On May 17, many devoted theatre and technical theatre students were inducted into the International Thespian Society (ITS). In order to be inducted, one must have logged at least 100 hours working on a Leesville theatre production and have participated in two aspects of theatre.
Some perks of ITS include receiving a cord at graduation and becoming part of a “life long program.”
Before new members attended the celebratory banquet, however, they participated in a unique hazing ritual: the wearing of ITS hats.
Most hats are buckets, decorated by current ITS members, and distributed to inductees.
While wearing the hats, inductees are subject to random orders of current members.
Miranda Miller, sophomore, said, “They can tell you to do whatever they want. For example, I had to say, ‘in my pants’ after everything that I said.”
Although the hats can cause some embarrassment and minor distractions for other students and teachers, their intentions are innocent.
Peyton Murray, senior, said, “I think it’s a fun tradition. I wish I was inducted earlier though because I won’t be able to boss people around next year.”
Despite the wearer’s loss of free will under the influence of the hats, most agree the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
Miller said, “Having to sing, ‘I’m a Little Teapot’ in the middle of the cafeteria is going to be worth it once I’m a member.”
