Maggie McClelland was briefly thrown for a loop. She was supposed to go second, but the first singer didn't show up, so suddenly she was leading off the musical-theater portion of the New Mexico Thespian Festival with "I'd Give My Life For You" from the musical Miss Saigon.

She seemed to do just swell, which doesn't mean the three adult judges weren't furiously writing down comments on McClelland's evaluation sheet. But after warbling the final note and thanking the audience — mostly made up of teen peers — Maggie headed into a nearby hallway to cry.

"I was a little discombobulated," she said. "I didn't think I would have to perform first."

The Albuquerque teen gathered herself together quickly. "I was confident. I just wish I could have been more connected to the song. Maybe the audience could connect to my song even if I wasn't able to," she said a few moments later, a smile flashing over her face.

The two-day fest on the campus of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, which wrapped up Friday afternoon, gave students from around the state the chance to meet and mix with peers; take part in theater-related workshops (acting, auditioning, directing, stage managing, etc.); and the chance to prove they have what it takes to perform at the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Neb., in June.

To do so, they have to qualify as "superior" in the eyes of the three judges who observe the students as they perform either ballads, monologues or two-person dramatic scenes that they have (hopefully) prepared in advance.

Getting to Lincoln gives the students the chance to earn scholarships to desirable performance-art schools, take more workshops and broaden their theatrical horizons.

"One of our big goals is to get all these students from different schools together and give them the chance to share and show what they can do to one another," said Richard Hogle, the New Mexico Thespian Festival chapter director.

He estimated that about 200 theater students from around the state took part in this year's festival, although, curiously, no Santa Fe school thespian clubs chose to apply.

Attending from the Albuquerque Academy were 16-year-old Blair Nodelman and 17-year-old Elliott Hartman. "It's nice to come here and take classes that you might not normally get the chance to take in your school," Nodelman said.

Hartman — who was gearing up to perform shortly after McClelland — said, "It's fun to be around people who love doing the same thing you love doing."

As for his musical-theater performance, he said, "It's very scary because you know that you are being judged, and you have to sit there for a few minutes while the judges write, and you know they're writing about you."

He added, "It's also nerve-wracking knowing that all the people in the room watching you are good at doing what you are good at doing."

According to Hogle and Jonathan Dunski — who teaches at the Play Conservatory in Albuquerque and was presenting the Hot Cold Readings workshop at the fest Friday — this annual festival began about 40 years back, although it was dormant for some time before Dunski revived it about 10 years ago.

This is the first time the event was held in Santa Fe. Last year The University of New Mexico served as host campus, but Hogle said its performing venues are a bit too spread out.

So he approached John Weckesser, chairman of the performing arts department at the Greer Garson Theatre (at SFUAD) about holding it in Santa Fe.

"It's worked out great," Hogle said. "We've already been invited back for next year, and we plan to accept."

Dunski's workshop prepared actors for auditions with cold readings — wherein actors have to suddenly perform, script-in-hand, a play they have never read before. He urged them to take their time, take some risks and make eye contact with one another.

The seven kids in his morning session repeatedly performed scenes from a historical play about the RMS Titanic and from the musical-comedy Go-Go Beach (think of Frankie and Annette). Dunski encouraged everyone to comment on how the other students were progressing.

"This is something they wouldn't normally get in a drama curriculum at any school," he said. "It's such a practical skill to teach."

He said these festivals can help a student determine what's next.

"Some of them still haven't wrapped their brains around the 'Is this what I want to do with my life?' question," he said. "So this festival can help them decide.

"And it can provide a reality check for them, too. Just because they are the best actor in their high school doesn't mean that's how they'll be seen here. You hear a lot of 'What do you mean, I'm not superior?' "

Contact Robert Nott at 986-3021 or rnott@sfnewmexican.com