Last month, teenagers from all around the state made their way to St. Louis for the annual Missouri Thespians conference, which took place from Jan. 8-10. South County student thespians — including junior Charley Ritter of Oakville High School — were able to take part in workshops, watch the “main stage performance” and do scholarship auditions.

“It’s basically a big celebration of theater,” Ritter said.

But one of the pinnacles of the weekend is the announcement of the All-State Production cast list. The All-State Production only happens every other year, casting the cream of the crop from across Missouri. Ritter was among 80 students who auditioned for a part in next year’s production, “Blue Stockings.” She says she’s been doing theater for almost her entire life, but this will be her biggest production yet. 

Unlike other shows, the All-State cast list isn’t posted on a wall or sent out online. Instead, every attendee of the Missouri Thespians conference was gathered into the Stifel Theater — where the conference was being held — and the cast list was read aloud.

“That was the most stressful cast list I’ve ever had to experience,” Ritter said. “But I was very fortunate. Our thespian troupe is so close — we’re like a family — so it was really nice, because we all sit together. When he was reading off the cast list, we were all waiting with bated breath, and they were all holding my hands. It was so nice.”

The announcer started from the bottom of the list, announcing casting for the minor characters first. Ritter waited patiently as he made it to the top and declared that she would be playing Tess Moffat, the lead role in “Blue Stockings.”

“I was getting more nervous and more nervous as he was reading off all these people,” Ritter said. “I was the last one called, and our troupe just erupted. It was probably one of my favorite moments of being in this troupe, because I felt so loved. Everyone was so happy for me. It was truly awesome.”

“Blue Stockings” is a historical play that focuses on four women as they fight to receive their college degrees in a time when that was often denied to women.

“She’s such a dynamic character,” Ritter said about Tess Moffat. “It’s not like she only has one driving goal; she has multiple things she has to think about. It’s really exciting to play such a dynamic character and get to play through that on stage. Plus, I get to have a British accent.”

Now, it’s time to get to work. The production will take place at next year’s Missouri Thespians conference; though still nearly a year out, Ritter says that she’s already learning her lines. The next step is a short series of Zoom calls to discuss the production, and then there will be an entire week later this year for the performers to “put the show together.”

At the end of that week, the students’ production of “Blue Stockings” will be performed for their families, and then things will be packed up until the conference. They’ll have another intensive rehearsal before the curtains go up on that weekend.

“This is probably the most lines I’ve ever had, considering it’s a play, plus she’s the lead,” Ritter said. “I have to learn all of those lines before we even start rehearsals. It’s stressful, but I like a challenge, and being stressed gets me in gear.”

The Stifel Theater, where Ritter will perform, can hold over 3,000 people — a much larger audience than she’s faced before at OHS, where she recently played Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” and will play Helen in the spring production of “Fahrenheit 451.” But Ritter is all excitement about the opportunity, and she mentions nothing about the nerves.

“I’m very excited. I was like, ‘Wow, this theater is gorgeous.’ It’s next down to The (Fabulous) Fox. It’s incredible,” Ritter said. “When it comes to the conference, since they’re all teenagers in the audience, they always give the best reactions. If something funny happens, it’s always really funny. I’m excited to feed off of that energy.”

Three additional South County students — Amelia Pozzo, Annabella Swaykus and Mia Eckhoff of Cor Jesu Academy — were also accepted into the All-State Production.