What is EdTA? Educational Theatre Association

What is EdTA? Agenda Mission Fun Facts History Programs – International Thespian Society – Festival – Publications – Teacher Events Role of State Chapters Future Priorities

Fun Facts Founded in 1929 More than 2 million students have earned induction into the Thespian Society Famous alumni: Tom Hanks, Val Kilmer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus Current Membership – 100,000 students – 5,000 teachers – Approx 20% of US high schools have a Thespian troupe National office in Cincinnati has staff of 30 people Operating Budget – $5 million on a national level – In addition to approx. $5.6 million combined budgets of state chapters

Thespian Celebrities Tom Hanks Madonna Julia Louis-Dreyfus Mare Winningham Val Kilmer John Goodman Tommy Tune Dick & Jerry Van Dyke Paula Prentiss

History Dr. Earl Blank suggested to Dr. Paul Opp the idea of a society for the improvement of dramatics in secondary school – First meeting at the Rosana Tea Room in Fairmont, WV Decided the society’s colors were blue and gold Motto was “Act well your part; there all the honor lies” Membership fee set at $1.50 per student and $5.00 to charter a troupe moved the HQ to Cincinnati, chosen because there were many printers and a central location for mailings across the US the First National High School Drama Conference (now known as the Thespian Festival) was held at Indiana University the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) was created to house the Thespian Society as well as address the professional needs of the theatre educator Moved to the Graveson House at 2343 Auburn Ave

EdTA Student Festivals College Scholarships Publications Dramatics Teaching Theatre International Thespian Society Advocacy EdTA’s Programs Professional Development

International Thespian Society An honor society recognizing excellent work in theatre by middle and high school students Students earn points toward induction by participating in productions, technical work, community service, etc. Provides structure that helps the theatre educator build an effective drama program

Annual Thespian Festival Weeklong celebration of theatre held in Lincoln, NE in June Showcase for approx. 50 outstanding student productions Almost 200 workshop sessions Nearly 500 students audition for college theatre programs Tech Challenge – competition of technical theatre Thespian Playworks & Thespian Musicalworks – student play- writing and musical-writing programs Awards and scholarships Over 3,400 attendees

Publications Dramatics magazine – 9 issues per year for students and teachers – Gives readers tools to make them better theatre artists; make informed decisions about theatre careers; and become knowledgeable, appreciative audience members – Average monthly circulation of 45,500 Teaching Theatre magazine – 4 issues per year for educators – Helps curricular theatre educators do their jobs in the classroom and on the stage – Average circulation of 5,300

Online Resources Schooltheatre.org – Ready-to-use resources for teachers – Video library – Online store for books and Thespian spirit items – 100,000+ unique visitors Theatre Education Community (schooltheatre.org/community) – Open to the public – Special membership benefits – Networking opportunity – Place to share best practices

Teacher Events EdTA Annual Conference – Professional Development – Keynote speeches – Workshops – Panel discussions – Continuing education credits – Networking Leadership Summit – State Chapter Directors share best practices

Organizational Structure Board of Directors (national) National office 30 full-time staff Volunteer Members (100,000 active students/5,000 teachers & teaching artists)

Role of State Chapters Each State Chapter is incorporated as an affiliate of EdTA, led by a State Director with its own volunteer board State Chapters produce local theatre festivals and competitions, enabling EdTA to broaden from reaching 3,400 attendees at the national festival to almost 50,000 combined at all the state festivals State Directors advocate at the state level for theatre education standards and program support Several territories outside of US have Thespian troupes

Future Priorities Advocacy – Our vision is that every student has access to theatre in the school curriculum – Lead in research to demonstrate value of theatre education in building life skills Growth – Broaden our reach to increase diversity, overall membership, and involvement Technology – Keep up with students and teachers in today’s times