Thespian Troupe #7757
Visit http://www.tedta.org for more information.
What is the International Thespian Society?
The International Thespian Society has been honoring excellence in the work of theatre students since 1929. Thespian troupes serve students in grades nine through twelve, and Junior Thespian troupes serve students in grades six through eight. There are at present active ITS troupes in more than 3,900 high schools and middle schools, mostly in the United States and Canada. The Society recently inducted its two millionth Thespian.
What is a thespian?
Actors and actresses are called thespians in honor of Thespis, a Greek playwright and performer. Around 535 B.C., Thespis added a new dimension to drama by stepping out of the Greek chorus during a performance and reciting portions of the text alone, becoming the first actor. He is also credited with inventing the theatrical mask.
“It is generally supposed that Thespis, who managed a traveling company, transported
his actors in wagons, which also served as their stage,” according to The Cassell Companion to Theatre, which quotes this couplet from John Dryden:
Thespis, the first professor of our art, At country wakes sang ballads from a cart.
Thespian with an uppercase “T” refers to a member of the International Thespian Society, the world’s largest honor society for theatre students. The designation “Thespian” includes student members who excel in technical and production fields as well as performance in their high school theatre.
“It is generally supposed that Thespis, who managed a traveling company, transported
his actors in wagons, which also served as their stage,” according to The Cassell Companion to Theatre, which quotes this couplet from John Dryden:
Thespis, the first professor of our art, At country wakes sang ballads from a cart.
Thespian with an uppercase “T” refers to a member of the International Thespian Society, the world’s largest honor society for theatre students. The designation “Thespian” includes student members who excel in technical and production fields as well as performance in their high school theatre.