Two Palo Alto High School students were voted “Most Entertaining” at the annual Northern California Thespian Leadership and Tech Conference hosted at Foothill College on Sept. 25.

Junior Grace Barry and senior Stephanie Spector won the award for their performance of a short comedy skit called “The Octopus.”

“Basically, it was about an octopus in a couple’s house that won’t leave,” Spector said. “The comedy of the scene is that it’s dead serious.”

Barry and Spector’s performance was part of an acting showcase put on by the attending thespian troupes at the end of the leadership and tech conference. The conference was a day-long event, held on Sept. 25, which included professionally instructed workshops on leadership and technology. About 20 schools from across northern California attended the conference, according to Paly Thespian Club Director Kathleen Woods.

California State Thespians organized the event. CTS is part of the International Thespian Society, which is an honor society comprised mainly of high school thespian troupes around the world.

A new aspect of the conference was the technology skills workshops, which were taught by professionals and college professors.

“There were workshops on lighting design, scene painting, costumes, stage management, makeup and props,” Woods said. “It [the workshop portion] was really well-received by students.”

The conference provided important experience, which will benefit Paly’s Thespian Club throughout the year as they perform on campus and around California, according to Woods.

“It [the conference] is meant to be preparation,” Woods said. “You want that leadership training to help for the rest of the year, and students have the opportunity to network.”

Members of the Thespian Club will apply their new skills in the theatre department’s first show of the year, Our Town which starts Nov. 4.

Editor’s Note: Grace Barry is a reporter for The Paly Voice. This article was written for the purposes of disseminating news about the Paly Thespian Club.