Charter a troupe and recognize student achievement

PRIDE CONFIDENCE MOTIVATION CONFIRMATION That’s what you instill by recognizing student accomplishments.

>2.3 Million 1929 Thespians inducted since

More than 4,700 schools Over 125,000 active inductees a year

The International Thespian Society brings distinction to: students theatre programs schools When students earn ITS induction, there is a sense of accomplishment on par with other honor societies. Students will be provided assessment, competition, performance, and leadership opportunities at the local, state, and international level.

Recognizing, rewarding, and encouraging student achievement Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program by: Recognizing, rewarding, and encouraging student achievement Induction into ITS includes tangible benefits to the students in the form of pins, certificates, member cards, and publications. An ITS troupe quickly becomes a very visible, positive symbol of the theatre program in the school and community. Having inductions recognized by an international organization lends distinction to the honor, making it a valuable addition to any student’s resume. The process of working toward induction and achieving additional honors provides clear, attainable goals, keeping students motivated. ITS offers students opportunities to excel at the local, state, and international level and receive tangible recognition with custom pins, medals, trophies, and more.

Celebrating the work of students involved in all aspects of theatre Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program by: Celebrating the work of students involved in all aspects of theatre Students earn points for all of their contributions to the theatre program. Performance Promotion Construction Stage management Direction Business management Lighting Costumes Sound Make-up Leadership Design

3. Student leadership opportunities Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program with: 3. Student leadership opportunities Student leadership is a valuable addition to any resume. Troupes and State Chapters have multiple officer positions. Being an officer provides Thespians with the responsibility to demonstrate and practice leadership skills in a small and cohesive group. Chapter, state, and international leadership opportunities allow dedicated officers to reach beyond the scope of their own troupe’s program.

Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program with: 4. State Chapter events Expand students’ educational and theatrical horizons by providing exposure to theatre arts educators, professionals, and peers beyond their own schools. Allow students to gain perspective by participating and competing with peers from across their state. Promote a strong sense of belonging to a community beyond students’ own schools. States/regions with chapter events, 2017-18

Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program with: 5. National events These events offer another opportunity to expand students’ horizons by providing exposure to theatre arts educators, professionals, and peers beyond their own school. International Thespian Festival is a weeklong immersion in performance, critical observation, and learning. Activities include workshops and performances, college and scholarship auditions, individual event assessments, and much more. Junior Festival is a two day event with one day of activities exclusively for Junior Thespians to participate in Junior National Individual Events and workshops.

95% 6. Grant and award programs Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program with: 6. Grant and award programs ITS troupes have opportunities to recognize and honor supporters at the state, national, and international levels. volunteers teachers administrators schools ITS scholarships at the state chapter and national level totaled over $345,000 in 2016. 95% of school administrators believe that theatre experiences improve students’ overall academic skills. 2012 EdTA-Utah State University Survey of Theatre Education Programs in U.S. High Schools

7. Opportunities for community-wide recognition and support Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program with: 7. Opportunities for community-wide recognition and support Funding and resources usually follow the most publicized school activities. ITS can be a valuable tool for raising a theatre program’s profile in the school and community by providing opportunities to showcase its successes. These opportunities lead to more prestige, additional resources, and higher revenues in the form of increased ticket sales and patronage. Opportunities include induction ceremonies, multiple honor ranks, and scholastic distinctions. An annual national food drive and other activities offer community recognition to the troupe and school.

$ Increased fundraising potential Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program with: Increased fundraising potential Increased awareness and stature of the theatre program because of the honor society expands its fundraising potential. $ Most high school theatre programs rely entirely on box office revenue to support their activities. 2012 EdTA-Utah State University Survey of Theatre Education Programs in U.S. High Schools

Royalty adjustment application assistance Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program with: Royalty adjustment application assistance ITS troupes may request assistance in applying for reduced royalties for plays (non-musical) from certain publishers. Reduced royalties mean that more money is available for theatre program operations.

10. Graduation and honor items Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program with: 10. Graduation and honor items While good work is its own reward, additional incentives often help to motivate students to reach a little farther. All exclusive ITS honor items are optional, so troupes may select what works best for them. Certificates of achievement Graduation honor cords, stoles, tassels Trophies, plaques, medallions ITS pin system for recognizing induction and subsequent achievements

11. Professional development for troupe directors Maximize the effectiveness of your school’s theatre program with: 11. Professional development for troupe directors Supporting teachers by providing professional development, networking, resources, and recognition is core to the ITS parent organization, the Educational Theatre Association Subscriptions to Dramatics magazine, full of articles and interviews on creative and technical skills for future theatre artists, and Teaching Theatre journal, which explores new ideas, teaching methods, and professional development Access to EdTA’s 9,300 member online Theatre Education Community, a place to share knowledge, get advice, collaborate, and network Member rates for events like the EdTA Annual Conference, the International Thespian Festival, and chapter conferences Member-only pricing for more than 150 educational resources

“ ” So why does this matter? Students get exposed to so much more at the competitions and festivals than I can possibly give them in 50 minute periods and/or extra-curricular productions. It also gives me, the teacher, the chance to connect with other theatre education professionals and workshop leaders, and as we begin to get more financing, the opportunity to pay for guest artists to come and extend my student's learning even more than I can. – Philip Goodchild, Lennard High School, Troupe 7223 Junior Thespians has completely changed the drama program here. Once we chartered our troupe, the kids all “stepped it up” in every area of discipline, commitment and interest. – Junior Thespian Festival Survey, 2015 ” The enormous amount of positive public relations generated by this outstanding program is “priceless” to a building principal and also to the entire Lincoln Public School District. – Jerry Wilkes, Principal, Lincoln Southwest High School

An ITS troupe honors your students’ achievements and brings them resources and opportunities beyond the scope of their school. info@schooltheatre.org 513.421.3900 schooltheatre.org/ITS Learn more about EdTA and ITS by watching this video