From Jan. 9-11, the Free State Theatre department took a trip to Wichita for the annual Kansas Thespian Festival. The festival is designed for any registered school in Kansas and plays host to many competitions, workshops, scholarships and theater events.

For the past two years, the Free State Improv team has brought back the state title in the annual competitive improv competition. Given the past success, some team members were particularly disappointed when the improv event got canceled this year due to inclement weather.

For freshman Elizabeth Davis, the canceled competition meant missing what she was most excited about in the festival. On the other hand, for some seniors, it was their last opportunity to showcase their skills at a state competition level. Senior Kiefer Bullock said he noted the significance of this final opportunity at KTF being canceled.

“Improv has been such a formative part of my time at Free State and not getting the final hurrah as a senior is bothersome,” Bullock said. “However, I have faith that next year Free State will show up and show what we’re made of again.”

Even with the improv competition being canceled, Free State still brought back many awards. Most notably, junior Owen Börk won Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role as Reverend Shaw Moore in the school’s Footloose production. Additionally, in Thespies, which are competitions that focus on individual skills in theater production, juniors Piper Northrop and Anders Benson earned superior ratings, the highest award designated.