The 2020 International Thespian Festival (ITF), which was set to take place at Indiana University this summer, will go online in light of the coronavirus pandemic. With campus activities canceled, the Educational Theatre Association is launching the first-ever Virtual ITF.
The June event will feature adjudications, auditions, the inaugural International Thespian Excellence Awards Showcase (aka the Thespys), performances, workshops and master classes, and more.
“Given the uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation, this is the right path to protect the health and well-being of our theatre family, which is EdTA's top priority,” said EdTA Executive Director Julie Cohen Theobald. “Although a traditional festival isn't possible in 2020, this once-in-a-year, once-in-a-lifetime Thespian celebration is not being canceled. This show must go on!”
Virtual ITF is open to all Thespians (members of the International Thespian Society, the honor society for middle and high school theatre students) and theatre students from around the world; their teachers, parents, and families; and colleges, industry leaders, and artists.
More details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Students and teachers already registered for ITF 2020 will be contacted within two weeks for next steps, as will colleges, exhibitors, sponsors, and teaching artists. Those interested in being notified when it’s time to register for Virtual ITF can sign up here.
