2020 Massachusetts ThesFest

Saturday, February 8 

8:30am-6:15pm

Acton-Boxborough Regional High School

Strengthening theatre education in New England is our goal. We want thespians excited and invested in theatre early, so we've designed a track especially for middle school students at the 2020 Massachusetts ThesFest! We The middle school track will feature workshops specially designed for middle school thespians, attendance at individual events and one-acts.

 

The goals of our middle school track are to:

• Expose middle school thespians to great theatre

• Model how to take and receive notes

• Introduce important theatrical concepts and techniques

• Connect our middle school thespians to the larger community of thespians in our state

But most importantly, we want our middle school students to get excited about theatre and being a thespian!

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Festival is a celebration of our work and is a collaborative (not competitive) environment. Registration is $25 per student attendee (prior to January 8), $10 per chaperone, and troupe directors/teachers are on us. Middle school registration policies are the same as all festival registration policies. 

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ABOUT THE DAY

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Our middle school program is starting its second year, and we designed our day to expose our middle school students to a wide range of theatre in our one-act offerings with the opportunity to hear professional feedback on those shows, while also getting to choose to attend the individual events performances in a masterclass setting.

 

Students can choose technical theatre events where they experience multiple designs presented by high school technicians in all areas of technical theatre from costume design to stage management. Students learn first hand how each technical design is brought from a concept to reality and works toward a collective artistic vision. 

 

The acting and musical theatre events provide students with a framework for how to develop their own artistic style and hone their craft as they approach acting and musical theatre works, especially monologues and solos. Students get to see first hand how to take and receive a note from a coach or director and how to identify theatrical excellence. 

 

Our middle school students have a more guided experience with a clear path through the day so they can experience all three opportunities: one acts, master classes, and workshops.