With a combination of cake, performances and dance parties, Manhattan High School Thespian Troupe #941 celebrated their 65th anniversary this past week.

On Friday, the club decided to throw their own little party for both East and West campuses. At the West Campus, slices of cake were passed out during lunch to students who were also invited to few small performances held by the troupe in the Little Theater.

“Last Friday, we handed out cake to students, had improv shows in the Little Theater, and we were able to publicize our group a little bit up at East Campus,” co-mime and improv president Kayla Semmel, senior, said.

Being able to reach out to the East Campus is something important to the Thespian Troupe. Often, freshman over at East feel left out from activities and clubs, but having opportunity to travel down and encourage incoming sophomores who will soon be transferred over to West to join Thespians is a great way to publicize the club. Thespian Troupe #941 is a club full of passionate students with a love for theater and are always willing to accept new members.

“[Thespians] means a lot to me,” troupe president Emma Lansdowne, senior, said. “When I was a freshman in high school, I made it my goal to become president of the Thespians my senior year, so I’ve been dreaming of [being president] for years.”

With the 65th anniversary come and gone, club members still have a lot to look forward to. Their spring play “Rumors” is currently in the works and will be showing Feb. 15-17. The club also has “Salute to Broadway” coming up as well, where any students can audition to perform a theatrical peace in a compilation of numbers and scenes for an audience’s enjoyment. The show will be running in late March, and auditions are open to anyone and everyone, experience not required.

The MHS Thespian Troupe will also soon be seeing a change with the retirement of their director, Linda Uthoff. Uthoff has been teaching at MHS for over 20 years, and while MHS will miss her, the troupe will stand with what they stand for, and that is to entertain through theatrical arts.

“Maybe you haven’t found the right corner of theater for you, but you will find it,” Lansdowne said. “There’s a place for everyone in theater. That advice will especially be true next year when the school transitions teachers.”