On Wednesday, June 5, Troupe 4789 of the International Thespian Society was reinstated at Haddonfield Memorial High School after a 16-year hiatus.
Faculty of the theatre arts program at HMHS petitioned the International Thespian Society, the student honorary division of the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), for the privilege of reinstating Thespian Troupe 4789, which was chartered in 1990 and lapsed in 2003.
High-school staff and students were determined to meet the standards required by the board of directors, and the application was accepted.
The guiding principle of the society is the core belief that participation in the arts is an essential means of widening students’ cultural horizons and enriching their lives. This is a belief shared by members of the theatre arts program at HMHS.
The HMHS Drama Club performs three shows per year: a play in October, a musical in March, and a musical theatre showcase in late April or early May. Next year, the program will be expand to include a curricular component, as two new semester electives, Theatre Arts I & II, will be offered to students.
At a ceremony in the HMHS auditorium on June 5, 18 students were inducted into full life-long membership in the International Thespian Society: freshman Mary Clare Michael, sophomores Selena Chacon, Katrina Edwards, Jesse Eible Hargro, Evie Ellis, Anna Forebaugh, Mary Herdelin, Sofia Hoz de Vila, juniors Charlotte George, Chloe Griffault, Belle Romea, Ellie Smart and Luke Soumilas.
