April 20, 2016

 

Dear VTA Secondary Schools Division Theatre Teachers and Directors:

 

Creative Acts are fostered early in Virginia...especially in high school theatre!  Virginia Theatre Association is proud to announce the return of the annual VTA High  School  Theatre  Festival  (HSTF)  as  part  of  its  annual conference. This year's theme, Creative Acts, features all aspects of theatre study, practice, and education that impact the creative artistry of the Commonwealth's theatre arts practitioners and educators. We offer fantastic opportunities for you and your students at this year's conference, with a program chock full of guest artists, workshops, master classes, panels, auditions, resources, and professional development.

 

The 2016 High School Theatre Festival (HSTF) will be, as always, a centerpiece of the VTA's Annual Conference, to be held this year in Norfolk at the Marriott Waterside, from Thursday, October 26 through  Sunday,  October  30,  2016.   The conference will begin on Thursday morning, and festival competition will be held in two theatres at the Marriott all day Thursday and Friday, culminating with the top six (6) schools performing as finalists on Sunday morning. Saturday will be dedicated to professional development, world-class speakers and session leaders, workshops, master classes, college and university recruiting, and much, much more!

 

The VTA Secondary Schools Division High School Theatre Festival winner and runner-up will represent VTA at the 2017 Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Convention, to be held March 1-5, 2017 in Lexington, KY, and will receive monetary awards from VTA to help defray expenses. The Southeastern Theatre Conference is the largest theatre conference in the nation, and features its own prestigious Secondary Schools Division High School Theatre Festival, in which representatives from nine other southeastern states compete for the  coveted title of Best Play in the Southeastern Theatre Region. This past year's winner,  Rock  Ridge  High  School, hails from the great state of Virginia! Equally exciting SETC  opportunities  include workshops like VTA's and auditions for collegiate programs nationwide, distinguished speakers, special guests, and more.

 

Virginia Theatre Association's annual High School Theatre Festival is the only one in the state in which all schools, public and private, from all divisions, can meet, greet and compete. Students learn how to take a  show "on the road," then adapt for a main-stage performance in the finals. Our programming team  is  working diligently to bring the best and brightest talent our workshops and events, and will deliver the widest range of audition opportunities on Virginia's collegiate, university, and professional stages. Further information about the convention will be e-mailed and posted on the VTA website www.vtasite.org laterthis summer, but as you can see, there are so very many reasons to plan to attend the conference this year.In case you are not familiar with the "rules", here is a quick overview: * Schools are allotted a 45-minute period for its stage set-up, performance, and strike. * Schools are also allocated a two-minute period to preset in the wings. * Each set of adjudicators watches all the performances in one of the three theatres and selects plays as finalists. * At the awards banquet on Saturday evening, all trophies for acting, honorable mentions, and technical achievement, as well as any judges' awards, will be given. * Judges will provide written critiques and score sheets to each school. * Six finalists will be announced on Saturday evening at the awards ceremony. * On Sunday morning, all six finalists perform a second time and the winner will be announced immediately after the finals.  The winner receives monetary awards towards the cost of taking their production to the Southeastern Theatre Conference.

 

To enter your school into the 2016 High School Theatre Festival, complete the Play Entry Form included herein and include the $80.00 entry fee, in the form of a school check or money order, to the Virginia Theatre Association. You may also enter and pay the $80 online at our website http://www.vtasite.org. Please send the Play Entry Form as soon as possible. NO personal checks will be accepted. Purchase Orders do not count as payment so plan accordingly. Please use the included Play Entry Form as your invoice. Performance slots do fill up quickly, and we expect all slots to sell out. Be sure to complete fully the Play Entry Form, including any known conflicts regarding performance times. Play entries will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. A waiting list will be formed once the limit for entries is reached. Again, entries will only be accepted until June 10, 2016. VTA will only accept schools for the competition once both the entry form AND entry fee are received.

 

Scheduling of the competition will take place after the entry deadline has passed. Schools accepted for competition that cancel after October 1, 2016 forfeit their play entry fee and will be disqualified for entry in next year's HSTF. When you receive the Secondary Schools Division High School Theatre Festival Handbook, please read over the Handbook in order to better familiarize yourself with the HSTF at that time. Please note the technical requirements, role of the director, and the appendix which gives more information for those who go on to participate in SETC. Separate annual membership and conference registration fees will also be due prior to conference; conference and hotel registration opens September 1st.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Perry Payne Millner, VTA Executive Director, at the VTA office at 917.653.5742 or by e-mail at executivedirector@vtasite.org. I can also be reached at any time at joleenneighbours@vtasite.org.  Looking forward to a wonderful conference and festival!