one in January and one before the conference, Rhinehart said.
Rhinehart said that the cast will perform “Scapino!” one last time before state conference for the general public on April 3.
Regardless of the extra work, Klingenberg said he is still excited about state conference.
“It’s really exciting because we only got excellent and superior ratings,” Klingenberg said. “It’s nice to be rewarded for all of our hard work.”
All worries aside, Rhinehart is looking forward to performing “Scapino!” at state conference.
“[State] conference is an extremely good learning experience for the students, and I am excited and honored to be able to show the Ohio theatre community what great theatre Bexley students are capable of,” Rhinehart said.
