Thriving at Mount Vernon
By Kat Petty 2024
Mount Vernon is known for its global connectivity, and the theater department exemplifies this through its involvement with the International Thespian society. The International Thespian society, which was formed in 1929, is an international society meant to honor student achievement in theatre. Students become inducted after they have achieved a certain number of points earned through hours spent dedicated to theatre. By joining the society, they join a huge community of theatre students and receive recognition for their dedication to their craft.
At Mount Vernon, this prestigious society is represented in Thespian Troupe 7702, which is overseen by Clark Taylor. Students have the opportunity for leadership through Officer positions in the troupe, which are elected each year. This year’s president is Miller Woodall, a senior who also helps run the school’s Vernon Vocals acapella group. Miller is a leader within the school’s iDiploma program and is also involved in Film Crew. As president, Miller oversees the troupe, plans and coordinates trips and events, and leads the officers and the rest of the troupe. Shea Griffith is the troupe’s Vice President of Organization, who assists the president and is acting president in her absence, and William Nix serves as the Vice President of Community and helps coordinate between officers and members of the troupe.
Addison Vogt is the Troupe’s publicity officer and runs the troupe’s social media as well as designs fantastic playbills and posters for each of the shows. Kat Petty is the troupe’s Historian officer and writes articles outlining the various achievements and expeditions of the theatre troupe in collaboration with the MV Arts Alliance. Piper Hendryx serves as the Outreach chair and streamlines communication with parents and students. Alyssa Gershon-Palma is the Sunshine officer and works to appreciate and include each member of the troupe by throwing birthday parties and other celebrations, and Natalie Fiacco, Caroline Putnam, and Holly Vogt are Officer Representatives who work on inclusion and promote participation in the thespian society. Current members of Troupe 7702 include Miller Woodall, William Nix, Addison Vogt, Natalie Fiacco, Shea Griffith, Kat Petty, Sydney Tiffin, Piper Hendryx, Zoe Embleton, Alyssa Gershon-Palma, Audrey Brown, Holly Vogt, Caroline Putnam, and Dennis Norman, and even more, students are to be inducted soon.
Additionally, as members of the Thespian Society, students gain access to Georgia ThesCon, a state-wide theatre conference where students get to perform and receive feedback from seasoned professionals, attend shows and professional workshops, and meet other students passionate about theatre for an entire weekend. Some students are even able to attend the International Thespian Conference, which takes place in the summer. Last year, Troupe 7702 was given the honor to perform an entire show at Georgia ThesCon, The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong! It was a terrific and highly rewarding opportunity for all those involved.
From the recognition and rewards offered by the membership to the terrific events and opportunities offered by the thespian society, Thespian Society membership is a terrific opportunity for those interested in or passionate about theatre arts. One conclusion is clear: the Thespian Society and the theatre department thrive at Mount Vernon and will be for a long time to come.