The WV State Thespian Festival is committed to giving additional opportunities for young theatre artists beyond the One-Act Play Festival.  The Individual Events or IE's is the primary way for individual and small groups of high school students to perform at the state festival if their school is unable to bring a play.

          These events are geared to bring our state festival into alignment with The International Thespian Society’s National Individual Events Showcase (NIES) at the Annual International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska.  They also allow WV students to go to the "next level" by giving quality adjudications for NIES qualification.  If a student or group of students want to take their performance to the “next level” and perform at the International Thespian Festival, they MUST have a superior rating at the state level to qualify regardless of ranking.  Please note that WV Thespians IE's does differ slightly from NIES.  Please see the chart below:

General Rules

• The “performance individual events” offered at WV State Thespian Festival include Monologue, Solo Musical Theatre, and Duet Musical Theatre.
• Each student is permitted to participate in only ONE performance event.
• No theatrical makeup is allowed in any event. Costumes are not allowed. Participants should dress as they would for a general audition or interview. The wearing of appropriate footwear is strongly encouraged in all events. In duet events, an actor wearing dancewear and coordinated clothing of combinations of black and white or colors is acceptable if, in the opinion of the judges, it does not costume the character in a traditional way (appropriate to the time and place of the piece as written). Care should be taken to avoid replicating a non-traditional costume style associated with the selection.
• No props are allowed. This includes hand-held props.
• All performance events are limited to five (5) minutes after the introduction.  The exception is Monologue which now has a three (3) minute total limit. Any entrant who goes over the time limit will be stopped and then disqualified.
• The introduction must only include the entrant’s name, troupe number, title of selection(s), and the name of the playwright, composer, or lyricist. 
• For all music events, performers may only use pre-recorded non-vocal musical accompaniment.
• No a capella is permitted. A CD player will be provided. Performers are encouraged to bring their own means to play their own music.
• Evaluation forms are available to participants to help them understand adjudication criteria; the forms can be found on page 72 of this handbook.
• There will be NO refund of registration fee, regardless of the reason for the cancellation or disqualification.

Specific event rules

Monologue

• Entrant must present two (2) contrasting selections that may be different in period, style, or mood.
• Material must be drawn from published scripts written for theatre. Works from other forms such as poetry, fiction, or film are prohibited.
• Only one character from each play may be used.
• The performance of both selections combined cannot exceed three (3) minutes. 
• The introduction must be for both selections and must only include entrant’s name, troupe number, title of selections, and the names of the playwrights. Time will begin once the entrant speaks after conclusion of the introduction.
• Props, costumes, or theatrical makeup are not allowed.
• One chair may be used.

Solo Musical Theatre

• Entrant must present one selection.
• Material must be drawn from songs from published scripts written for theatre. Works from other forms such as film, poetry, fiction, or popular song lyrics are not permitted.
• Remember, this is a musical theatre selection. The judges will consider how well the piece is acted and not just how they are sung.
• The selection may contain dialogue.
• The performance cannot exceed five (5) minutes. Time will start once the music begins after conclusion of the introduction.
• One chair may be used.

Duet Musical Theatre

• Entrants must present one selection.
• Material must be drawn from songs from published scripts written for theatre. Works from other forms such as film, poetry, fiction, or popular song lyrics are not permitted.
• Remember, this is a musical theatre selection. The judges will consider how well the piece is acted and not just how they are sung.
• The selection may contain dialogue.
• Each participant must be actively involved in the scene. 
• The performance cannot exceed five (5) minutes. Time will start once the music begins after conclusion of the introduction.
• The introduction must include only the entrants’ names, troupe number, title of selection, and the name of the playwright/composer.
• Props, theatrical makeup, costumes, or coordinated clothing between performers are not allowed.
• Two chairs may be used.

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