Executive Director's Update
We are in the middle of the Spring Theatre Production season at many of our schools across the country. Congratulations to all of the students and teachers on these amazing educational theatre accomplishments. The Theatrical Arts Education Association has been very busy this year and are so proud of our Made in Canada educational theatre programming. I will share some of those below, starting with the projects that have been recently completed followed by the opportunities that are upcoming this spring across the country.
This year’s TAEA STAR National Festival circuit is well underway with the National STAR Fest West in BC happening at the end of April with over 325 students, teachers and workshop leaders celebrating educational theatre excellence together followed by over 275 participants at our inaugural STAR Fest Atlantic Festival in Newfoundland & Labrador. With Workshops, Devised Theatre and Musical Theatre Intensive Performances, STAR Fest Individual Events and One Act Plays these festivals are jammed packed with so many experiences available for learning and showcasing theatrical excellence. At the STAR Fest West in BC we were able to award $547,971.00 dollars in scholarships to deserving students going to a post secondary theatre or film program. Yes, that is right, over half a million dollars of financial aide was provided at STAR Fest West this April. This is a massive amount of funding and it will change lives the of the students that were awarded it. At our Atlantic STAR Fest the grand total was $54,500.00 which is awesome for our first year of the national festival in the Maritimes. We have our STAR Fest Central in Winnipeg Manitoba followed by our STAR Fest East in Ottawa Ontario happening this May and we look forward to more success stories to share after those events have concluded.
School Theatrical Arts Recognition Festivals are our signature “STAR Festivals”. In 2024/25 we are poised to see some major growth. Our season of programming will be announced shortly and we are thrilled to invite more schools than ever to a Regional or National STAR Festival this year. If you are a teacher, student, post secondary representative or vendor and you are interested in learning more please reach out to us with an email at [email protected]
Our STAR Search Portal has recently opened for the Spring 2024 intake. In this program students that want to try their hand at acting professionally can create and post a self tape of their acting performance which gets looked at by dozens of Canada’s top agents.
So if you have students from grade 6 to 12 that have parental permission and would like to have their self tape performances seen by Canada’s top talent agencies, then have them submit to the portal by June 15th. We have seen many young talents start their professional careers in the film industry through the exposure that they gained through our STAR Search portal. All students that submit their self tapes will also be invited to an exclusive zoom workshop at Vancouver Film School to help take some pointers that will help them to keep learning and growing in the craft of acting. More information about our STAR Search portal is available HERE.
Student Induction season is also in full swing. Schools that are registered Theatrical Arts Guild Troupes are able to induct their most dedicated students into Canada’s only National Honours Society for Theatrical Arts Excellence. In order to receive them before the end of the school year please process your inductions online in the members portal by May 24th If you would like to do a formal induction ceremony please refer to our official guidelines HERE.
Membership discounts remain valid through June 15th for most of the discounts. We will be negotiating more over the summer and will have updated member benefits ready for our membership by September 15th. Broadway Across Canada ticket discounts remain valid throughout the summer so go and watch some discounted professional theatre!
Teachers Conference – Our annual National Drama Teachers’ Conference is marking its 4th anniversary. For the occasion we are planning our largest event yet. Mark your calendars for October 25th and 26th. On October 25th we will have hub gatherings happening in: Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Calgary, Saskatoon, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Rothesay NB and in St. John’s NL. Then on October 26th we will all gather for zoom across Canada.
Teaching Resources & Opportunities
Ontario Staging Limited - Let Us Stage Your Event
Ontario Staging Limited sells and manufactures drapery, rigging hardware, and accessories. Distributor for Rosco, Lee, Alvin Clamps, and H&H Specialties. Rental stock includes drapes, track, platforms, and lighting.
Unscripted, Unrehearsed – and unbelievably fun!
Pure in-the-moment improvisation! Three hilarious improv artists — Tim Blair, Lisa Merchant and Paloma Nuñez — demonstrate the art of play, the power of “yes”, and losing the fear of failure. For Grades 6+. On Stage May 7-16.
