Thespian+Troupe+369

=**Thespian Troupe #369 **=

**Summary:**
The Thespian society is an honorary organization for those who dedicate themselves to the Theater. Named after the Greek man Thespis, the world’s first actor, a group was formed specifically for his saying, “Act well your part, there all honor lies.” The Thespian organization was started in Fairmount, West Virginia in 1929. The I.T.S. is not only in America, but there are also troupes from Canada and all throughout Europe. Members must be involved in the theater and earned the respected number of points or hours to gain admittance into the Society. One point is equal to ten hours of work. The Thespian Society is an honorary organization because it is strictly for students who strive for success in the theatric realm.



**History:**
The Thespian Troup #369 was brought to West by Merle Guthrie in 1946. She petitioned to get a group specifically for students in theater that went above and beyond and who wished to pursue theater after high school. The requirements have changed since then. It is now much harder to gain membership to the International Thespian Society at Belleville West. Schools set their own limits to how one gains membership. It started with the candidate needing to log one hundred and fifty hours to gain admission. As of spring 2010, the Thespian Troupe #369 has 12 members. Every year there must be at least seven active theater students in order for the Troupe to stay in existence. Belleville High School has managed to have at least seven members for the last 64 years.



**The requirements to join Thespian Troupe #369 have changed vastly**:

 * 300 hours or 30 points to the theater must be dedicated from the candidate
 * The hours must either be 300 technical hours, or 150 acting hours and 150 technical hours
 * Each member of the troupe must do something to benefit each of the five performances at Belleville West
 * Students must not fall below a C average
 * Students must remain in good respects - no disobedience violations

**[[image:Thesbians_(1990).jpg caption="The Thespian Troupe of 1990"]] The requirements prior to 1993 were:**

 * 150 hours or 15 points must be dedicated to the theater
 * The same requirements for school work
 * Directors for the shows must vote on if the candidate is admitted to the society

**Thespian Troupe #369 now:**
The International Thespian Society offers its members a scholarship due to the amount of hours or points each member logs. The Troupe’s point requirements are higher now due to the fact that Belleville West now has five shows every year, and the students needed to be challenged further so that the Thespian title would be an achievement. Members of the Troupe still perform in Belleville West’s Little Theater organization to record more hours and earn the trademark Stars and Bars of the Thespian Society. Members of the Troupe gain one Star for every ten points they receive above the required thirty points. Then after the member records sixty points, they gain one Bar for every ten points above the sixty points they dedicate. The student may only have a maximum of three Bars before they gain only Stars. Members of the Society can now gain scholarship money depending on how many hours they dedicate to the theater. Thespian officer elections are held at the beginning of every school year.



**2009-2010 Officers:**

 * President: Kaitlyn Broyles
 * Vice President: Casey Wessel
 * Secretary/Treasurer: Adam Anglin

**2009-2010 Members**

 * Kevin Logan
 * Kimberly Kish
 * Amanda Klein
 * Adam Meirink
 * Mac Griffin
 * Amanda Linder
 * Eli Bernstien
 * Sophie Powell
 * Morgan Munro

There are many other members because the Troupe has been around since 1946, but there are no documented records of who the members of Thespian Troupe #369 are.
 * Miss Jennifer Sage