The International Thespian Festival is an annual week-long
theatre festival that brings together U.S.
high school theatre clubs,
thespian
Thespian may refer to:
* A citizen of the Ancient Greek city of Thespiae
* An actor or actress
** Thespis, the first credited actor
* A member of the International Thespian Society
The International Thespian Society (ITS) is an honor society ...
troupes, and programs. Organized by the
International Thespian Society, it was held annually in late June on the campus of the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln in
Lincoln,
Nebraska until 2020. In 2022, its first in-person year after the
COVID-19 Pandemic, the International Thespian Festival was held at
Indiana University in
Bloomington,
Indiana.
There are over 120 workshops offered during the festival, including such titles as "Creating Believable Stage Villains", "Period Hatmaking", and "Fun with Dialects." These workshops are taught by high school teachers, college professors and theater professionals.
There are also auditions for national cast productions, usually to premiere the school edition of two well-known Broadway shows. In 2008 the chosen casts and crews put on a productions of "Hairspray" and "Sweeney Todd".
The festival features an event called the National Individual Events Showcase. This gives students the chance to perform in the categories of monologue, duet acting, solo/duet/group musical theatre, and mime, or show off their skills in the technical of categories costume design and construction, publicity design, scenic design, stage management, lighting design, and short film.
References
External links
International Thespian Festival
Festivals in Nebraska
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Student theatre
Theatre festivals in the United States
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