Chapter Select Info (1)

Chapter Select Showcase Guide Everything you need to know to celebrate your International Thespian Society State chapter on the ITF stage!

The production team that ran the theater was extremely helpful and fun to work with.

Even the ushers were so supportive. They gave fist bumps to the kids and wished them luck on the show as we walked by to go backstage.

Last night was the perfect experience for my students.

– Allen Price

ITF’s Chapter Select Showcase celebrates storytelling and highlights outstanding student performances from EdTA chapters around the country and world.

The showcase includes a robust lineup of short performances including one-acts, cuttings from full-length productions, reader’s theatre, dance, mime, comedy, drama, etc.

Each chapter may recommend one outstanding performance adjudicated during their state festival for inclusion in the ITF Showcase.

Participation Eligibility

Any Thespian troupe in good standing with ITS and EdTA is eligible to present their material in the Chapter Select One-Act Showcase at ITF. All participants must register and pay to attend ITF by the deadline listed on the invitation.

Participants are expected to follow EdTA’s code of conduct and adhere to stage safety best practices.

All participants must be available to perform on whichever day/time ITF schedules the production during festival.

Troupe must designate a single point of contact for communications with ITF. This individual is typically the Troupe Director and must be an adult familiar with the production and participants.

The designated contact must participate in pre-event planning with ITF staff in accordance with deadlines listed in the invitation.

Troupe must secure permission from publisher(s) of all copyrighted material (including script and music) to perform the show live 1 time during ITF. All permissions must be documented and provided to ITF by the deadline listed in the invitation.

Performance Eligibility

Performances must be adjudicated at their Chapter Festival Performance run time must be between 15 minutes and 45 minutes. Performance run time may not exceed 45 minutes.

Production must be able to be set up (from bare stage to lights up) in 10 minutes or less.

Production must be able to strike (lights down to bare stage) in 5 minutes or less.

Production must not be reliant upon use of a theatrical fly system, special effects/pyrotechnics or wireless microphones.

Production must be able to adapt to the venue technical specifications (including space dimensions and rep lighting plot) provided in the invitation.

Ten minutes to set. Forty-five minutes to shine.

Chapter Select gives outstanding student storytelling the biggest stage in high school theatre.

Timeline & Expectations 9/16: Chapter Leaders confirm interest in recommending an adjudicated performance for inclusion in the ITF Chapter Select Showcase by completing the “Chapter Survey” 9/30 (or 1 week after whenever Chapter Survey is due): Chapter Leaders receive from EdTA: Recommendation form Acceptance Form Checklist to provide interested troupes Chapter Leaders promote opportunity to their troupes Within 1 week (7 calendar days) of Chapter Festival Chapter Leader submits completed Recommendation form to EdTA Within 1 week (7 calendar days) of receiving recommendation – EdTA issues invitation with link to acceptance form to recommended troupe Within 1 week (7 calendar days) of receiving invitation – Troupe submits acceptance form

Requirement Checklist

For Chapter Leaders

For Troupes Secure & document publisher’s

Confirm to EdTA intention to

express permission for live

recommend performance for

performance during ITF

inclusion in ITF Showcase

Secure & document district approval

Promote opportunity to

for troupe to register/attend ITF

eligible troupes

Register / pay for all participants,

Provide checklist to interested troupes Recruit, train and assign production adjudicators Adjudicate performances at

including adults, to attend ITF Coordinate all travel and hotel accommodations for troupe Provide EdTA accurate detail on performance content and technical aspects

Chapter festival

Provide EdTA script of any original or

Submit completed

non-published work

recommendation form for

Provide digital program (pdf or url)

eligible production, to include

Participate in planning meeting(s)

adjudicator feedback, to EdTA

with ITF staff

within 1 week of Chapter festival

Collaborate with EdTA to adapt production to ITF venue / technical specifications

Explore the Rubric

Chapter Select Showcase Adjudication Rubric

SKILLS Concept

4

3

2

1

Above standard

At standard

Near standard

Aspiring to standard

The overall production The overall demonstrates a well- production demonstrates a developed unifying vision, but lacking vision with choices depth in choices that that enhance the enhance the play’s play’s meaning, meaning, theme, theme, mood, time, mood, time, and and place. place.

The overall production The overall vision for demonstrates an the production is underdeveloped vision unclear, ineffective that lacks cohesion and lacks cohesion with the play’s with the play’s meaning, theme, meaning, theme, mood, time, and place. mood, time, and place

Evidence that all participants work collaboratively together with awareness and empathy towards others.

Evidence the ensemble is mostly cohesive; minor inconsistencies in collaboration, awareness, and empathy towards others.

There is evidence of inconsistencies within the ensemble; lacking collaboration and engagement with one another.

Actors create well-

Characters are mostly Characters lack depth Characters are flat, believable, with minor and/or clarity in unconvincing, and/or inconsistencies in performance, with inconsistently emotional and/or inconsistent emotional portrayed.

Character physical portrayal. and/or physical choices/tactics are Character choices/tactics are believability. Character unclear and/or weak. present but not choices/tactics are present but distinctive. underdeveloped.

SCORE

Comment: Ensemble

The ensemble lacks cohesion, making the performance feel disjointed.

Comment:

Characterization developed

characters that are emotionally and physically believable with consistency. Actors make committed and distinctive choices/tactics towards an objective.

Comment:

© 2025 Educational Theatre Association. All rights reserved.

One-Act Adjudication Rubric

1

Voice

Performers exhibit Performers struggle Performers have sharp diction, varied with articulation, tone difficulty with diction, and expressive tone, variety, and/or monotone delivery, and strong projection projection, making and/or weak that ensures every certain lines difficult projection, word is clearly heard to understand and/or significantly affecting and contributes to the lacking emotional comprehension and/or engagement. character and text. impact.

Voice work is unclear, frequently inaudible, and/or lacks necessary expressive qualities, making dialogue difficult to follow and diminishing the performance’s effectiveness.

Comment:

Pacing

The play flows seamlessly with dynamic pacing that enhances the storytelling.

Transitions are smooth, and shifts in energy feel intentional and wellexecuted.

The pacing is uneven, with noticeable fluctuations in energy that occasionally disrupt the flow of the performance.

Some transitions feel rushed and/or sluggish.

The pacing is The pacing is inconsistent, leading to ineffective, making a disjointed the play difficult to performance. follow. There is little Transitions are sense of rhythm, and awkward; scenes drag timing issues and/or feel rushed, significantly hinder the affecting audience impact of the engagement. production.

Comment:

The script has a strong educational value.

YE

NO

The script is within the emotional capabilities and skill set of the students and highlights their strengths.

S

NO

Additional Adjudicator Comments:

YE S

TOTAL SCORE

0

Judge’s Name © 2025 Educational Theatre Association. All rights reserved.

Judge’s Signature One-Act Adjudication Rubric

2

SEE YOU AT ITF!

Since launching, the ITF Chapter Select Showcase has spotlighted 254 productions from 187 troupes — including chapters from Singapore, the UAE, and Canada — bringing an estimated 2,500+ Thespians and 213 educators to the ITF stage.

This guide is the key to helping celebrate your Thespians and State Chapters on the biggest stage in High School theatre. At the Educational Theatre Association, our goal is to make that process as convenient as possible.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to XYZ. We look forward to supporting your troupe and celebrating the achievements of your amazing educators and Thespians in Louisville next year!