An Annual Affair

The festival Experience

The Maryland State Thespian Festival brought together 40 high schools from across the state for a two-day long festival honoring student achievement in theatre. Packed with over 300 workshops led by industry leaders, over 15 one-act performances, individual event competitions, and college auditions, it's your chance to take center stage, develop your craft and take hold of your future! 

Review the results of the 2023 Maryland State Thespian Festival

SKILL-BUILDING

Workshops

Developing your craft is a lifelong practice and at The Maryland State Thespian Festival, you'll have the chance to work with some of the best artists in the field. Whether you’re interested in honing your skills on stage, backstage, or in the design studio, The Maryland State Thespian Festival has a workshop that will take your talent to new heights. Explore something new, refine your repertoire or delve deeper into an area of expertise. Either way, you'll never be the same!

Chapter Select

ONE-ACT FESTIVAL

A festival within a festival, the One-Act Festival is where schools from across the state perform their best One-Acts for the chance to become Chapter Select. Maryland Thespians follows closely the National Guidelines for the One-Act Festival and selects one qualifying production to perform live, on stage, at the International Thespian Festival held at Indiana University, Bloomington. It's a great achievement and just one way of reaching the stage at the International Thespian Festival!

Thespys

International Thespian Excellence Awards

The International Thespian Excellence Awards (Thespys® for short) is an educational program that offers festival delegates the opportunity to receive constructive feedback on prepared theatrical material and technical designs. The goal for participating students is to grow as theatre artists. The International Thespian Excellence Awards culminate in the selection and celebration of the highest quality presentations. These students are then invited to perform in the Thespys Showcase for the entire festival delegation. Selected participants from technical events will have their designs prominently displayed in the theatre lobby and outstanding student films will also be shown. 

senior

Scholarships

Maryland Thespians is pleased to offer senior thespians with a declared theatre major and at least a 3.0 GPA the opportunity to audition for collegiate scholarships in the areas of Acting, Musical Theatre, Technical Theatre, and Theatre Service. Your future takes center stage with this wonderful and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase your talents and help fund your college education.