2024 MARYLANd THESPIAN FESTIVAL
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
2024 MARYLAND Thespian Festival
January 12 - 13, 2024
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland
The 2024 Maryland State Thespian Festival is set to bring together high school students and Troupe Directors from across the state for a two-day festival honoring student achievement in theatre. Packed with workshops led by industry leaders, the highly anticipated One-Act Festival, the International Thespian Excellence Awards, College and Scholarship Auditions, Troupe Events, guest speakers, all-state performances, and more - it's your students' chance to take center stage, develop their craft, and take hold of their future!
Registration Deadline: Friday, November 17th
Late Registration: Late registrations to attend festival will be accepted until December 1st, but no events (Thespys, Auditions, One Acts, etc.) will be accepted after November 17th.
Contact: registration@marylandthespians.org
Please check to make sure that you are still able to log into the system.
If your troupe has never registered for festival with this system before, you can click “Register” and then “High School” to create an account.
Only one account is permitted per school. If you are new to your troupe (and the old director’s account is still in our system) please email us at info@marylandthespians.org and we can switch the account over to the new director.
Middle School and High School registration will be done separately this year and must have two separate accounts. (If your school has both High School and Middle School students, you will just need two different email addressed to create the separate accounts.)
FESTIVAL REGISTRATION DATES & HOW-TO
The Registration Deadline for Festival 2024 is NOVEMBER 17th.
This year, Troupe Directors will enter registration information for their troupe. Students will not be registering themselves.
To collect student information, necessary to register them, there are two options:
Have students complete a Registration Information Google Form. The Troupe Director will then add the information into the registration system.
Pro Tip: After making a copy of the form, you can edit / add any other questions you want to before sending it out to students.Students can create an account at www.thespianpointtracker.com, which will collect that information. Then you can import their information in the registration system. Thespian Point Tracker Video Tutorial
Note: This option has limited advantages. It does make it a little easier to import student details, but it is not really used for anything else. We do not use the apparent Resume/Audition functions.
Once you have the information from students, chaperones etc., you are ready to register your attendees. Watch this Registration Video Tutorial which walks you through the process.
HEALTH / Acceptance Forms
Troupe Directors should upload the health forms to their school’s Google Drive Folder by January 5, 2024.
~If you did not receive access to your school’s folder, please email registration@marylandthespians.org. You must have a Google Account to access the folder.
~Pro-Tip: If your school’s copier has a scan feature, you can run all of your forms though it at once and upload one file!
~If this poses a major problem for any director, they may bring physical copies to submit at the registration table when they check-in on Friday morning. They should also have a second set of copies to keep with them during the festival. Starting in 2025, this will no longer be an option.
FESTIVAl registration COSTs
This year, pay one flat rate and gain access to everything Festival has to offer! We’re making it simpler and more affordable than ever by offering one all-inclusive price. With each registration, students gain access to professionally-led workshops; exciting troupe events like the Tech Challenge, Quiz Bowl and Speed Charades; College Auditions; Senior Scholarship Auditions; the One-Act Festival and Main Stage performances; lunch and dinner over the course of the festival; and even participation in up to two events within the International Thespian Excellence Awards (Thespys©). We’re even including the t-shirt, too!
We’re also offering programming specifically for Troupe Directors to enhance their Festival experience. Troupe Directors — be sure to register a chaperone or two to ensure you’re able to participate in the full Festival experience without having to worry about the supervisory duties of your Troupe!
Inducted & Non-Inducted Thespians: $130
Troupe Directors & Chaperones: $75
This document provides a nice summary of what is included for each.
For the one-day Junior Thespian Festival -
Students: $50
Troupe Directors & Chaperones: $35
This document provides a nice summary of what is included.
Need-Based Festival Registration Grant:
Those who feel the cost of registration would prove to be a financial burden for a student may apply for a Festival Registration Grant on their behalf. Please submit by November 1st** in order to have applications processed with enough time left to register recipients.
**For 2023-2024, the form will remain open beyond this timeframe for students to attend festival, but any students awarded a grant after November 17 will be too late to register for specific “events.”
REFUND POLICY
Maryland Thespians does NOT process Refunds. Once a student, chaperone, or service is registered in the system, the school commits to paying those expenses. In cases where there is an emergency and a student or chaperone cannot attend, we can work with the school have someone take their place, but we are NOT able to refund money that has already been committed.
Maryland Thespians does purchase event cancellation insurance, and if the event is canceled by a higher authority (i.e. - state of emergency), Maryland Thespians will work with our insurance provider and attempt to issue at least partial refunds, if at all possible. Maryland Thespians does not accept financial liability for anything not covered by our insurance.
payment information
Credit Card integration is now active in the registration system.
If paying by check, please make sure that it is sent to the following address:
Maryland Chapter of EdTA
P.O. Box 1934
Leonardtown, MD 20650
**If your troupe would like us to invoice attendees, individually, please email us at info@marylandthespians.org to make arrangements. It will take a little extra legwork on our end, but we do have the ability to send invoices to the emails each attendee is registered with. (It will still be the Troupe Director’s responsibility to ensure that all students have paid. The school will be billed for any registrations which are not paid, even if the student doesn’t end up attending the festival.)
FESTIVAL HOTEL
The College Park Marriott Hotel and The Hotel at UMD are the closest hotels to campus, but are expensive and have limited availability. We do not have a group rate at this time.
UMD does have a new arrangement with a third-party site that will allow individuals to see, compare, and make reservations at many local hotels. It is a "convenience" site designed to assist individuals who need to book hotel lodging in the immediate area. It might be useful in comparing distances and rates.
Here is the page http://www.campustravel.com/university/umdconf/index.html
FESTIVAL PARKING
Lot 1 is free and unrestricted during the inter-semester period in January. No permits are required in Lot 1.
We ask that any large vehicles, such as buses, please park in lot 1d or 1f out of the way.
Please note that nearby lots Z and/or JJ are faculty/staff lots and are enforced per normal regulations.
Let's avoid those tickets!
GETTING READY FOR FESTIVAL
We’ll post any documents to help you plan for Festival here.
Download the Administrator Support Letter - Updated January, 2022
FESTIVAL COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we will work in coordination with our venue host to protect the health and safety of everyone during Festival. We will continue to monitor the situation and may make updates to these protocols quickly in an effort to be as responsive as possible as guidance shifts on safety best practices.
VACCINATION
It is recommended, but not required at this time, that all adults should be fully vaccinated.
MASK GUIDELINES
Masks, covering both the mouth and nose, are recommended in all indoor public spaces and strongly encouraged for the audience in theatre spaces.
ADDITIONAL ON-SITE PRECAUTIONS
Maryland Thespians and the venue support team will be subject to the same vaccination and mask policy as outlined above.
PRE-ARRIVAL SYMPTOM CHECK
Prior to coming to Festival, check whether you have any of the symptoms listed below:
Temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
Chills
New onset cough
Trouble breathing
Sore throat
New or unusual headache
New loss of taste or smell
Nausea or vomiting
Muscle or body aches
Excessive fatigue
Diarrhea
It is recommended that you stay home if you have any of the symptoms above (unless they are related to a long-term health condition), you are caring for someone with COVID-19 or possible COVID-19 infection and you have not been fully vaccinated, you are waiting for results of a COVID-19 test because you had symptoms or were exposed, or if you suspect you are sick in any way.
We will provide any updates to festival registrants as information becomes available.