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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.
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Virtual ITF is open to all theatre lovers, including students, their parents and families, teachers, colleges, industry leaders, and artists.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The unified college audition program is open to high school juniors interested in studying theatre after graduation. 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 sign up by May 14 and submit your audition video no later than June 1 to participate. Note: College auditions are open only to inducted Thespians.
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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.
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If you are registering individually (either as student or an adult):
- Credit card (American Express, Mastercard, Visa)
If you are registering your troupe, we accept the following payment methods in addition to credit cards:
If your organization requires a purchase order before your payment can be processed, please select Purchase Order for your payment method when registering. The purchase order number will be required. You can also upload your purchase order to complete your registration. You'll then be able to print an invoice to submit to your administration.
Mail check payments to:
International Thespian Festival
P.O. Box 645541
Cincinnati, OH 45264-5541
Email a copy of your invoice with payment information to members@schooltheatre.org.
Fax a copy of your invoice with payment information to (513) 421-7055.
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 and Thespy entries before payment is received, but the audition or adjudication will not be completed unless the fee has been paid by June 15, 2021.
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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.
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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. Register by May 14 for the best price.
Registration for the 2021 Virtual International Thespian Festival (ITF) is a multi-step process.
Individuals (Students and Educators)
- 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.
- Update your profile.
- Return here to complete your registration form beginning March 1.
- Adults (anyone over the age of 18 when the event begins) will need to complete a background check.
- Students (anyone under the age of 18 when the event begins) will need to have their parent/guardian complete a consent form.
Troupes
- 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.
- Update your member roster. IMPORTANT: If you are planning to induct students, you must complete this separate process first.
- Return here to complete the troupe registration form beginning March 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.
- You will receive a GROUP CODE to distribute to your troupe members. Each troupe member will then need to complete the individual registration form to receive their login credentials for the virtual event platform.
Each attendee needs a separate login (email address) to access the virtual event platform, to submit college audition and Thespy® materials, and to receive certificates. Parent email addresses are required to collect consent and virtual event code of conduct agreement forms.
Not a member?
If you are not a member, you will need to complete a guest profile here before completing your registration.
If you need assistance updating your membership information or troupe roster, please contact members@schooltheatre.org.
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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.
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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.
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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.
If you don't remember receiving these, please search your mailbox and check your junk folder before contacting us.
IMPORTANT: Many school firewalls block external emails, especially to students. If you are not receiving emails about ITF, this may be the reason why. The easiest resolution is to update your ITS/EdTA account to a non-school email. Please contact members@schooltheatre.org or (513) 421-3900, ext. 1, to change your email address.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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, college-bound seniors can earn scholarships through the Thespy Awards program. The top-scoring seniors in each category will be automatically eligible for a total of 10 $2,000 scholarships. 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.
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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.
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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.
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