Thespians from Maryland, North Carolina, and British Columbia have been awarded grants to attend the International Thespian Festival (ITF) this year thanks to the Educational Theatre Foundation and former leaders of the Educational Theatre Association.
ITF, which takes place June 19-23, 2023, is the premier teen theatre festival of the summer; an immersion into all facets of theatre arts for middle and high school drama students. It features eight full-length productions on its main stage, hundreds of workshops in over 30 categories, opportunities for students to audition for dozens of colleges, and chances for students to win an International Thespian Excellence Award (or Thespy for short) and receive scholarships for their outstanding achievements in theatre.
Students from A.L. Brown High School, Troupe 7790 in Kannapolis, NC have been selected to attend the ITF for the first time thanks to the Send a Troupe Grant, which covers registration fees for students, troupe directors, and chaperones up to $10,000. The grant is awarded to schools who have not attended ITF previously. Troupe 7790 works with an annual budget of about $400 and yet was able to hold no less than seven fundraisers to help them attend their regional and chapter festivals for the first time as well as to produce two full-length productions on their home stage.
The Doug Finney Festival Grant covers registration fees and travel costs for one student to attend ITF (totaling up to $2,000 in value) in the name of the former director of ITF and Hall of Fame, Founders, and Presidents Award recipient Doug Finney. The 2023 recipient is Zechang Yang from the Bullis School, Troupe 3707 in Potomac, MD. After moving to the United States five years ago with his mother, Mr. Yang is the valedictorian of his class and presented the top-scoring Scenic Design in the Maryland Thespian Festival. He looks forward to receiving additional feedback on his design from the adjudication panel at ITF, and meeting likeminded Thespians from other states and chapters. After high school, he hopes to pursue his dream of becoming a professional scenic designer.
Students from A.L. Brown High School, Troupe 7790 in Kannapolis, NC (pictured above) have been selected to attend the ITF for the first time thanks to the Send a Troupe Grant, which covers registration fees for students, troupe directors, and chaperones up to $10,000. The grant is awarded to schools who have not attended ITF previously. Troupe 7790 works with an annual budget of about $400 and yet was able to hold no less than seven fundraisers to help them attend their regional and chapter festivals for the first time as well as to produce two full-length productions on their home stage.
In partnership with the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), ETF offers need-based grants for school theatre programs and financial support for educators, troupes, and schools to participate in the organization’s activities and events, including the International Thespian Festival (ITF) and EdTA’s Theatre Education Conference. Explore all the grant opportunities.