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Why does Thespians exist? What exactly is the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA)?
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Since its beginning in 1929 under the name National Thespians, the Educational Theatre Association has worked to promote and strengthen school theatre by recognizing and rewarding excellence. We strive, alongside educators, advocates, and artists, to make theatre an instrument of lifelong learning. The Association also serves as the eyes, ears, and voice of the school theatre community, advocating a stronger role for theatre education in the curriculum.
We are the professional association for theatre education. The International Thespian Society, our student division, is the world’s largest honor society for theatre arts students. Together, the Educational Theatre Association and the International Thespian Society have been helping build strong school theatre programs for more than seventy-five years.
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What is the difference between Washington State Thespian Society and EdTA?
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Washington State Thespians is a Chapter of the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA). If you start a Thespian Troupe through EdTA you are automatically a member of the Washington State Chapter.
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What are the advantages of starting a Washington State Thespian and EdTA Troupe in high school?
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Membership has numerous privileges. Benefits common to troupe directors, professional members, and pre-professional members include:
- Special member rates for purchasing educational resources sold through EdTA
- Special EdTA member rates for all Association events and educational programs
- A subscription to Dramatics magazine (nine issues, September through May)
- A subscription to Teaching Theatre journal (four issues quarterly)
- Access to members-only content on the EdTA website
- Access to network-building opportunities, including our online membership directory
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Are there any disadvantages?
How do students qualify to attend the International Conference in June?
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Anyone may attend the International Conference in June; however, if you wish to compete for scholarships in Individual Events, or receive adjudication you must be a member of a Thespian Troupe.
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Do they need to qualify in auditions?
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To be part of the International Conference in June in Individual Events, you must attend the State Chapter IE event either on the west or east side and place in the top10% of those adjudicated. To bring a full length play there are national adjudicators that must come your school. See the Thespian website for more details. There are, however, many technical and performance opportunities that do NOT require any preauthorization. You simply sign up when you register your troupe.
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Does state festival include Jr. Thespians or just High School Thespians?
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If your school includes 9th graders, they are eligible to perform at the Washington State Thespian Conference and Individual Events. If you are interested in bringing 8th graders to observe or be adjudicated in the novice categories of monologue or duo scene at Individual Events, that is allowed. Students younger than 8th grade should not be in attendance at the state conference unless supervised by a parent.
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Where do I start with regard to obtaining a Washington State Thespian and Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) Troupe Started?
Does it cost money?
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Yes!
$65.00 One-time fee for starting the Troupe
$65.00 Annual fee for the Troupe Charter Authorization
$22.00 per student inducted into the Thespian Troupe that is being organized. A minimum of six Troupe members at all times is required.
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If I was a Thespian in High School is my membership still good?
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Thespian membership can only be attained while a member of secondary school. The student fee is a one time, lifetime fee. If you were inducted in high school you are a Thespian for life.
As an adult, however, you do not qualify for the same benefits as they are specific to high school students. There are different memberships for your situation. If you Charter a Thespian Troupe you are automatically a Thespian Troupe Director and receive those benefits. Look at this link to the EdTA website for more information on the various memberships available:
http://www.edta.org/membership/join/
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Are there any benefits to being a Thespian myself?
Do I track the Thespian points before I can charter a troupe at my school? (or do I have to have pre-qualified kids to get this thing off the ground?)
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When you Charter a Troupe for the first time, you may induct all those whom you believe are committed members of your theatre department and who, if you had had a troupe would qualify for Thespian membership. As a Troupe Director you may organize your troupe in a variety of ways to make it work for your school. Points and other membership pieces can be adjusted to fit your needs.
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Can non-Thespians take events to the IE festival? How about state?
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Non-Thespians can take events and be adjudicated at all Washington Thespian Events; however, they do not qualify to move on to showcase at state from Individual Events nor do they qualify to go to the International Conference in June.
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Sports have A, B, and C level leagues for small town schools vs. urban schools. Why can’t we do that with competition at state?
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We are not competing against each other; we are adjudicating students against a rubric for each event. The rubric is on the website and is available for Troupe Directors to use in their classrooms all year long.
In IE for example, a student from a very small school might actually have an advantage because the director is able to focus on only a few students while a Troupe director from a large school has many more students to help with their events.
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How do I start a Jr. Thespian Troupe?
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Go to the EdTA website and you will see the membership documents to get you started: http://www.edta.org/membership/documents.aspx
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Is there a point in starting a Jr. Thespian Troupe if my middle school feeds into a high school with no Thespian Troupe?
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Yes, there are Jr. Thespian honors, membership benefits and conferences that EdTA sponsors. See the EdTA website for more information on Jr. Thespians. And your Jr. Troupe may encourage the high school to develop a troupe there!
http://www.edta.org/membership/join/jt.aspx
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Are there any Jr. Thespian events/adjudications? Are there any festivals or competitions for Jr. Thespians?
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There are no Jr. Thespian events in Washington State at this time. We would love to have some interested middle schools and Jr. High teachers who would like to work on this project. There are Jr. Thespian events, conducted by National EdTA, that can be found on the EdTA website:
http://www.edta.org/educational_events/junior.aspx
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Is the Jr. Thespian program available to elementary schools?
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Jr. Thespians must be in 6, 7 or 8th grade.
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What happened to the Tech Festival?
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We are having the TECH CHALLENGE this year as part of the Washington State Thespian State Conference. The Tech Conference may or may not return as we see how the TECH CHALLENGE and the tech offerings at the State Conference go. If you are interested in helping out with a Tech Conference please let us know; we can use more help with this. There are Technical IE type events held at the state conference. Please see the website for more details.
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What/How do the Thespians support Technical Theatre in Washington State?
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See the question and answer above.
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What are the roles (if any) of improvisational theatre and/or expressive arts in the Washington State Thespian/EdTA organization?
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At each state conference there are usually improvisation workshops. We would like to have an improvisation event at the state conference, but we need interested, qualified volunteers who will work together to make this happen. Please contact us if you are interested.
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What is the reasoning behind the possible name change from Thespian Society to Thespian Honor Society?
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The name change did not pass this last year. However, the reason for the proposal to change the name was to help students and Troupe Directors be able to talk with administration and district staff about an honor society that should be able to have students recognized at graduations with cords and medallions.
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When are registration costs for state available?
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NOW!
Individual Events Conference:
Thespian: $25 Non-Thespian: $30
State Conference:
Thespian: $55 Non-Thespian: $65
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How do students receive Thespian scholarships?
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Students must be members in good standing with a Chartered Thespian Troupe. They must fill out the application and have a Troupe Director’s Letter of Recommendation turned in by the deadline. The application and other information are located on the washingtonthespians.org website.
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What is the Thespian dance?
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At the state conference held in March each year the State Student Officers (SSO) sponsor a social activity on the Friday evening between days—this usually has a dance, along with other activities.
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We don’t have a high school Thespian troupe (10-12) and are not sure the brand new drama teacher will start one. Can a non-teacher be a troupe leader?
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YES! It is important the Troupe Director be dedicated and work closely with the theatre teacher; however, a volunteer parent can be a Troupe Director.
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