Iowa Thespian Festival

College/Thespian Scholarship Auditions

College/Thespian Scholarship Auditions

​The Iowa Thespian Festival offers students an outstanding opportunity to pave the road to their future. At our Festival, all graduating seniors have the opportunity to earn a Thespian scholarship and/or college scholarship to apply toward college tuition. Up to three $1,500 Iowa Thespian scholarships may be awarded to students who plan to major or minor in the communicative arts (theatre, film, radio & television, broadcasting, music, or dance) and/or an education major in one of said fields. ​

At our Festival, we have combined the annual Thespian scholarship and college auditions. Therefore, ONE AUDITION WILL PROVIDE YOU MANY SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES!

The scholarship auditions are for students graduating in the spring of 2021. You MUST be an inducted Thespian to receive an Iowa Thespian scholarship. However, you do not need to be an inducted Thespian to have your audition materials be shared with the participating colleges/universities. ​

​If you have questions about scholarship auditions, please contact our scholarship coordinator, Christina Myatt (myattchristina@pleasval.org) for more information.

REGISTRATION PROCESS
Step 1. Troupe Directors MUST register students for the scholarship auditions through the school registration form. The cost for a scholarship audition is $20, which will be included in your school's invoice.

Step 2. Share the audition information from the Festival Guide with your scholarship candidate(s). Direct the scholarship candidate(s) to the Iowa Thespian website (www.IowaThespians.org) for more details. 

Step 3. Have your students submit their scholarship documents (resume, headshot, essays, Troupe Director Recommendation form) via the Scholarship Application Portal at www.IowaThespians.org.  These are required and must be submitted prior to your student being scheduled for an audition. Samples provided on the website. 

Step 4. Practice with your student! The best way for students to prepare is for you to share your experience and knowledge with them! Your students should check out the important audition tips to help them prepare.

Step 5. The audition schedule will be posted on the website and shared with troupe directors before Festival.

Step 6. To qualify for scholarship awards, scholarship candidates are REQUIRED to attend the “College Meet and Greet” activity Friday night of Festival. The event will give students the opportunity to talk with all college representatives attending Festival. If a candidate has a conflict, contact Christina Myatt before Festival at myattchristina@pleasval.org. 

Please remember: a scholarship candidate is not fully registered for Festival until they have submitted all documents AND been registered by their Troupe Director through the online registration system.  Incomplete submissions will not be scheduled.

To receive a Thespian scholarship, students must be inducted into the International Thespian Society by October 15 of their senior year. Applications are only considered complete if the Troupe Director has completed the online registration AND the student has completed the scholarship registration by the registration deadline (October 15, 2021). *Only 2022 graduates are eligible to audition for the College and Thespian Scholarships.

For the Thespian scholarship, applicants MUST select which of the scholarships she/he is applying for:
PERFORMANCE, TECHNICAL, or THEATRE EDUCATOR
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DIRECTORS: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT ON THE REGISTRATION SYSTEM

STUDENTS: CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION 
Scholarship Guidelines

AUDITION MATERIALS
​The following forms should be uploaded with your online application form.
  • Resume (uploaded by STUDENT via the online application form)
  • Headshot (uploaded by STUDENT via the online application form)
  • Troupe Director Recommendation Form (submitted by TROUPE DIRECTOR - form will be emailed to troupe directors after the student completes the application form)
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If you would like assistance in creating your resume, click on the sample below.
General Information
Your audition will consist of either a performance audition or technical portfolio review which will be viewed by college representatives and the Iowa Thespian Scholarship adjudicators. Please read through the information below to help you prepare for your audition.

What to Wear
For your audition/portfolio review/theatre educator presentation, please wear professional but comfortable clothes. Do not dress in a costume or wear jeans, flip flops, sneakers or sweats. Do not wear what you would wear to rehearsals or to work crew for a show.

Performance Audition Guidelines
  • Applicants will be given a 90 second time limit for performance auditions. 
  • All performances must be solo presentations. 
  • Begin with an introduction (name; school; name of selections). Time begins when the introduction ends.
  • Time will be called if you exceed the 90 second time limit. 
  • You will not receive written or oral critiques from the college representatives or the Thespian Scholarship Selection Committee.
Students should showcase their best 90 seconds of performance. This could be one monologue or song, two contrasting monologues or songs, or one song and one monologue. The performance area will be approximately 5’x5’. No special lighting will be available. One straight back chair will be provided. You may not use additional set pieces or hand props. Costumes are not permitted.
Musical auditions must include pre-recorded accompaniment (NO LIVE INSTRUMENTATION WILL BE ALLOWED). You may have one person (student or adult) play the music for your performance. To help ensure your accompaniment track will work, please bring your own device/speakers for your music!

There will NOT be a question and answer session during the initial performance audition, however, if you receive a callback for the Iowa Thespian Scholarship, each performer will re-perform AND have a brief question/answer session with the Selection Committee.

Helpful Tips:
  • Avoid selections with dialects, accents, or any classical material if not trained in those areas.
  • Any musical pieces should show range and vocal quality and may be from contemporary or standard musical theatre literature.
  • Obtain help from your high school theatre teacher or coach to prepare for your audition.
  • Do not do original (unpublished) work
  • Do not do a stand-up comedy routine or a piece that sounds like one
  • Do not do material from screenplays
  • Choose pieces similar to your own age and experience. Read the entire play and understand your character in the context of the play.
  • Avoid using materials specifically written for monologue books or songs contained in musical theatre anthologies.
  • Look for pieces that speak to you, to which you deeply connect and which you love and can’t wait to perform.
  • Know what the piece means, what all the words mean and how to pronounce them.
  • Show your range -- choose selections that showcase different aspects of your skill.
  • Highlight your ability to create a dynamic character
  • Choose a piece that allows you to tell a story -- shape, subtext, and resonance are important.
  • Rehearse your full audition, including your transition between pieces.
  • While your slate does not count toward your ninety seconds, you should still rehearse what you plan to say -- name and title of pieces are sufficient.
  • Remember to consider your blocking and physicality in addition to your text work.
  • Don't forget facial expressions! 


Technical Presentation Auditions
  • Applicants will be given a three-minute time limit on technical auditions. 
  • Begin with an introduction (name and school). Time begins when the introduction ends.
  • Time will be called if you exceed the three-minute time limit.
  • Please prepare a presentation showcasing your technical expertise and portfolio
  • Students must provide their own presentation aides and/or laptop. Power outlets are available. 
  • Poster boards, photos, or other exhibition materials are encouraged.

Each student auditioning in the area of technical theatre MUST prepare a portfolio that illustrates his or her expertise in technical theatre. Recommended content includes renderings, sketches, models, and/or illustrations of scenic or costume designs, light plots, drafting, blueprints, and or photographs of design work. If you are interested in stage management, publicity, or theatre administration, include production journals, prompt books, or marketing materials in your portfolio.

There will NOT be a question and answer session during the initial performance audition, however, if you receive a callback for the Iowa Thespian Scholarship, you will be asked to repeat your presentation AND have a brief question/answer session with the Selection Committee.

Presenting Your Portfolio:
  • Choose three strong samples that are representative of your work and chosen major.
  • Each of your samples should be clear and quality -- good production or process photos, or easily readable documents.
  • Try to include samples that are recent, so representatives can see your current capabilities.
  • Choose samples that are relevant to the work you hope to be doing in your chosen major at college.
  • Choose samples that are well-photographed or clearly readable. Though you will be able to expand in the written response, the sample should be able to speak for itself to a certain extent.
Types of samples could include:
  • drafting
  • sketches
  • works in progress
  • renderings (fully completed/colored)
  • production photos
  • light plots
  • pages from journals, promptbooks or marketing materials 

Answering the Optional Response Question:
  • Provide further context to the attached samples, including more about your work, processes, challenges, and takeaways from the featured productions.
  • Elaborate more about your work generally, your work philosophy, why you're interested in your particular major, etc.
  • Include a link to your website or additional production photos if desired.

Theatre Educator Auditions
  • Applicants will be given a five-minute time limit on Theatre Educator auditions plus time for questions.
  • Begin with an introduction (name and school). Time begins when the introduction ends.
  • Time will be called if you exceed the five-minute time limit.
  • Please prepare a presentation showcasing your desire to become a Theatre Educator which includes a combination of the following: present a lesson plan, present a portfolio outlining a variety of experiences and work in technical theatre (including documentation such as programs and photos), perform a monologue or musical theatre piece, produce a PowerPoint presentation and use it as part of an illustrated talk, assemble a foam core display board.
  • Students must provide their own presentation aides, including laptops to show video or PowerPoint presentations. Power outlets are available in the audition room. 
  • Poster boards, photos, or other exhibition materials are encouraged. 
Your presentation should be a concise explanation of your desire to be a Theatre Educator. The presentation may include a description of your past work and future goals.  Presentations should not be just a portfolio or performance audition.
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If you receive a callback for the Iowa Thespian Scholarship, you will be asked to repeat your presentation AND have a brief question/answer session with the Selection Committee.

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Festival Quick Links
IOWA THESPIANS
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Our mission is to honor student achievement in theatre and enrich the educational experience, to support educators by providing professional development, networking opportunities, resources, and recognition, and to influence public opinion and policy-makers that theatre education is essential and builds life skills.
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We are passionate about theatre education and believe all students should have access to theatre curriculum which provides critical life skills for educational and career success in the 21st century.

Questions? Contact our Chapter Director Lynn Jensen at jensenlynna@gmail.com