From stage fighting, to dancing, to dying, Suffield High’s International Thespian Society chapter 12275 learned a wide variety of acting skills at the Massachusetts Thespian Festival on February 7th, 2026. In Somerville, MA, two hours away (seemingly even farther in a snowstorm), ITS members Gia Gonzalez, Rebekah Urquhart, MaryKate Mormino, and Elianna Vega ventured to meet and learn from fellow thespians about various aspects of the craft.
The day began bright and early at 6:45 AM to drive to Somerville High School. After a quick stop at Dunkin’ and a long drive, the day started at 9:30 AM with senior MaryKate Mormino competing in the Thespy competition, a competition that gives actors and tech members the opportunity to receive constructive feedback on their work and a chance to perform at the International Thespian Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. In doing a monologue from “The Glass Menagerie,” MaryKate earned a “Superior” score and earned a spot at the International Festival. Congratulations!
Afterwards, the group of thespians took a class called “Broadway Dance Moves” where the students learned a real Broadway dance to the song “For the Gaze” from the musical Death Becomes Her. They had fun learning how to sashay and grand jeté from Dash Perry, a New York-based dancing teacher and actor who, among other qualifications, was a featured dancer at the Met Gala in 2021.
Next, the students thought they would switch it up with a class called “Behind the Puppet Stage.” While originally it was a bit of a throwaway class, the thespians had an amazing time learning from famed puppet master Sarah Nolen, who has a Master’s in Fine Arts in Puppetry from the University of Connecticut and has had puppets appear in films such as Don’t Look Up. “I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed a class about something I’ve never really thought about before.” exclaims junior Rebekah Urquhart.
Then, the students took a class called “Fight Club” where they learned how to stage a fight but stay safe as they do it. The thespians learned how important it is to work with your stage partner for a fight scene to avoid anyone going to the hospital. “I liked punching Bekah,” jokes junior Elianna Vega, “The instructor said we were naturals and it was fun.”
After that physically taxing class, the thespians took it down a notch with the class “Auditioning Reimagined” with cofounder of Play Pathways and “gratitude enthusiast” Malia’Kekia Nicolini. This class taught the actors how to banish self-doubt and embrace who they really are through the stressful process of auditioning for plays and musicals. This class was very beneficial to the students as they were provided with a new viewpoint on a process that they will all go through.
Finally, the students took a class called “Playing the Death” taught by Society of American Fight Directors representative and Play Pathways cofounder Christopher Beaulieu, who also taught the “Fight Club” class. Throughout this class, the thespians had to learn how to live before learning how to die, speaking to people they’ve never spoken to before and learning things about them that their closest loved ones may not even know. After that, learning how to die came almost naturally to these talented thespians.
After dinner and a long ride home, these students were able to properly absorb all the information presented that day and apply it to their musical, Les Misérables, through their stunt work and dying practice. A day of acting and making new friends while doing it will affect these students’ acting technique for years to come. These students hope to return next year with double the participants and double the enthusiasm, knowing the excitement and information to come.
