International Thespian Society Troupe #6354 @ SHS
The International Thespian Society is the only theatre honor society for middle and high school students in the United States. Saratoga High School has a long-running troupe - #6354 - for students at SHS. Induction into the ITS program is open to any student who earns sufficient points.
How do you earn points?
There are many ways to earn points. Here are some of the ways:
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- being part of the Fall play or Spring Musical (actor or tech crew)
- helping with a Drama 4 Honors production (e.g. Suite Surrender)
- being part of a New Works Festival production
- being a Comedy Sportz team member
- by writing a play for New Works Festival or ...... for the pure joy of it!
CA Thespian Festival Field Trip
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Every spring, the California State Thespian Festival, now held at its new home in Pomona College, SoCal, features numerous performances presented by high school students from throughout the state. Students may participate in a variety of workshops led by theatre professionals, perform or view individual performance and tech events, audition for scholarships, shop for theatre merchandise, and connect with 1500 other California Thespians. SHS usually offers a field trip to this festival.
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In March 2025 the following SHS Troupe #6354 students scored the top score of Superior in their events at the CA Thespian Festival and were invited to compete in the World Competition, the International Thespian Festival, in Bloomington, Indiana in June '25.
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Ryan Backhus, Apollo Burgess - Duet Acting
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Nila Venkataratnam - Solo Acting (Monologues)
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Katie Berger and Nila Venkataratnam - Duet Acting
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Katie Berger - Musical Theatre Dance
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Artemis Pan - Costume Design
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Natalie Poon - Scenic Design
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Diya Kapoor - Sound Design
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In addition, Ryan Backhus won 2nd place play for his original piece "A Stop in Time", Katie Berger and Evangelina Stepanchanko participated in the opening cermony's dance performance, and Nila Venkataratnman was selected to be a California State Thespian Officer for a second term, for the 2025-2026 school year.
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Congratulations to everyone!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Board Members 2025-2026
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President - Saachi Saraf
VP - Nila Venkataratnam
Secretary - Evangelina Stepanchanko
Treasurer - Tessie Berger
Communications - Larry O'Brien
Social Media Chair - Annabelle Co
Historian - Emily Troy
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