Kansas Thespians

Welcome to the Kansas Thespians webpage on Acceptd! 

General Requirements & Information

• Students auditioning must be THESPIANS. The auditionee’s Thespian membership must be attained and on record in the International Thespian office in Cincinnati by the application deadline. Proof of Thespian membership will be checked for all applicants. Troupe Directors can check the induction status of their troupe members at www.schooltheatre.org
• Students must be a senior in Kansas.
• Students must be a registrant of the Kansas Thespian Festival and must have at least one registered sponsor or chaperone at the festival.
• Troupes are not limited to the number of students auditioning for colleges, however, there is a limit to the number of those students who are also applicants for the Kansas Thespian Scholarships (specific information is listed in the scholarship category below). For example, a troupe might have 5 students auditioning, but only 2 of those are in the running for Kansas Thespian Scholarships.
• Students must complete the audition application in Acceptd. The registration fee is paid when registering on Acceptd. The fee is PER STUDENT, not per audition. Students are eligible to audition in more than one area. (For example - a student can participate in both technical and performance auditions for one fee.) Helpful tip – we recommend that students use their personal email address instead of their high school email. (School districts often delete student accounts shortly after graduation.)
• The application must be completed by November 1st. (Students should plan ahead as part of the application process involves information from school counselors as well.)  There are no exceptions to this deadline; i.e. illness, sponsor, counselor, technical difficulties, etc. Students, Parents, Sponsors, or Administrators should not call or email asking for exceptions. 
• Audition times will be listed in the Kansas Thespian Festival program and in the scheduling app used for festival.
• It is highly recommended that students participating in the auditions attend the Audition Orientation Workshop at the festival.
• Students should arrive 10 minutes before their audition session. Audition sessions are closed. No one else is allowed to watch the auditions; this includes Thespian sponsors, chaperones, and students who are not auditioning.

• Some universities & colleges use this forum as a screening process. They may require a second audition. College and university representatives are not permitted to make specific scholarship offers during the festival. 
• Students whose names are posted at callbacks by colleges/universities are responsible for making contact with the representatives. Usually, discussions focus on-campus visitations and what the college has to offer.
• College/university representatives recommend taking the SAT and ACT tests early enough to have those scores listed in Acceptd.
• Contact auditions@kansasthespians.com or thespis@kansasthespians.com, if you have any questions.

• Performance auditions are limited to 90 seconds. This time limit does not include a brief slate/introduction (name and selections).
• Time will be called if students exceed the 90-second maximum.
• The emphasis during the auditions must be on presentation and performance.
• A table and chair will be provided for use during auditions if needed.
• Props and costumes are not permitted.
• Musical auditions must be accompanied by the piano.  No pre-recorded music or a cappella singing will be accepted. An accompanist will be provided, but students will need to bring their own sheet music.
• Auditions must be individual presentations. Other students may not perform with the auditionee.
• In the performance category, students may perform two contrasting selections (two monologues or one monologue/one song) or one selection (monologue or song).   

• A special session will be held for students who wish to audition in technical theatre. This session is usually held on Friday during the supper break. (Supper is provided for the students and college reps during this audition time.)
• Tech entrants must have a display or portfolio of theatrical work. The display should include examples of the student's own work. The student needs to show what they have created, and not just what their school has done. Student portfolios should include at least one of the following: set designs, models, costumes, costume renderings, lighting plots, sound cues or created audio, promptbooks, CAD designs, PowerPoint or short videos of your work, pictures of design work, renderings, posters, programs, etc. 
• Each student auditioning in the area of technical theatre will be assigned tablespace to present his or her portfolio.
• Technical theatre auditionees will make their presentations several times to teams of college/university representatives. The representatives will visit each table for the presentations.
• The presentation to the representatives must include an introduction (name, school, and Thespian troupe number) and should be a concise explanation of the portfolio, not to exceed 5 minutes.  (In the event of a large number of applicants, the time limit could be reduced to 3 minutes.)
• Safeguarding the portfolio or display is the responsibility of the student and his/her sponsor.

• Troupes are allowed up to TWO auditionees who are also applicants for the Kansas Thespian Scholarships.  REMINDER - Troupes may now have THREE scholarship applicants if at least one is a Theatre Educator applicant. Auditionees can be in more than one audition category. This includes applicants for the Theatre Education Scholarships.
• A minimum grade point average of 2.75.
• Be an official member of the International Thespian Society by the application deadline.    
• Plan to enroll in a theatre or the communicative arts program at an accredited college or university.
• Complete a performance audition and/or technical theatre portfolio interview with the colleges in attendance.
• Thespian involvement. The online application will ask for the student’s involvement in their thespian troupe activities. Students should state the work they themselves have contributed, not just what their troupe does.  

• Theatre Education Applicants must write a 1-2 page essay addressing two of the three following topics: 
       1) Describe your most inspirational teacher.      
       2) Describe why you want to be a theatre teacher.
       3) Describe what you feel is the most important issue facing high school theatre today.
  The essay should have the applicant's name on it, be double-spaced, and only 1-2 pages in length.
• Theatre educator applicants must also participate in the performance and/or technical auditions.
• Theatre educator applicants will participate in an interview process with the scholarship panel. (This interview might take place during late-night activities or during a workshop session depending on the festival schedule.)  In the event of a large number of Theatre Educator applicants, the essays may be used to pre-screen and narrow the number for the interview process.

• Helpful tip – We recommend that students use their personal email address instead of their high school email so that colleges/universities can more easily contact the students after the school year. (Shortly after graduation, school districts often delete the graduating student email accounts.)

For guideline and requirement questions please contact: auditions@kansasthespians.com or thespis@kansasthespians.com  

For technical questions, please visit the Acceptd Help Desk.