By Laila Orozco, Bridgeland HS (A High School Journalism Network Collaboration)

Bringing bold singing, dancing and wonderful acting to the stage, the Bridgeland High School Texas Thespians Troupe #8503, was named the August 2025 Troupe of the Month. Texas Thespians is a place to compete and improve one’s acting skills among peers and judges. Bridgeland’s troupe was recognized as Troupe of the Month for their stellar performances throughout the year.

“We got recognized because we brought our very own show, our very own musical to Corpus Christi to perform in front of large audiences [last year],”
Bridgeland senior Griffin Bale said. “We got fourth at state for our UIL One-Act Play competition, and we also had multiple people represent our troupe at the Hobby Center for a high school theater competition called Tommy Tune.”

Texas Thespians is a statewide festival where theatre students attend to perform an act: solo musicals, one-act plays and group musicals. While the festival is not in session, participants are able to complete tasks, which are sent to all troupes every month, to see who has the most participation and dedication to the program.

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“We had to complete requirements like visiting our middle school's theatre productions, helping out our community, volunteering at places, community outreach and hosting events, and then also, of course, being successful within our productions,” Bale said.

Troupe #8503 works tirelessly to compete with other troupes to stay in the game. They are currently preparing for Texas Thespians, a musical and two fall semester productions. While there is a long list to get through, they can schedule their activities strategically within UIL guidelines.

“[Bridgeland’s] troupe achievements stand as a testament to the power of theatre to educate, unite and inspire,” said Amy Jordan, Bridgeland theatre executive director. “Their collective commitment reflects the heart of our organization’s mission: to lead, encourage and educate through the transformative power of theatre.”

The recognition for Bridgeland’s theatre program has been a milestone, as they received the honor/gold troupe title last year for excelling throughout the Texas Thespian program. Troupe #8503 has performed at the International Thespian Festival several times and has advanced to the State UIL One-Act Play Contest twice in the last three years. The growing success of Bridgeland’s best is bringing the motivation to continue pushing to the next act.

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“The odds are not in your favor to go to state,” said Adam Delka, Bridgeland theatre director. “We just have a busy, thriving program that has recognized that we produce good, high-quality work. We have a very involved community of kids and boosters, and our administration is supportive.”

Overall, Troupe #8503 showcases their wit and determination to be the best every day. This year the team continues to push with the plays “Cats” and “Clue,” demonstrating the level of intensity they can handle. With every achievement, Troupe #8503 continues to be a successful and hardworking program.

“It's certainly nice to be recognized for the hard work because often in the arts, unless you win something major, you don't get recognized for the day-to-day work,” Delka said. “It's not like we go and have a game every weekend where we can see who wins. We work for months to do one weekend of shows, so to get recognized is a nice little pat on the back that kind of gives you that motivation.”

Editor's Note: This article was written by Laila Orozco, a student at Bridgeland High School in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, through a partnership between My Neighborhood News and the District as part of an established high school journalism network collaboration. My Neighborhood News is a proud supporter of local youth and warmly welcomes the opportunity to provide a platform for students to share their work.