Junior Thespian General Rules

Junior Thespian General Rules

NOTICE: Students will NOT be allowed to use adult language in any performance at the District or State Level. The piece will be disqualified.

RULES

  1. A “slate,” or introduction, is required for each performance piece and MUST include ONLY the entrant’s name(s), title of selection, and troupe number.  Do not give the name of school or other information.  The official time for the event will start after the mention of the troupe number. (Example: “My name is John Doe. I will sing ‘Music of the Night’ from Phantom of the Opera. I am from Troupe #12345.”)
  2. The introduction may not be used to establish mood or define character. The introduction is not a performance piece or part of the performance.
  3. The audience will make no noise after a Thespy – this includes applause.
  4. During adjudication, dress simply and professionally. For Performance categories, come as yourself, not as the character you are portraying. Avoid costumes, stage makeup, or character specific hairstyles. Your focus should be on your performance, not on design elements that compliment it. It is best to wear clothing that allows you to move freely.
  5. Students are not allowed to wear clothing that displays their school’s name, school’s initials, or any identification of their troupe apart from the troupe number.  Students may wear clothing that displays their District number.  This applies to ALL Thespys. 
  6. Hand props are permissible if they are an integral part of the blocking and/or choreography and physically USED by the actor. 
  7. No sound effect or music is allowed in any Acting Thespy unless specified in the text of the scene.
  8. A playwright’s work may NOT be re-constructed for presentation in a Thespy (i.e., you may not splice scenes from various parts of the play to create your own adaptation.)
  9. The number of entries and events in the Thespy Festival will be determined annually by the Junior Thespian Festival Board. Each District may set its own number of entries and events for its local festival, based upon the size of the district and the limitations of the venue where the festival is held.
  10. Students may participate in no more than three (3) Thespys in addition to the One Act Event.
  11. No student may enter an event more than once.
  12. Students receiving a Superior rating at the District level are eligible to perform at the State level.  Final selection will be at the discretion of the troupe director. (In the event a troupe does not have enough superior-rated events to fill this slate, exceptions can be made for up to four excellent-rated events to attend the Florida Thespians Junior State Festival.)
  13. No changes or additions after the registration deadline. There will be a $50 fee for each change or cancellation made.
  14. No Prop Weapons Allowed: This includes any prop that is being used to simulate a weapon.
  15. All Thespys presented at the State Festival must be the same title and cutting, with the same participants, that received an Excellent/Superior rating at the District Festival.  
  16. The troupe director is responsible for ensuring that the material is appropriate for presentation in a public forum at their own middle school. The principal will be asked to certify that the material chosen meets the community standards of the school and community. 
  17. All participants must be currently enrolled and attending classes at the same school as the troupe presenting the Thespys. Home school students may be included in the troupe’s Thespys if those students reside within the boundaries of that school. Any exceptions must be made to the Junior Thespian Festival Chair.
  18. All events are limited to the furniture approved for the event. Regardless of the existing furniture at the host school or venue, the events may only use the listed furniture in the specific event rules.
  19. In Thespy adjudications, AI may be used as a collaborative or starting tool as long as the processes and tools are clearly declared in the presentation of the work. AI-generated images, video, and audio must avoid the use of copyrighted material. The final creative products and the processes by which the participants arrived at those products should be completed by the participants themselves, with all choices justified if questioned by the adjudicators in the Q&A portion of the technical presentation.

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