The EdTA office will be closed June 29 to July 5 to reset after the International Thespian Festival. We will answer inquiries as soon as possible!
A Thespian troupe elevates your drama club by putting it in the spotlight it deserves. It gives your program a meaningful, nationally recognized way to celebrate excellence in performance, technical theatre, leadership, and service by joining a legacy of over 2.5 million Thespians and a community of more than 5,000 active troupes across the country.
When your program charters a Thespian troupe, it will benefit from the following opportunities.
Induction into the International Thespian Society is the highest honor a theatre student can earn. It validates their dedication, leadership, and service, offering the same level of recognition athletes and honor students receive. From college applications to future careers, Thespian status helps attract new students to your program, giving them a meaningful goal to strive for and a lasting mark of distinction.
Give your students the opportunity to shine on a national stage through participation in the Thespy Awards (the International Thespian Excellence Awards), the highest level of achievement in school theatre. Open only to inducted Thespians, these adjudicated events recognize excellence in performance, technical theatre, and writing, offering students valuable feedback, visibility, and a chance to be recognized for their outstanding theatrical work.
Whether your Thespians are continuing in theatre after college or exploring other fields, they’ll need support. And theatre educators and their programs do, too. As a troupe director, you gain access to exclusive funding through the Educational Theatre Foundation. From production and program grants to student scholarships for college and advanced training, these opportunities help remove financial barriers and allow everyone in your theatre community to take the next big step.
From local Chapter events to the International Thespian Festival, EdTA’s flagship student event, chartering a Thespian troupe gives your program unmatched access to outstanding school theatre, workshops with industry professionals, auditions for college programs, and more. Inducted Thespians receive exclusive discounts—making it easy and exciting for them to grow their knowledge, experience outstanding performances, showcase their talents, and build their theatre family.
Bring world-class theatre into your classroom with free, unlimited streaming access to the National Theatre Collection—available exclusively to ITS Thespian troupes. This rich library of over 70 professionally filmed productions spans Shakespeare, Greek tragedy, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics. Each production includes educator resources and closed captioning, with many featuring supplemental videos on design, directing, and performance. Whether you’re screening full productions or using clips to illustrate key concepts, this dynamic platform offers flexible, high-quality content to support your teaching.
The sponsoring educator at the helm of every Thespian troupe also gains access to exclusive resources and benefits by receiving an Individual EdTA Membership. From mentorship opportunities to professional development event discounts to unlimited access to hundreds of teaching resources in EdTA’s Learning Center, educators are supported by a community of passionate theatre educators from around the country. By chartering a troupe, you become a member of the largest professional organization for the field of theatre education.
Join now or download a letter of encouragement to share with your administration on how a Thespian troupe will benefit your school.
These companies provide resources to new troupes following activation. Sign up today to get these and all the benefits of troupe membership!
The school administration must appoint one adult to serve as the official troupe director. That person will complete the troupe activation process. Here’s a checklist to help you charter a new troupe or reinstate a lapsed troupe to active status.
Contact our membership team if you have questions about your organization’s charter eligibility.
For more detailed instructions, please visit How to Use the Online Membership Portal.
If you want to notify students in advance, need help collecting student contact information, or want to collect induction fees from students, you can download the optional Thespian induction invitation sheet, give one to each eligible student, and have them return the R.S.V.P. to you.
| One-time activation fee (charter or reinstatement) | $125 US |
| Annual troupe dues | $145 US |
| *One-time Thespian induction fee (per student, grades 9-12) | $50 US / $35 US for Title 1 Schools** |
| *One-time Junior Thespian induction fee (per student, grades 6-8) | $30 US |
* Junior Thespians (grades 6-8) must be re-inducted at the Thespian level once they enter the ninth grade and have completed the additional requirements for Thespian induction. Their work as a Junior Thespian starts them off with a minimum of five of the 10 points needed for Thespian induction.
** Title 1 schools must submit a Title 1 Verification Form to receive the discounted Thespian induction fee rate. Submit a form here.
Payment and processing options are detailed in the troupe activation application process.
Questions? Contact our membership team.
Ready to go?
