A group of Steamboat Springs High School students will take to an international stage this summer after earning top honors at the Colorado Thespian Convention in December.

Five members of Steamboat Springs High School’s theater troupe received superior ratings at the annual convention in Denver, which qualified them to attend and perform at the International Thespian Festival in Indianapolis in June.

The festival brings together high school theater students from across the country for performances and workshops.

The Colorado Thespian Convention hosts thousands of students each year who compete in individual events including acting, musical theater and technical design. Performances and presentations are evaluated by professional adjudicators and scored as fair, good, excellent or superior.

Only students earning an overall superior rating advance to nationals.

For junior Emma Griffith, the recognition marks a milestone that was years in the making.

Griffith said she had wanted to participate in theater since she was young, but attended a middle school without a program. When she arrived at Steamboat Springs High School, she auditioned for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as a freshman and found her passion.

“Theater is my extracurricular activity, it fills my time and it allows me to put my energy and passion into something outside of school,” Griffith said. “It feeds my soul.”

Griffith earned a superior rating for her musical theater performance and acting work. She credited much of her success to the support around her, including her mother, who has chaperoned Colorado Thespian Convention trips since Griffith’s freshman year.

“Just having her in the audience is the biggest comfort to me,” she said.

Griffith also credited her voice teacher, Abbey Iberg, for helping with her vocals and acting. She said the feedback from adjudicators was motivating as she prepares the piece for nationals.

Junior Sophie Hill will also represent the school at the national festival. Hill grew up in the performing arts, as she spent much of her childhood in a ballet studio owned by her mother. Her background in dance and singing served as a perfect conduit toward musical theater.

Hill practiced extensively, with her family as her audience, while also leaning on friends and mentors before and during the convention.

“I was shocked when I found out,” Hill said. “After it sank in, I was absolutely ecstatic.”

Hill said theater offers her a creative outlet and a sense of ownership over the characters she performs. She also noted the importance of theater programs in schools and described them as spaces where students can explore interests outside their comfort zones while finding a supportive community.

Not all of the SSHS students advancing to nationals will perform onstage.

Junior Auden Snider earned a superior rating in technical set design, a category that highlights the behind-the-scenes work that supports theatrical productions. Snider said she became involved in theater during her freshman year and was pulled toward scenic design, construction and painting.

At the state convention, Snider presented about the design process behind a Steamboat Springs High School set and spoke about how she collaborated with directors, the props manager and shop teacher Kyle Seyedian to bring the design to life.

Snider said the experience showed how teamwork and communication are vital elements of a successful, collective theater production.

“Being a part of this program helped me understand what it takes to be on a team,” she said. “It has built my leadership skills and confidence.”

Snider holds several leadership roles within the Steamboat High School performance group, including being head of technical theater and set construction. She said advancing to nationals during her first state convention was both unexpected and exciting.

Sophomore Elliot Sibson will attend nationals after earning a near-perfect score for a musical theater duet. Sibson performed two events at the convention, a solo and a duet, and advanced with the duet she performed alongside freshman Taylor Jenkins.

The pair sang “Stepsister’s Lament” from “Cinderella.”

“I didn’t think it was that good at first,” Sibson said. “When I found out we made it, it basically made my year.”

Sibson said her interest in theater began in seventh grade and was solidified after participating in an original summer production with Piknik Theatre. She described her theater experiences as creative outlets and a safe spaces.

“It’s a place where I can just be myself without fear of judgment,” she said.

Jenkins, the youngest of the group advancing to nationals, earned superior ratings for both her individual performance and the duet with Sibson. She said she has been singing most of her life and discovered musical theater in seventh grade.

“I just think it is fun,” Jenkins said. “I love performing and musical theater gives me a chance to do that.”

Students gave high marks to Steamboat Springs High School drama instructor Michael Martinez for coordinating the trip and helping them prepare for it. Friends, family members and private coaches also played key roles in supporting students through rehearsals and performances.

“The students all did a fabulous job preparing their competition pieces. It was a joy to watch them compete and stand out amongst their peers,” said Griffith’s mother, Ami. “I’m very proud of all of them and look forward to hearing about their experience at the national level this summer.”

Beyond competition, students spoke extensively about the overall impact theater has had on their lives.

Griffith said theater teaches adaptability, confidence and communication skills that extend beyond the stage. She added that creative outlets are especially important in schools, where students may be hesitant to take risks or stand out.

“The art of storytelling is timeless,” she said. “It connects people like nothing else.”

As the group looks ahead to Indianapolis, students said their goals extend beyond scores or awards. Many plan to attend workshops, watch performances from other schools and learn from peers across the country.

“I’m excited to see how other people do theater and how much creativity and hard work goes into their pieces,” Snider said. “This program helped me understand myself and it’s something I’ll always be grateful for.”