Thespians and theater students alike recently attended the 2018 Kansas Thespian Festival in Wichita.

They left at 8 a.m. on Jan. 4, and arrived back home late in the evening on Jan. 7.

“The buses were late, so we came back at 8:30,” Kaylee Flory, senior, said.

The festival took place at Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center in Wichita where students were able to compete and have space for different performances.

Thespians and crew members participated in a number of workshops that “ranged from costumes and how to sew things to yoga,” Megan Weldon, junior, said.

There were also activities such as “tech challenge, charades, lobby display, honor troupe, etc.,” David Hastings, theater director, said.

Students could watch performances during the day, which counted as workshops.

Each time a student attended a workshop, they got a sticker. Students can receive a prize by the end of the festival, depending on how many stickers they get.

In the evening after each day, the schools that advanced to perform at the state level

To determine whether or not a play performs at the state or national level, it is “adjudicated at the school,” Kaylee Flory, senior, said.

“Adjudicators are present at the state festival as well,” Hastings said.

On the night of the fourth, Urinetown, written by Greg Kotis, was performed followed by Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe on the fifth.

The final play on the sixth was Moon over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig.

After the final performance, there was an awards banquet where schools could earn a title in a variety of areas, including improvisation.