Members from the LRHS Theatre Ensemble class, alongside some freshmen who took Beginning Theatre, attended the North Carolina State Thespian Festival (known as NC Thestfest) from March 13-15, 2026. The NC Thesfest is the North Carolina chapter of the International Thespian Society (ITS).

The ITS Festival took place at East Carolina University campus, where ITS troupes from around the state traveled to Greenville, NC to participate in the festival. Mr. Hurley, the LRHS theatre teacher and troupe director, took multiple Theatre Ensemble and Beginning Theatre students to the festival.

At the festival, students participated in workshops taught by trained troupe directors from around the state in areas such as dance, technical theatre, musical theatre, improvisation, acting, and more. Students also attended one-act plays from ITS troupes around the state, as well as a pilot production of a high school version of “Water for Elephants,” which premiered on Broadway in 2024.

Students also competed in a Thespy which is where students choose to perform a monologue, a musical theatre song, a group scene, or present an aspect of technical theatre like a costume design or stage management for a show.

Sixteen students attended the festival, and eight competed in Thespys. 

Abby Coughlin, senior, performed a monologue from the play “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” Coughlin said via text, “In theatre class, we chose our monologues, worked with our character, and got notes from Mr. Hurley before finally competing at the festival. I was nervous but really excited for people outside of my typical theatre circle at school to see my hard work.”

Coughlin participated in multiple workshops–her favorite being the movement-based ones. She took classes such as a fosse jazz class and a tap dancing for beginners class, both of which she said were a positive experience and challenged her to step out of her comfort zone. Coughlin said, “I worked with people from different schools, theatre backgrounds, and experience levels, and it was super cool meeting new friends and trying new things.”

Chelsea Schpero, freshman, attended the festival and also competed in a Thespy, performing a monologue from “The Fantasticks.” Schpero said via text, “I thought [the festival] was a really great experience. I learned so much in many of the workshops, and even if it wasn’t learning they were all extremely fun and had great teachers. Also, I met so many new people and made so many connections with other people who love theatre like I do.”

When preparing for her Thespy, Schpero said she learned new techniques on how to get into character and understand the words her character was stating. She said performing her monologue was a really great experience since she had never gotten to do something like that before.

Schpero said, “I loved the community there. I saw so many people I knew from my acting studio and from other theatre things in the Raleigh area. It was really fun to see all of them. I also met new people and got their Instagrams and talked to them, and they were all so nice… Overall, it was just a really nice, friendly community that is very supportive and uplifting of each other.”

The ITS State Festival was a wonderful experience for the Leesville students who attended, and everyone gained valuable feedback and lessons.