Every summer, thousands of middle school and high school Thespians bring their love of all things theatre to the International Thespian Festival, a celebration of student achievement in the performing arts. Organized by the Educational Theatre Association and hosted at Indiana University, Bloomington, the International Thespian Festival is a one-of-a-kind, weeklong immersion experience in singing, dancing, acting, designing, directing, creating, writing, and memory-making. Festival features workshops presented by theatre industry professionals, individual and group performances, programs for technical theatre students, and opportunities to audition for college admission and scholarships. International Thespian Festival offers:
Great high school performances across four stages,
More than 200 workshops and masterclasses,
A student leadership program,
Auditions for college admission and Thespian scholarships
Student-written Thespian Playworks and Thespian Musicalworks programs.
The summer after junior year, rising seniors who are interested in pursuing theatre as a career have the opportunity to attend the International Thespian Festival. Students have the opportunity to interview with and audition for top theatre schools in the country, impressing college recruiters with monologues, solo musical theatre performances, and/or technical theatre portfolio presentations. Students are able to form relationships with program heads, professors, and recruiters, and students will often receive scholarships and financial aid offers.
Student will also see 6 Mainstage productions and take workshops with industry professionals from all over the world. It is through this festival that FUHS students have been able to secure more than $250,000 in scholarship and financial aid to top colleges and universities.
2025 Participating Colleges and Universities
AMDA College of the Performing Arts (New York)
American Academy of Dramatic Arts (New York)
Carthage College (Wisconsin)
Columbia College Chicago (Illinois)
Cornell College (Iowa)
Cornish College of the Arts (Washington)
Dobbins Conservatory at Southeast Missouri State University (Missouri)
Drake University (Iowa)
Earlham College (Indiana)
Greensboro College (North Carolina)
Heidelberg University (Ohio)
Hofstra University (New York)
Huntington University (Indiana)
Illinois Wesleyan University (Illinois)
Indiana University (Indiana)
Iowa Conservatory (Iowa)
Ithaca College (New York)
Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film (Nebraska)
Lindenwood University (Missouri)
Marquette University (Wisconsin)
Miami University of Ohio (Ohio)
Millikin University (Illinois)
Montclair State University (New Jersey)
National Theater Institute (Connecticut)
Nebraska Wesleyan University (Nebraska)
New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (New York)
New York Film Academy (New York)
Northern Michigan University Department of Theatre and Dance (Michigan)
Ohio University (Ohio)
Oklahoma City University (Oklahoma)
Ottawa University (Arizona)
Otterbein University (Ohio)
Point Park University (Pennsylvania)
Rockford University (Illinois)
Savannah College of Art and Design, SCAD (Georgia)
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Illinois)
The New School (New York)
The South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University (South Carolina)
The Theatre School at DePaul University (Illinois)
UNC School of the Arts (North Carolina)
University of Evansville Theatre (Indiana)
University of Minnesota, BFA Acting Program (Minnesota)
