10 Reasons to Book Your Ticket to the Virtual International Thespian Festival

The virtual edition of the renowned International Thespian Festival (ITF), taking place June 22-26, features performances of the best high school theatre of the year from across the country, plus more than 50 workshops, 25 celebrity guests, a college fair with 45 schools, and more.

Thinking of attending this year? Check out 10 reasons you should get your tickets now!

1. Get your theatre fix this summer! Virtual International Thespian Festival June 22-26, open to all theatre lovers with 60 hours of programming over 5 days-50 workshops on all aspects of theatre, a college fair, exclusive celebrity spots with Tina Fey, Kenny Leon, Dolly Parton, Andrew Lloyd Webber and more!

2. Get 90 days access to the programming with an all-access pass good all summer long! Produced by the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) which has been putting on the International Thespian Festival since 1941, Virtual ITF is open to all who are interested in theatre onstage, backstage, or from the audience.

3. Rub virtual shoulders with celebrity special guests, including Q&As with Mean Girls writer Tina Fey and Oscar winner Stephen Schwartz, a dance lesson from Hairspray choreographer Jerry Mitchell including a Tik Tok dance contest, a playwriting class from Almost, Maine author John Cariani - and many more!

4. Hear the back story behind the success of Dear Evan Hansen writers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and Sirius XM's Broadway Names with Julie James will reveal how the internet-crashing red carpet looks for Billy Porter were created.

5. Meet and hang out with theatre lovers from around the country - and the world - interactive programs, chats, games, and contests. While physically apart, feel the power of the Thespian community at Virtual ITF.

6. Enroll in the unique student leadership training program headlined by Alton Fitzgerald White, and go to the college fair with 45 schools represented.

7. Be among the first to know who earned the Stephen Schwartz Award.

8. Join in the national conversation during the panel on Racism and Racial Equity in the Entertainment Industry with Dr. Jamie Riley, Director for Racial Equity with the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), will moderate a panel discussion about racial equity in the entertainment industry with:

• Cody Renard Richard, actively engaged Thespian alum who was recently production stage manager for Freestyle Love Supreme.

• Danielle Mone Truitt, accomplished film actress, most recently seen in the role of Charlie Minnick on Fox's Deputy

• Austin Scott, recently seen as Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton on Broadway before joining the original Broadway cast of Girl from the North Country as Joe Scott

• Kristolyn Lloyd, Grammy and Emmy winner just nominated as Best Actor in an Off-Broadway Play for her role as Jo March in Little Women for Broadway Black's Inaugural Antonyo Awards, celebrating Black theatre artists and contributors.

9. Round out your perspective with diversity-focused programming including:

• Nine workshops taught by artists of color and/or on diversity-equity-inclusion topics

• LGBTQ panel for theatre students

• Q&A and video performance with Ryan J. Haddad, an actor, playwright, and autobiographical performer with cerebral palsy

• Dolly Parton addresses female empowerment along with a panel discussion with female student cast members of 9 to 5

10. Make the finale grand with Seth Rudetsky on Stars in the House and the live streaming of the first-ever Thespys Awards hosted by Emmy Award-winning Frank DiLella of On Stage, and sponsored by Concord Theatricals.

About the Educational Theatre Association, home of the International Thespian Society. The Educational Theatre Association is an international nonprofit association with more than 139,000 active members. EdTA's mission is shaping lives through theatre education: honoring student achievement in theatre; supporting teachers by providing professional development, resources, and recognition; and influencing public opinion that theatre education is essential and builds life skills. EdTA is the home of the International Thespian Society, an honorary organization established at nearly 5,000 schools, that has inducted more than 2.4 million theatre students since its founding in 1929. EdTA also produces the International Thespian Festival and publishes Dramatics magazine in print and online for high school theatre students, and Teaching Theatre, a journal for theatre education professionals. The Educational Theatre Foundation is the philanthropic arm of EdTA. Statement on diversity and inclusion.