Frequently Asked Questions

The Virtual International Thespian Festival is the ultimate celebration of school theatre. For one week every summer, Thespians and other theatre fans from around the globe gather for the best performances, interactive workshops led by top teaching artists, and auditions with premier colleges and universities in a community-centered experience like no other. Plus, Thespians have the option to showcase their talents in the Thespy® Awards program, earning valuable recognition and feedback for their work on an international level.

Virtual ITF is open to all theatre lovers, including students, their parents and families, teachers, colleges, industry leaders, and artists.

ITF may be a lot of fun, but participant safety is always our top priority. The COVID pandemic continues to present unique safety challenges for organizations hosting large gatherings and public events, and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic’s impact has extended into 2021. At Indiana University, our ITF host venue, there are current limitations to housing and room capacities. At this time, students are not permitted to eat in dining halls, must maintain single occupancy in residence hall housing, and must adhere to limited seating in theatres and classrooms. At the same time, an Educational Theatre Association member survey conducted in August shows most U.S. school districts have limited or eliminated student travel for the 2020-21 academic year. Given the many unknowns, it was not financially responsible to plan for an in-person ITF in 2021. A virtual festival presents participants with the best possible experience and greatest level of access this summer.

All main stage show submissions will be evaluated digitally and considered on a rolling deadline. All applications must be submitted by January 31, with videos submitted within two weeks of the performance or no later than March 31. Learn more in our 2021 main stage submission guidelines or start your application.

We do not censor. We never want to tell ITF audiences what they can and cannot watch. Some schools allow their theatre departments to present shows with mature content, which enables those schools to bring such shows to the ITF. Shows featuring mature content are noted as such.

Yes! Virtual ITF will continue featuring outstanding one-acts in the Chapter Select Showcase this year. Each chapter is handling Chapter Select differently in 2021. Please check with your chapter director to learn how your troupe may qualify. Performance slots are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis until the schedule is full. Chapter directors must submit their recommendations to EdTA by April 15, 2021. For more, read the complete submission guidelines.

The International Thespian Excellence Awards, or Thespys, offer participants valuable recognition and constructive feedback on prepared theatrical performances and technical designs. To participate in the Thespys program at ITF, you must qualify at your chapter festival or at EdTA's alternate "unified" qualifier (if your chapter has authorized that event as a qualifier for you). Thespians who receive superior scores are eligible to participate in the ITF Thespys program. Just select Thespys as an add-on activity when you register. You must sign up by May 14 and submit your Thespys video or other program materials no later than June 1 to be adjudicated. Finalists and callbacks for the Thespys Showcase performance will be announced on June 21. Note: The Thespy Awards program is open only to inducted Thespians.

All students will be welcome to visit the booths and speak to representatives at our virtual college fair.

The unified college audition program is open only to inducted Thespians who are in the class of 2022. At ITF, you’ll have the opportunity to audition for more than 60 colleges and universities, and even set up one-on-one appointments during the college fair. You must purchase the audition add-on during registration by May 14th and submit your audition materials by June 1st. Attendees who have registered for college auditions will receive an email with instructions on how to submit their audition application via OpenWater. For more information about qualifying and preparing for auditions, click here.

Students are invited to audition for two staged readings that will take place during ITF.

Tech students are encouraged to participate in teams at this year’s brand-new reimagined Tech Challenge.

If you are registering individually (either as student or an adult) and NOT attending with a troupe:

• Credit card (American Express, Mastercard, Visa)

If you are registering your troupe, we accept the following payment methods:

• Credit Card (American Express, Mastercard, Visa)
• Check

Mail check payments to:
International Thespian Festival
P.O. Box 645541
Cincinnati, OH 45264-5541
 

All registration fees must be paid in full no later than June 15, 2021. Any registrations with balances due (including those with a purchase order) by that date will be cancelled. Attendees will receive login credentials to access the virtual event venue only if registration fees are paid in full by June 15, 2021.

Due to the advance submission deadline, students may submit their college auditions, Thespy entries, or Tech Challenge entries before payment is received, but the audition or adjudication will not be completed unless the fee has been paid by June 15, 2021.

All International Thespian Festival sessions will be recorded and available for on-demand viewing at your convenience. Plus, all programming is archived for 30 days following the event, giving you plenty of time to re-watch a favorite workshop or catch a performance you might have overlooked. You won’t miss a thing.

Registration is online only, starting March 1 and running through June 1. The deadline to register for Thespy Awards and college auditions is May 14.

Registration for the 2021 Virtual International Thespian Festival (ITF) is a multi-step process.

Individual Registration (Students and Educators)

1. Log in at myedta.schooltheatre.org. If you've never logged in before, you will need to reset your password.
   IMPORTANT: Many school firewalls block external emails, especially to students. If you don't receive your password reset email, this may be the reason. Please contact members@schooltheatre.org or 513.421.3900, ext. 1, to change your email address in this situation.
   1. Update your profile on that website.
2. Return to this website and complete your ITF registration form.
3. Complete additional forms emailed to you within 2-3 days of registering:
   1. Adults (anyone over age 18 when the event begins) will need to complete a background check.
   2. Students (anyone under age 18 when the event begins) will need to have their parent/guardian complete a consent form.

Troupe Registration

1. Login at myedta.schooltheatre.org. If you've never logged in before, you will need to reset your password.
   IMPORTANT: Many school firewalls block external emails, especially to students. If you don't receive your password reset email, this may be the reason. Please contact members@schooltheatre.org or 513.421.3900, ext. 1, to change your email address in this situation.
   1. Update your member roster. 
2. Return to this website and complete the ITF troupe registration form.
   1. Purchase the desired number of all-access passes and add-on activities (this includes college auditions, Thespy entries, student leadership training, and PDIs) for your troupe. Please include yourself and any other troupe leaders who will be attending ITF in the total number of all access passes needed.
3. Once you've completed your registration, look for a confirmation email from events@schooltheatre.org.
   1. Distribute the Troupe Code and link to the Participant Form  (http://itf.schooltheatre.org/registrationform.cfm) to all members of your troupe who will be participating in ITF.  
   2. Every troupe member will need to complete the Participant Form?(including you) to receive access to the virtual event platform.
4. Log in to the Troupe Director Service Center using the credentials you received in your confirmation email to make a payment, print an invoice, manage your troupe registrations, and see who from your troupe has redeemed the Troupe Code.

An all-access pass to the entire four days of activities, workshops, and performances, plus 30 days of archival access, costs just $199. That's less than $5 per workshop or performance!

See the registration fees page for the complete list of tickets and options.

Start your troupe registration as normal. When you get to the payment page select “purchase order” as the payment method, and then submit your registration.

Send an email to Carolyn Fast at cfast@schooltheatre.org and indicate that you need a quote, and we’ll send it to you! 

Once you’ve completed the online registration form, you’ll receive a confirmation email from events@schooltheatre.org that your registration has been received. A valid email address is required to receive your confirmation email.

About a week prior to the start of ITF, each attendee will receive an email with instructions to access the virtual event platform.

IMPORTANT: If you don't receive a confirmation, search your mailbox and check your junk folder first. Many school firewalls block external emails, especially to students. If you have registered with a school email address and don't receive a confirmation email, please contact members@schooltheatre.org or 513.421.3900, ext. 1, to change your email address.

If you need to make changes to your online registration, you can do so by logging in to the Attendee Service Center. There is no charge to change or substitute students prior to May 14.

If you want to add students to your registration after the deadline, you can do that online.

Yes. You should expect to receive the following emails after registering; these are automatically sent to every registrant.

• Confirmation email immediately upon registration
• Students registered for Thespys and college auditions will receive separate submission instructions and reminder between registration and the submission deadline. 
• Login credentials for the virtual event platform about a week prior to the event.

Yes! We have a number of unique sponsorship opportunities available, and this event will feature a virtual exhibit hall with one-on-one appointment options. For more information, contact Angel Wuellner at awuellner@schooltheatre.org.

Absolutely! If you are working toward your Thespian induction, participating in ITF is a great way to earn points. In general, you can earn one point per day attended. Troupe directors have discretion over the actual points awarded, so talk to your teacher about how to earn the maximum points possible from your participation. You may need to demonstrate which workshops you attended, for example, or new things that you learned as a result of attending.

Download our handy points sheet for more ideas to earn Thespian induction during COVID.

Due to the nature of this virtual event, all sales are final. Attendees will have access to session recordings for one month following the event. No cancellation refunds will be issued.

View all registration policies

If pursuing college admission and scholarships for theatre is your dream, ITF is a great place to make it happen.

Juniors can participate in college auditions for the chance to wow reps from 60+ college theatre programs nationwide. Colleges who attend ITF award admission and scholarships to ITF attendees each year.

New this year, Thespians can earn scholarships through the Thespy Awards program. Top-scoring participants will be automatically eligible for the new Grace Kelly Scholarships and Amy Bennett Musical Theatre Scholarship. The winners of those scholarships will be determined through an interview process.

Virtual ITF won’t offer standalone scholarship auditions in 2021. Seniors who wish to be considered for scholarships can do so through the Thespys — enter in your chapter’s qualifying round or through the alternate qualifier deadlining March 8 — or by applying for other EdTA scholarship opportunities by April 1.

This year, the Playworks competition will become the Playwriting category of the Thespy Awards. As before, any student writer may submit a script, and the winners will work with directors and casts to develop their plays and present staged readings at ITF. As part of the Thespys, all students who enter will receive an adjudication of their work. See the Thespy website for details.

Musicalworks, Criticworks, and Filmworks will not happen at ITF. There will not be a commissioned play or musical this year. 

Yes! Financial-assistance grants are available for inducted Thespians who face financial barriers to attending ITF. To be considered, fill out the online application before June 15. The grants are awarded to individual Thespians (not troupes) on a first-come, first-serve basis until the grant pool runs out, so we recommend applying as early as possible.

EdTA anticipates returning to in-person events beginning in 2022, provided social distancing requirements of future meeting locations allow for in-person events.

ITF is traditionally held the last full week of June and will be held on Indiana University Bloomington in Bloomington, IN the following dates:

June 20 - 25, 2022
June 19 - 24, 2023
June 24 - 29, 2024
June 23 - 28, 2025