Thespian Society Inductions Recap

Emilinn Kim, Eastside Staff

Forty-three D-wingers joined Thespian Troupe 213 on Thursday night in the East auditorium.

Each inductee had to perform some type of act such as a speech, monologue, singing, dancing, etc. to prove that they are worthy to be inducted as a member of the society.

“Dedication, time, and perseverance. Three elements that a Thespian must possess. . .they must have a passion for the arts,” said one of the inductees, Claire Coen (‘21).

Performances that ranged from singing to instruments, from monologues to speeches and from dances to stand up comedy.

The Thespian Society Inductions are completely different from other inductions. Each inductee was put on stage one at a time in order to have their act revolves around the talent that they wished to share during their performance. Some students have been preparing their performances for this event for months.

The inductions start out by introducing what a Thespian is and then they move onto the performances of all forty-three inductees. The inductees were not always actors or actresses for plays, they were also crew members who had helped in major parts of the school plays.

“This inductions was a special event to the theater [students]. . . it’s basically a milestone for the people involved in theater,” said Cassie Cuddihy (‘19), publicist of the Thespian Society for the 2018-2019 school year.

After the performances, the Candlelight Ceremony begins. During this ceremony, each student is individually announced to the stage followed by a brief description about themselves. They come onto the stage holding candles with a tiny slip of paper. Whenever it is a students’ turn to read their slip of paper, they touch each other’s candles and pass on a light down the line.

“I am touched. . . The future of this program, I feel like everything is in place. . . I am leaving this program in great hands,” said outgoing Drama Department Director, Mr. Thomas Weaver.

The students follow a point system that tells them however close they are to being inducted. The points are given out depending on that student’s position either if they are an actor or a crew member. Each student must have at least thirty-eight points in order to be inducted.

Other schools also follow the point system, but the point systems themselves and the amount of points needed to become a member of the society, according to Anne Weaver, Tom Weaver’s wife.