iTheatrics' 2021 Junior Theater Festival West, planned as an in-person event for Sacramento, California, to be held May 7–9, has been postponed to 2022 due to regulations and advisories preventing large gatherings. Groups registered for the festival may apply their registration fee to attend the 2022 festival (scheduled for February 2–7, 2022), or the upcoming Junior Theater Festival Texas, set for June 25–27 in Sugar Land, Texas.
The news comes just after the the Junior Theater Festival Online Extravaganza, held January 15–17. The event brought together students and educators from 34 states and six countries for a weekend of performances, workshops, and other special events, all held online. The online event was a pivot from the in-person festival usually held in Atlanta, Georgia.
"We are looking forward to coming together for JTF West at a time when it will be safe to gather," says iTheatrics founder and CEO Timothy Allen McDonald. "In the meantime, the students and teachers who are making theatre any way they can continue to amaze us. They are drawing on such creativity and perseverance to continue their storytelling and positively impact their communities. They are using this time to reset their ideas and intentions for theatre moving forward. We applaud them and we celebrate them."
Created for organizations performing Music Theatre International's 30- and 60-minute Broadway Junior musicals and Online Editions, Junior Theater Festivals bring students and teachers together with Broadway professionals for a weekend of performances and workshops. Past attendees have included Ahrens and Flaherty, Skylar Astin,Shoshana Bean, Nicholas Christopher, Darren Criss, Zac Efron, Cynthia Erivo, Megan Hilty, Arielle Jacobs, Kenny Leon, Caissie Levy, Kara Lindsay, Lindsay Mendez, Alan Menken, Ben Platt, and Jeanine Tesori.
Festival sponsors for JTF include Playbill, Music Theatre International, Disney Theatrical Productions, and iHeartRadio Broadway.