Each province/territory, or in larger and more developed provinces - multiple regions, will host an annual Regional Thespy Qualifier between sometime between October to Mid January to recognize excellence in theatrical arts and qualify students to the Provincial/Territorial Thespian Festival or directly to the International Thespian Festival. Provincial & Territorial Festivals tend to take place in February or March with the Internationals in June. Eventually we plan on having a Canadian National Thespian Festival each May.
In the Thespy program students are not competing against each other - instead they are striving for excellence based on a rubric. Students get adjudicated by two qualified theatre professionals and the scores are averaged. The goal is to not only award excellence but to educate and help all students grow. We try to protect the students and make sure that they have fun experiencing as much live theatre as possible. We only send rubrics to the teachers and it is up to them how they share the feedback to their students. Each regional event is only 1 day long and it consists of an opening ceremony, a closing ceremony, thespy sessions and potentially some workshops throughout the day. Each regional event will develop a slightly different culture and feel. Here are the consistent Thespy rules that will be followed in all regions and at all levels (regional, provincial & international).
If a student can receive an averaged Superior or Outstanding score on their Thespy - they will qualify for the next level and win a regional ribbon.
Students who score an average of Superior on the adjudicated rubric assessments will receive Blue Ribbons and students who score an average of Outstanding on the adjudicated rubric assessments will receive Yellow Ribbons.
Please note the guidelines also include film events that we will not be holding for the 2022 Festival but are hoping to do so in the future.
Please note that no additional forms need to be completed for performance rights. All required Thespy performance information will be submitted with your online registration and verified by our registration team.
