VA Thespian Update
VA Thespians Kudos & Happenings
November 2022: LAST CALL FOR STUDENT EVENTS!
Regular registration now closes Nov 11th. All student events will close to registrations after that. If you are on the fence, let me know how we can help answer questions. As executive director, I am also happy to hop into classrooms virtually via Zoom or Google Meets, etc. to share about festival, being a Thespian, etc. Email if you need any help or support. We would love to have you join us!
CHANGES TO KEEP IN MIND (from last year's registration)
1. Registration closes earlier so start sooner on your process!
2. MEALS are on your own, we are not offering meal plan options.
3. STUDENT EVENTS will be registered through Open Water.
4. You must be registered and mostly paid up to apply to bring a show. We will choose a few days before the deadline so check your email so you can make choices accordingly.
5. Keep your eyes peeled for more exciting colleges, events, workshops, etc. Enjoy more picture highlights from last year!
Follow us on social media @vathespians or Virginia Thespians for more information and updates! We would love to know how to support you this year. Please complete our 2023 Troupe Director Survey.
FOR STUDENT EVENTS: Scholarships, Auditions, Thespys- read below! Nov 4th deadline!
EVENTSENTIAL FESTIVAL APP
Apply to be VTO for the 2023-24 school year!
What's a VTO?
VTO stands for Virginia Thespian Officer.
The State Thespian Officers are made up of a small group of elected and appointed students (7-15) from around the state. They are open to Juniors/ Seniors ideally with prior leadership experience. They are elected at VTF via an application and interview process.
APPLY BY Jan 9th to be considered, HERE TODAY!
Volunteer Signup Genius!
Teacher Tool of the Month: Virginia Commission for the Arts $$
Planning your next school trip
ONE ACT SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITY-share with students!
SPARC is pleased to announce a new playwriting workshop series that will take place online at no cost to the student participants. Space is limited to 15 students for each workshop. More information can be found below.
The 2022 New Voices for the Theater Playwright-in-Residence, Jayne Deely, will be hosting a FREE virtual workshop series leading up to the New Voices for the Theater playwriting competition submission date in January 2023.
Students can register here for the monthly workshops, held on the first Tuesday from 6pm - 8pm EST.
November1, 2022
December 6, 2022
January 3, 2023
"You want to write a short play, but you don’t know where to start? Never fear! Join us for a series of two-hour workshops where, in community with your fellow writers, we will work on everything from igniting the spark of an idea to completing a short play to submit to SPARC’s New Voice for the Theatre Festival. Everyone has a great idea – sometimes you just need a little help finding it within yourself. Using exercises meant to spur your creativity and encourage bold choices, as well as get out of your self-conscious head and write with flow and spontaneity, we’ll have fun, share our work, and more importantly, PLAY!" Jayne Deely
The New Voices for the Theater playwriting competition one-act play submissions are OPEN and will close January 7, 2023. Please share the New Voices 2023 application with your interested students.
Heather Falks, M.F.A.
Pronouns- she/ her
Program Director - New Voices Navigator
New Voices for the Theater
SPARC- Discover Your Shine
Join us for Virginia Thespian Teacher PD summer 2023!
Here's what you get this coming summer...
Your Full Conference (FCON) registration includes:
-1 room stay on August 8th
-Daily happy hour with FREE drinks & appetizers
-Two FULL days of PD with multiple options per session
-Boxed lunches for both days from Apple Spice Catering
*You can opt for the Basic Conference (BCON) option if you are commuting, sharing a room to split the room costs with a teacher friend, or plan to stay elsewhere.
*Register here and complete this form.
All hotel rooms (reserved through us) & meeting spaces will be at Drury Plaza Hotel: 11049 W Broad St, Glen Allen, VA 23060
How to Find out More...?
Email: executivedirector@vathespian.org
Website: https://www.vathespian.org/mission.html
Location: Winchester, VA, USA
Phone: 703-554-3416
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaThespians
Twitter: @thespians1
REASONS TO COME TO FESTIVAL (Just a starting list)
2. THESPYS- Bring home that clout! We know VHSL has shout outs for stand out actors. We give individual feedback for these pieces (solo, duo, small group options) AND your students can qualify for nationals! This is our theatre all-state competition for your students to grow, shine, and try something they may not get to perform otherwise. Check out the guidelines here and the "red light" list for what to avoid.
3. WORKSHOPS- You and your students can learn more here in one weekend on so many theatre topics which will help strengthen and diversify your program. We have professionals from all over the country, in the industry, working at the college level, and more who come to help train the next generation of artists in all disciplines. Look at our previous offerings here and stay tuned for this year's list coming in Nov/Dec. The list of artists and topics changes from year to year however, many artists return and we try to keep the wide variety of topics each year.
4. OUR GUEST ARTISTS- We bring in high-quality, engaging artists each year. We listen to feedback and make more adjustments each year as we hear what students like and what they would add or change to festival. THIS YEAR- our headliner is playwright, John Cariani! Read more in the press release below about this amazing opportunity & more on our website.
5. MEETING THESPIANS- How often are you in a room with 1,000 other theatre folks? This is an opportunity to be "in the room where it happens", "you knew them when..." and meet others who have similar passions, interests, etc.
6. BE ON A CAMPUS- You get to experience college campus life for a weekend: eating in a cafeteria potentially, sitting in a college classroom, performing on a college stage- a sneak peak in to your potential future!
7. FOOD- We will have a variety of food trucks coming with delicious meal options! We will have a food brochure for you upon arrival, likely printed for directors and a digital version in Eventsential, our festival app, to tell you about all the options available.
8. TRAVEL SOMEPLACE NEW- Winchester is full of surprises. 30 minutes away from the Shenandoah National Park & Blue Ridge Mountains, great restaurants, antique stores, and more. We encourage your day off either Sunday afternoon or on Monday to explore the nearby town.
9. BRING A SHOW- Bring a mainstage full length performance, one act, or small scene(s) (Thespys) to present, get adjudicated (optional), and potentially move onto our National Festival in June in Bloomington, IN. Never heard of this? Read more here and come to our director's meeting on Sunday at our Virginia Thespian Festival!
10. COMPETITION- You can come to compete BUT instead of competing against peers, you really compete against yourself as you are adjudicated on a rubric and then given a rating which correlates. You can compete to be in our Sunday showcase (top Superior Thespy ratings across the weekend) or to be our Chapter-Select mainstage or One Act though too. What an honor to share with your administration when you get back!
11. SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE- Whether you are a musical theatre focused-person, a techie, a Shakespearean protege, or something in between... There is a place for you here! Between our student-run events like karaoke or our Tech Olympics, all students can come learn, explore, create, play, and shine on several stages!
12. STUDENT OFFICER EVENTS- Chosen and made BY your peers. Our state officers, Virginia Thespians Officers (VTOs) are planning some fun events around meal times that when you are done munching you will be crunching time with them. Backwards Broadway, Improv, Open Mic, and more.
13. GET FEATURED ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA- Want your 10 seconds of Virginia fame? Come to participate at VTF and potentially get featured on our website. We try to promote your shows throughout the year too if you follow us, tag us, or use #vathespians OR #vtf2023.
14. TRY SOMETHING NEW- You are not tracked based on your school experience. This is a choose-your-own-adventure kind of conference. We do suggest you watch at least one one act, attend all evening ceremonies, go to as many workshops as possible, and try a new food truck meal. However, your journey, is up to you! If you are an acting student who wants to start learning some technical theatre stuff, go for it!
15. AND MANY MORE- This is just a starting list. Join us to experience the true magic IN PERSON this year for theatre chants, new Thespian swag, learning new skills, and much more!
Virginia Thespians Alumni Group
Join this mailing list for rich virtual panel discussions, up-and-coming works, & more!
Spring/ Fall ITS Inductions Checklist
1. Hold an interest meeting. Ask- Who is interested in becoming inducted into ITS?
2. Share out the point application for students to complete with their past and current theatrical experiences for certain point values.
3. Have students fill out the Member Google form, for the exact information you need to collect to put them into the official ITS/ EdTA system, and pay $35 for the one-time membership fee, which lasts them a lifetime. (More materials at the bottom of the newsletter to promote and explain ITS.)
4. Hold inductions. Here is a sample outline to use. You can create your own rituals, traditions, or if you are in a pinch, it can be less than 30 minutes before school starts or before a rehearsal for example.
5. Log into your myedta account to input all of your new inductees.
6. Pay the lump sum as the director, if your students didn't pay EdTA directly. Our suggestion is to collect the money as you typically do for school events, work with your bookkeeper or boosters to cut one check to EdTA to keep it simple.
7. Hold an end of year or semester celebration to hand out the new goodies when they are delivered to the school!
Don't have a troupe yet? Read more about the benefits and process here!
Join this art platform below for local artists, resources, and more!
Festival 2023!
Need information to share about Thespians or VTF?
Here is a Festival Guide for students or new troupe directors.
Why join or have an ITS troupe? Share with students & administrators!