State Thespian Officer Candidates

State Thespian Officers (STO) are the student leaders of the Iowa Thespian Chapter Board. The STO are selected at the 2019 Festival, and members serve from January 2020 – January 2021. They represent all Thespians in the state of Iowa through their efforts on the Iowa Thespian Chapter Board.  
Activities include:
  • Attending all Iowa Thespian Chapter Board meetings
  • Organizing and participating in the Iowa Junior Thespian Festival
  • Attending the International Thespian Festival and participating in leadership workshops
  • Conducting leadership workshops at the Iowa Thespian Leadership Day
  • Organizing and implementing ideas for the State Thespian Festival
  • Communicating with Thespians through various outlets, including social media
  • Promoting the work of the International Thespian Society and Iowa Thespians
For full details on State Thespian Officer expectations and responsibilities, download the STO Contract. 

Election Procedures
**All students interested in becoming a member of the Student Board must first attend the Iowa Thespian Leadership Day held each year in August.

The STO are selected during the weekend of the State Festival. To apply to be a State Thespian Officer, the following forms must be submitted via the online registration below.  
During Festival, candidates must complete the following:  
  • ​Attend the Student Leadership Lunch, an essential part of the selection process, following Friday morning's mainstage production. If a candidate has a conflict with the festival schedule, please contact Aaron Dean at adean@dbqschools.org for assistance.
  • Meet with the Iowa Thespian Board Selection Committee to give a presentation, which will be followed by a short interview. The five-minute presentation should focus on the following two key questions:
    • What is your theatre story?
      • Share your background on how you became interested in theatre, how it has impacted you, and why you want to be a leader in our state educational theatre. Emphasis should be on your leadership experience in theatre.
    • What is your vision for Iowa Thespians?
      • ­​Share your vision for moving Iowa Thespians forward. What ideas do you have to improve the organization? What leadership could you provide to help reach these goals?
  • State Thespian Officer candidates should prepare a presentation board that highlights their theatre story. This presentation board may include photographs and/or images that helps the selection committee to get to know the candidate. The emphasis of the presentation board should be on the candidate’s past leadership experience in their theatre background.
  • ​Students should remember to dress appropriately for their interview.
  • All candidates will be selected based upon their participation at the Leadership Day, as well as their completed application, presentation, interview, and participation throughout the weekend.  

The new student board members will be announced on the Saturday morning of festival on the Iowa Thespian website: www.IowaThespians.org. In addition, the students will be introduced to delegates during the closing ceremonies on Saturday, November 9.

Transportation to and from all Iowa Thespian activities is the responsibility of the student, their parent(s) or legal guardians, and/or Troupe Director. Iowa Thespians and the Educational Theatre Association are not responsible or liable for transportation of student board members.

Questions regarding the Chapter Board selection process should be directed to Aaron Dean at adean@dbqschools.org.

    2020 State Thespian Officer Application Form

    The members of the Iowa Thespian Chapter Student Board are the student leaders of the Iowa Thespian Chapter Board and they represent all Thespians in the state of Iowa through their efforts on the Iowa Thespian Chapter Board. The ITCSB is selected at the Iowa Thespian Festival, and members serve from January 2020 –January 2021. 

    If you are interested in being a State Thespian Officer candidate for 2020, please complete the application form below.  If you have any questions, or have any issues submitting the files, please contact Aaron Dean at adean@dbqschools.org
    All candidates should upload a document which includes responses (no more than 200-250 words per response) to EACH of the following questions:
    1. Why do you want to serve as a State Thespian Officer?
    2. What leadership qualities and experiences will you bring to the Iowa Thespian Chapter Board?
    3. What new or innovative ideas do you have for the Iowa Thespian Chapter Board?
    4. In what other activities and organizations do you participate?
    Max file size: 20MB
    Max file size: 20MB
    Max file size: 20MB
    Before submitting your application, please ensure you have included all necessary information and files.  
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 Directors at adean@dbqschools.org and lacorte.leslie@gmail.com