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St. Pete thespian troupe taking part in festival in Orlando

By Barry Wong
Updated  February 13, 2025 4:54pm EST
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News

St. Pete thespian troupe taking part in festival in Orlando

St. Paul Catholic School’s Thespian Troupe is preparing for the biggest performance of the season for the Florida State Junior Thespian Festival.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Paul Catholic School’s Thespian Troupe is preparing for the biggest performance of the season for the Florida State Junior Thespian Festival. 

"We do, basically, it's sort of theater competition," St. Paul Catholic School teacher Vaughn Wassmer said. 

Around 20 middle schoolers have been rehearsing different performances, from monologs, solo singing, duets and a large group performance. 

"I love the adrenaline of having to go up on stage, and I love singing and acting and dancing, so putting all my favorite things together up on stage for everyone to see is one of my favorite things," St. Paul Catholic School 8th grader Arwen Singer-Daou said. 

Singer-Daou performs twice. She’s part of the large group singing "What’s Inside/Opening Up" from Waitress: The Musical. She’s also partnering with her best friend, 8th grader Emma Perrier, to perform "Some Things Are Meant To Be" from Little Women: The Musical. 

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"I just think it's so fun to get to be someone else, and you just leave all your problems and just get to be in this whole other world," Perrier said. 

Both Singer-Daou and Perrier have been performing since they were kids and have been involved with the troupe since 6th grade. They both aspire to continue performing in high school and beyond. 

"It's my passion. I haven't really found anything else that I love as much as I love this," Singer-Dauo said. 

Much of the troupe is student led, with Wassmer giving notes and feedback after each rehearsal. The long-time teacher is the most hands-on with the large group performance, which involves many movements and props during the two songs. 

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"They feel like a troupe, a team. They all support each other very strongly. They are there for the tough times, and they celebrate their successes," Wassmer said. 

Nine years ago, Wassmer revived the school’s theatre program. He was motivated by strong student interest. The festival is a culmination of a year of performances and competitions.

The Florida State Junior Thespian Festival is in Orlando from Feb. 13-15. The troupe, officially called Thespian Troupe #89390, will be competing on Saturday. 

"I just want to make people feel something. When I perform, I want it to be like, oh I felt that, or oh now I understand how this feels like," Perrier said. " I want to make people have a different perspective on things."

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