Schedule

Celebrate the opening of the EdTA National conference with keynote speaker playwright and actor Eric Ulloa, author of 26 Pebbles. Eric will kick off our conference with remarks to inspire us on our journeys to Rebuild, Renew and Reimagine our programs as we come together to reflect on what we have learned and celebrate new possibilities.

This session is for anyone who is seriously interested in training to become an adjudicator for the musicals and plays that have applied to perform at the International Thespian Festival. Anyone who has already adjudicated, but not retrained in the past 3 years should take this training as well. You should have attended Festival within the last 4 years to be an adjudicator. 
Part 2 of Main Stage Adjudication Training is Sunday September 26, 11:00am-12:30pm ET.

Whether you're a teacher who already knows you have trans and nonbinary students or not, creating a supportive classroom dedicated to ensuring all artists feel comfortable and respected should be top priority. In this is an interactive panel with trans and nonbinary theatre professionals, you'll have space to ask the questions you may have about adjusting your theater program to normalize trans and nonbinary identities, navigating pronouns, gender and casting, and many more discussions that will help expand you and your classrooms' capabilities for inclusion.

Although it may seem as if the digital audition is fairly new, it has been used widely in the Regional and Broadway stage for quite some time now. How do we help students take the experience of LIVE AUDITIONS into the digital world? Bring your ideas, questions, concerns, fears, and needs and we will get the answers we need as we move forward in this digital audition realm. Arbender Robinson is a Teaching Artists and Broadway Veteran with insights on how to master the digital audition.

As theatre arts educators and directors, we play a pivotal role in establishing an inclusive artistic environment that embraces diversity and is demonstrative of truth in storytelling. This workshop is designed to support participants in evaluating the discriminatory practices and exclusionary behaviors that divide our American stages. The hope is that through guided discussion and assessment, the participants will identify best practices that curate anti-racist theatre that is created for, is a reflection of and is inclusive to all cultures and communities.

Even if you feel you don't have a green thumb, you can learn how to plant, nurture, and landscape your theatre program through resources, outreach and advocacy, and taking care of your students, support staff, and yourself. A practical adventure in creating and building a program of excellence, this workshop will provide resources needed for an amazing new school year.

Longing to teach tech theatre but you only have a cafetorium? Learn about the exciting new EdTA Tech Theatre Curriculum being piloted now in the Baltimore City schools that uses free and open source software on the internet to make it possible for students to learn about tech theatre by creating set, lighting, costume and sound designs. An innovative way to teach design and tech theatre no matter what your stage space and resources.

In 2008, EdTA collaborated with two other organizations to create the Statement on Freedom of Expression to support theatre educators in the play selection process and to build better understanding for school and district administrators concerning issues of freedom of expression in school theatre. While that statement still has value, in our rapidly changing times, EdTA recognizes that there is a need to revisit the statement and reimagine a document that acknowledges new, diverse voices and perspectives that simultaneously asserts the rights of teachers and students to free expression in a democratic society. This session is designed as an information gathering forum to gain perspectives from educators on their needs and expectations around a 2022 EdTA Freedom of Expression statement. Come prepared to talk and listen.

Set designer George Ledo discusses how to streamline your design with unit sets and create a compelling environment for your story on a budget.

In 2020, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and EdTA collaborated to launch the BACKstage Pilot Exam, a digital test for high school students designed to measure their competency in a broad range of technical theatre knowledge. Nearly 1,500 students took the pre- and post-test pilot exam during the 2020-21 school year. The pilot exam scores are now under review to determine the validity of the more than 400 questions that we’re randomly included. USITT and EdTA plan to roll out BACKstage for public use as an end-of-term test in spring 2021. In this session, the presenters will offer an overview of the exam’s purpose, its value, and the process being applied to measure for bias and rigor in each question.

An introductory exploration of important vocabulary to help us move towards being anti-racist. Workshop will include time for reflection and discussion.

In this conversation with Julie Cohen Theobald, participants will explore examples of leading for growth in various contexts. Theobald will share her experiences as a leader in both business and education and will offer lessons that can be applied in other settings as well.