District 1 Thespians covers the northwest panhandle of Florida from the Panama City area over to Tallahassee.
All Participants must be currently enrolled and attending classes at the same school/company as the troupe presenting the Thespys. Any exceptions must be made to the Festival Director.
The District 1 Thespian Festival (a.k.a. "Districts") is a multi day event at which you will have the time of your life. It is made up of one day One Acts and one day of Thespys in performance and technical events.
The dates for the 2023 District Festival are November 10th (Friday) for the One Acts & November 11th (Saturday) for the Thespys.
Chiles High School in Tallahassee, FL.
Registration is around $75 per person, but you should check with your sponsor. The total cost varies from school to school based on transportation, chaperone fees, One Act fees, and other variables.
With all the dramatic teenagers who love theatre, love performing, and love each other all in one place for 2 days, how could it not be?
Yes. Sure. Both. Who cares?
Your troupe can bring 4 entries in most categories (4 duets, 4 group acting). Your troupe can bring 4 group musicals (small group is 3-8 participants and large groups is 9-16 participants). Your troupe can bring 3 monologues and 3 solo musicals. Playwriting has no maximum number of entries.
Each student can participate in 3 Thespys, but only 2 performance (and one technical) or 2 technical (and one performance.) You can only enter ONCE for each category (you can’t do two solos or be in two duet acting scenes.)
The only exception is Student Directing and Student Choreography. Those categories only count for the Director or Choreographer. Participants (actors/dancers) do not count this as one of their Thespy events.
STUDENT DIRECTING, PANTOMIME, & STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHY are NOT state events. We will have them at Districts but there are no adjudication opportunities at State for those Thespys.
On one act day, you can expect that there will be a load in time before your performance block. Once you're about to perform, there will be 30 minutes of makeup time, then your performance. You will load out your set at the end of the block. If you aren't performing in a one act, you will spend most of the day watching one acts from other schools.
On Thespy day, events start at 9 AM. Most students like to go support their friends and watch. You are welcome to watch any event in any room at any time. If you are performing, you should arrive to your room at the call time posted on the schedule.
First, BREATHE! Everything will be fine! Then, have your sponsor come to registration. We will find a new slot for you later in the day and fit you in. BUT TRY NOT TO MISS YOUR TIME!!!
A person involved in the theatre. According to legend, Thespis was the first actor in ancient Greece, so we call ourselves Thespians after him.
Any student who attends a school where there is an active Thespian troupe may be registered. Ultimately, the troupe sponsor decides who may attend with your troupe.
Lunch will be provided. There will be time for your troupe to get dinner Saturday evening before the Awards ceremony and there are concessions for you to purchase most of the day.
It depends on how much you eat.
A short play that has only one act. At District, a one act can be no longer than 40 minutes. You can find the rules here.
Thespy is our new word for an Individual Event. There are many categories. You can find all the rules regarding Thespys HERE.
NO! All pieces for Thespys must come from a PUBLISHED work written for the stage. HERE IS A LINK TO THE ACCEPTED PUBLISHING COMPANIES. The only exception is playwriting, which is by definition an original piece. One Acts, on the other hand, can be original works.
From the Thespy website: "Dress in simple, modest attire suitable for a professional interview or audition, in black or dark colors. Clothing should be appropriate for the situation so as so as not to limit or restrict movement or affect the performance.” So, that’s a no from me, dawg.
YES! District is a school function, therefore your school dress code applies while you are at District. We will wear all dark colors OR dark pants/shorts/skirt and your District T-shirt.
It is HAPPY HANDS, we use the sign language for applause. You’ll get used to it.
By failing to comply with the rules of the competition. District 1 complies with ALL State Thespian rules. Thespy rules can be found here. One act rules can be found here. The most common reason for a DQ in Thespy is going over the allotted time. DQs in One Acts most frequently are to do with the load out of the show.
From the State website: "The performer MUST use non-vocal musical accompaniment which can be live or taped unless expressly written to be performed without musical accompaniment. If we hear ANY voice on the accompaniment tape, you will be disqualified." A CD player will be provided for every music event room with a connector for iPhone. Bring a dongle or adaptor if you have a special phone or computer to attach.
NO. Once the slate (introduction) is complete and the performance begins you may NOT exit.
I am so glad you asked. Click here to read our by-laws.
The slate is your introduction to the performance. It should include the performers name(s), troupe number, notice of asterisked material, and title + author of the selection. The time for the event begins after the slate.
An introduction MUST include ONLY the entrant’s name(s), troupe number, notice of asterisk material, and title of selection. Do not give name of school or other information. The time begins after the slate.
The introduction may not be used to establish mood or define character. The introduction is not a performance piece.
If your piece contains material that MAY offend members of your audience, you are REQUIRED to asterisk the piece on the Individual Event Registration Form and you are REQUIRED to include in your introduction that your piece contains “material that may possibly offend” and you are REQUIRED to allow a few, brief moments for audience members, should they choose, to leave.
They are our way of letting audience members know that there is content in a piece that might make them uncomfortable. For example, if a piece contains any reference to death, we alert our audience of this before the performance. You wouldn't want to make someone sit through a monologue about a kid that has lost their parent if that audience member just lost a parent, right? So we warn each other, because it's only polite.
The asterisk must be followed by one or more of the following codes:
L -for adult language;
S -for sexual situations;
D -for frank talk of death;
SA -for substance abuse;
V -for violence;
R -for religious commentary;
P -for works related to prejudice or intolerance.
G- for realistic gunshot sound effect
The audience will make no noise after an Individual Event – this includes applause.
Props are permissible if they are ESSENTIAL & USED by the actor and cannot be pantomimed.
No sound effect or music is allowed in any Acting Individual Event unless specified in the text of the scene.
A playwright’s work may NOT be re-constructed for presentation in an Individual Event. (ie. you may not splice scenes from various parts of the play to create your own adaptation)
No student may enter an event more than once.
Students receiving a Superior rating at the District level are eligible to perform at the State level. It is possible that the sponsor will be able to bring students receiving Excellents at Districts to State. Final selection will be the sponsor’s decision.
ALL students who perform at their District Festival may attend State, regardless of your scores. You don’t have to be performing at State to attend State!
All Individual Events presented at State Festival must be the same title and cutting, with the same participants, that received a Superior at District Festival.
No Prop Weapons Allowed: This includes any prop that is being used to simulate a weapon.
All events are limited to the furniture in the room. Regardless to the existing furniture of the host school or venue, the events may only use the listed furniture in the specific event rules.
The judges in each individual events room will select a CRITICS’ CHOICE from the top scoring performances, that they feel best represent the technical and artistic merits of the room. This may not be the highest scoring event in the room. The only qualification is each judge must have given a superior and all three judges must concur on the choice.
One performance and technical individual event are selected from the Critics’ Choices. Each troupe director gets one vote. The purpose of the BEST IN SHOW is to represent District 1 at the opening ceremonies at the State Thespian Festival.
The one act judges select the Best in Show from the Superior rated one acts in both performance and technical scores. This may not be the highest scoring one act. The only qualification is each judge must have given a superior and all five judges must concur on the choice. The number of One Acts selected as Best in Show is based on the state approved matrixes.