2024 MARYLAND THESPIAN FESTIVAL
MAIN STAGE SERIES
Application Deadline: Thursday, November 17
(Note: Applications must be submitted a minimum of two weeks before the performance to allow for adjudicator scheduling.)
Performance Deadline: All shows must be adjudicated by Sunday, December 1st
Notification: Once all productions have been screened, we’ll notify those invited to perform on the Main Stage by December 18th
Registration Forms Needed: Principal Permission Form, Proof of License, Synopsis, Cast & Crew List
Participants: Registered Troupes & Delegates
Contact: production@marylandthespians.org
Download the 2024 Main Stage Series Guide
INTRODUCING THE MAIN STAGE SERIES
There is nothing like the thrill of performing for hundreds of fellow Thespians, and the 2023 Maryland Thespian Festival Main Stage is where your troupe can take center stage in front of the entire delegation! Last year’s Main Stage presentation was a smashing success and we are excited for its return at the 2023 Maryland Thespian Festival. Two high schools from across the state can earn a coveted invitation to perform on the Festival Main Stage. Troupe Directors may submit one full-length production (a play or a musical) to be adjudicated for constructive feedback and the chance to be invited to perform on the Main Stage at the Maryland Thespian Festival. Participating troupes receive written feedback from professional judges, and two superior student performances are each recognized with a personalized Outstanding Performance trophy. Troupes interested in only receiving feedback for educational purposes may opt-out of consideration for the Main Stage Series. Simply indicate so by checking the appropriate box on the application form. Please note, the adjudication fee still applies.
APPLICATION & ADJUDICATION FEE
Troupe Directors must submit a Main Stage Series Application along with a non-refundable $200 adjudication fee. Troupe Directors must pay this fee via credit card regardless of selection outcome and before scheduling an adjudicator to attend your production. Within the application process, Troupe Directors will also be asked to upload a signed Principal Permission Form, proof of licensing and/or cutting, along with a cast and crew list. While in-person adjudication is preferred, video submissions will be accepted this year. There is no difference in the adjudication fee for either an in-person adjudication or a video submission.
Download the Principal Permission form.
ADJUDICATION PROCESS & FEEDBACK
A panel of three adjudicators will evaluate productions based on the Educational Theatre Association’s Main Stage adjudication rubrics for musicals and/or plays, respectively, depending on the genre of the production. (These rubrics can be found on the ITF Main Stage webpage.) The Maryland Chapter Director will share the full rubric, with an overall score, written feedback, and the names of the two students honored as outstanding performers with each Troupe Director once the adjudication is complete. Regarding written feedback, Troupe Directors will receive a single rubric that represents a numerical average of the three adjudicator’s scores and the combination of all adjudicator feedback. This is to ensure both confidentiality, equity, and fairness. Please note that adjudicators will not provide verbal feedback and are not available for comment pre or post-adjudication. For in-person adjudications, all adjudicators are instructed to leave the theatre promptly following the performance without comment.
SEAT RESERVATIONS
For in-person adjudications, Troupe Directors should plan to provide a minimum of eleven tickets for the adjudicators at no cost. The adjudicators will use three seats, and the additional tickets will be used to ensure the seats in front, behind, and to either side of the adjudicator’s seats are also left open. Since the adjudicators may be utilizing small lighting devices or electronic devices on their dimmest settings, we want to ensure we don’t disrupt other audience members. Troupe Directors should assign these seats or reserve these seats in advance. Seats should offer the adjudicators the best vantage point of your production.
SELECTION PROCESS
Once all productions have been screened, we’ll notify those invited to perform on the Main Stage by December 18, 2023. Selection criteria will include a variety of factors including but not limited to:
Achieving among the highest scores according to the main stage adjudication rubric;
Promoting diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency in the cast, crew, director, playwright, and/or the subject matter of the work;
If top-scoring productions lack representation for underserved populations and artists, other high-scoring productions that do represent these communities may be selected instead to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion on the main stage; and
Creating a well-rounded main stage lineup that provides variety for festival attendees and fits the themes and needs of the event. For example, two productions of the same show might not be chosen even if they are both among the top scorers to provide variety in title selection. Additionally, if the top-scoring productions are all musicals, high-scoring plays may be selected to provide a variety of genres.
INVITED PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS
The production presented at the Maryland Thespian Festival must be substantially the same production presented during adjudication. If the production submitted for adjudication included live musicians, the production presented at the Maryland Thespian Festival must bring live musicians. Schools may not substitute concert versions for full-scale productions if the adjudicated performance was a full-scale production. Any changes to casting (emergency or otherwise) must be submitted and approved by the Maryland Thespians Board of Directors before the event (exceptions will be considered for incidents involving COVID-19 and corresponding restrictions). Productions are not to exceed a maximum two-hour running time, including a ten-minute intermission. Please note that should you be invited to perform on the Main Stage, each student and adult participating or helping with the production must be a registered delegate of the Maryland Thespian Festival and have completed their registration by January 8, 2023 at 11:59 PM.
Furthermore, Troupe Directors must obtain additional approval for one in-person performance at the Maryland Thespian Festival and supply Maryland Thespians with a copy of that approval no later than January 8, 2023, at 11:59 PM. Schools that wish to provide programs may do so digitally (paper programs will not be used). Main stage directors must arrive on campus for orientation by 8:00 AM ET Friday, January 13, 2023. Productions are allowed a maximum of two hours to set up and one hour to strike. Troupes presenting on the main stage must register and bring a stage crew to mount and strike the set. All crew members, staff, tools, equipment, scenery, props, costumes, makeup, etc., must be supplied by the performing troupe. Productions must adhere to stage safety guidelines.
PERFORMANCE VENUE
The Kay Theater at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, UMD will be used for the Main Stage Series. (Detailed specifications and venue information can be found at The Clarice’s website.)
LOAD-IN / LOAD-OUT
To ensure success, be sure to review all of the Main Stage Series Load-In / Load-Out Procedures & Regulations.