On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the International Thespians Society, Lafayette Theatre Honors Society, held their annual Induction Ceremony/End-of-the-Year Celebration. At this event, new Thespians are inducted into the society, students are awarded for their work throughout the year, and the next year’s fall play and winter musical are announced.
Initially, this event was intended to occur in Beeler Auditorium, however due to the cancellation of all on-campus after school activities due to a threatening call received by the school, it was moved to South Elkhorn Christian Church.
Each year, the winter musical is announced through Musical Madness. This is a March Madness-style bracket that began with 32 musicals, which was narrowed down each week, until we were left with two, Matilda and Frozen, with the musical choice announced at the end of the ceremony. Students, staff, and family could vote on which musical they thought it would be, with a leaderboard of who had the most points each week.
The winner of the student bracket challenge was Ava Becker with 41 points, the winner of the family and friends bracket was Harper Owens with 26 points, and the winner of the staff bracket was Dr. Orr with 33 points. Ella Harris, Ms. Kurzendoerfer, Tilda Lauer, Ms. Samet, Zeke Steele, and Hera Vibbert all correctly guessed the winner.
The 2026-2027 school year winter musical was announced to be Matilda. Matilda follows a young girl who stands up to her principal and parents with her telekinetic powers, sharp mind, and courage. The fall play will be This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing, the story of three sisters who after being abandoned in the woods each take very different paths in life.
Students are generally excited about the 2026-2027 season. Sophomore Anna Claiborne, a student in Theatre 2 and newly inducted Thespain, said “I’m very excited, I don’t know a lot about Matilda, but I’m definitely going to research more about it.” While some are unfamiliar with the shows, next year will undoubtedly be a fun one.
Students are chosen to be inducted based on a point system, where students earn points for doing theatre and other related activities, and students must have 10 points to be inducted. 40 students were inducted this year, including 9 Juniors, 12 Sophomores, and 19 Freshman.
Lafayette’s International Thespians Society is student-led by a team of officers elected by students at the end of each year. At the Thespian Induction, next year’s officer team officially takes their place for the following year. Officer positions include President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian/Social Media, Tech Representative, and Grade Representatives.
A number of awards are also given out, like an outstanding student from each class (ex. – Outstanding Student in Intro to Theatre. There are underclassmen awards and senior awards, all honoring the talent, effort, and character of Lafayette’s theatre students. “I thought they were fun, there’s definitely a lot of them,” said Claiborne.
Beyond student awards, each year two honorary thespians are chosen. These are adults who support Lafayette Theatre and are an important part of our theatre community. This year the honorary thespians were Grace Gorrell and Casey King. They both work tirelessly behind the scenes to make our shows happen and are dedicated supporters of the theatre program.
Being inducted into the society is a huge honor for many students, showing their commitment to Theatre and effort throughout the year. “It was very daunting at first, but I enjoyed the experience,” said Claiborne. The Thespian Induction celebrates the past year and excites us for the year ahead, and we can’t wait to see what the 2026-2027 school year holds.
