Drama is often not many students’ first choice when thinking of fine arts, but Cy Springs set out to show that they can beat the odds. This year, four thespians made a name for themselves and qualified for the International Thespian Festival virtually: Rebecca Fick, Danica Hall, Sophia Garcia, and Renato Flores. Their hard work and dedication has pushed the department forward into a brighter future despite the challenges they faced throughout the school year.
Troupe Director Jessica Poscovsky, now acting as the sole director, has led this year’s theater department to find success amongst the toughest of times. Facing drama at the beginning of the year, those who remained banded together like a family and took on new responsibilities with less people to work with.
“Despite everything, we came out very strong with successful productions and an increase in our ticket sales by 30 percent,” said Director Poscovsky. “I have those that are still pushing to do everything that they possibly can, and they don’t shut down.”
This school year, the theater department has participated in various events ranging from the UIL One Act Play, qualifying for Texas Thespians, and also virtually for the International Thespian Festival. At the UIL One Act Play, the school had to put on a production in front of a panel of three judges, each having their own opinion, and the head judge would determine the final standing of the team. The cast and crew of the UIL One Act Play’s production “Where The Sky Meets The Sea” included:
Director Jessica Poscovsky
Rebecca Fick
Sophia Garcia
Preston Pratt
Jeisa Harris
Sophie Camacho-Villamizar
Isabella Jordan
Laiyla Brown
Diana Canales
Danika Hall
Renato Flores
Mackenzie Henry
Sophia Gonzales
Hayes Brown
Jasmine Maatouk-Elsbaugh
Jarien Nelson
Alyssa Navarro
President Rebecca Fick won All-Star Cast and senior Isabella Jordan won Best Technician for their participation in the UIL One Act Play, with the team as a whole winning sixth place based on the decision of the head judge.
“Why I say we got sixth is because there were a couple of shows where we only won one acting award, and we got an All-Star Cast whereas some of the others who ranked above us only got honorable mentions. That’s why I mentioned the sixth place because we got a higher acting award than the school that had technically scored sixth place overall,” said Director Poscovsky.
At a state level, the troupe participated in Texas Thespians Leadership Academy where the team had multiple tasks to accomplish each month to reach out to the community and promote theater and leadership skills, winning 100 points per month with bonus points, stretching from September to March. Over that span of time, Springs competed against other schools in the state to earn up to 700 total points. There was also a Texas Thespians Festival in November in which one team qualified and over a three-day event, students could attend workshops, compete in performances or the technical aspects of theater, and see plays put on by other schools.
“Anybody that earned over 700 points gets Gold Troupe. We earned over 750 points despite one month where we earned less than 100 points. Every other month, however, we earned over 100 points and it evened out the scores in the end,” Director Poscovsky said.
There is also a national competition for theater troupes with the International Thespian Society, designed to showcase the best a school’s theater program could offer. Last summer, the qualifying members of our troupe participated in nationals in person, lasting about a week with students attending workshops and watching plays put on by other schools, similar to that of Texas Thespians. This year, the four students that qualified for nationals entered virtually, submitting their performances via a video, and when they get judged, they have the possibility to win Superior or Main Stage.
“This is my second year qualifying for nationals, and a lot of it is picking your piece, whether it is tech production or as a performance; you pour your heart and soul into that piece, trying to do it justice and tell the story you want to tell before you get judged and maybe win an award,” Fick said.
Despite their successes, this year has proven challenging for the troupe. facing difficulties both on the stage and behind the scenes. Director Poscovsky has taken on the responsibilities of two directors working as one, and President Rebecca Fick has stepped up to oversee other responsibilities as president of the troupe and assistant director.
“The challenge has always been trying to put on a large-scale show despite the limited number of members we have this year. Things aren’t always going to happen the way you think it is; you have to deal with things on the fly, and a lot of things happened this year, so you just have to roll with the change and go with it,” Fick said. “There are definitely some moments where you just want to scream and cry, but it’s just looking at what we have and trying to find a way to make it work or change what needs to be done, which is always hard.”
Another senior performer, Renato Flores, has stepped up in a big way to provide help for newcomers. First working tech in his freshman year, he soon took center stage and became one of the most accomplished actors of the troupe, stepping up as a mentor to guide new members to improve on the stage. Although favoring comedy roles, Flores has excelled in dramatic roles, playing the lead of “The Lightning Thief” as Percy Jackson this year.
“A lot of new people coming into theater would struggle with understanding how we play out the shows, mainly all of the technical production and the acting alongside the pressure that goes into these performances,” Flores said. “It’s up to the nature of the actor, and when performing in front of a live audience, there’s definitely a lot of stage fright. In rehearsal, there is nobody in the audience watching you so you are chill and relaxed but on stage in front of everybody, you start to tense up a little bit under the pressure.”
Overall, the troupe faced a set of challenges that could’ve hindered them, but they pushed through with their best efforts on a local, state, and national level. Under the leadership of Director Poscovsky, the team bonded together like a family and excelled together in all departments, with the help of a few officers who took on greater responsibilities and gave their all for the troupe to succeed this year.
