November 14th through November 17th, Canyon High School theatre students attended ITS   which stands for International Thespian Society. This is a society for middle school and high school students. While there, you can attend workshops, college and scholarship auditions and opportunities to showcase their talents and receive assessment on tech and performance skills. 

Canyon High School students shared stories about ITS; they had many good experiences and learned many things about performing.

Canyon students enjoyed many things; one of them was, “Being in a place where everybody had the same interest,” said senior Adrian Gilbreath. At ITS, there were many workshops that included group acting, which allowed the students to get along with each other, which Adrian enjoyed.

ITS connected many theatre students, even if they had different fields, and it created a place where theatre kids truly belong, no matter where the students came from or what role they play onstage or backstage. ITS connects young theatre students through a shared passion.

This event is very important and plays a major role in supporting theatre education around the world by giving these students recognition, resources and a strong community to work with. ITS helps ensure that theatre is valued as an essential part of education, not just an extracurricular activity.

One of the biggest ways ITS supports theatre education is through recognition of student achievements by honoring dedicated and hard-working students both onstage and off; this helps the students take pride in their skills and encourages schools to keep investing in theatre programs. 

This program also intends to give these students educational opportunities through festivals, workshops and competitions. These events allow students to learn from theatre professionals and also explore different styles of performances and see and gain experiences beyond their normal school plays or style of learning about theatre.

Theatre director Ryan Ramon said that ITS is very meaningful and explained how ITS shows actors’ techniques, different sides of their roles and also professionalism for the students.

We at Canyon High School hope ITS continues doing what they are doing to help students grow, making sure their confidence and skills are shown, and helping them speak up for their theatre education.