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

– 84,000 students– 4,700 teachers– Approx 20% of US high schools have a Thespian troupe

• Home office in Cincinnati has staff of 28 people• Operating Budget

– $4.2 million on a national level– In addition to approx $4 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• 1929 - 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

• 1935 - moved the HQ to Cincinnati, chosen because there were many printers and a central location for mailings across the US

• 1941 - the First National High School Drama Conference (now known as the Thespian Festival) was held at Indiana University

• 1989 - the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) was created to house the Thespian Society as well as address the professional needs of the theatre educator

• 1998 - Moved to the Graveson House at 2343 Auburn Ave

EdTA

Student Festivals

CollegeScholarships

PublicationsDramatics

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 40 outstanding student productions • 125 workshop sessions• 400+ students audition for college theatre

programs• Tech Challenge - competition of technical theatre• Thespian Playworks - student writing program• Awards and scholarships • Over 2,700 attendees

Publications & Online Resources• 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 38,800• 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 4,700

• Schooltheatre.org– Ready-to-use resources for teachers– Video library– Online store for books and Thespian spirit items– 100,000+ unique visitors

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)

Home office 29 full time staff

Volunteer Members (84,000 active students/4,700 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 2,700 attendees at the national festival to 38,000 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