WHAT IS A THESPIAN?

 

About 535 BC, at the festival of Dionysus, a new dimension was added to drama when Thespis, who was a prominent leader of the Greek chorus, stepped from that group and recited portions of the drama alone. Due to this action, Thespis is thought to have been the first actor. We also believe that it is he who first used masks to portray more than one part. To honor this early Greek writer, all actors are called Thespians.

 

INTERNATIONAL THESPIAN SOCIETY

 

The International Thespian Society, founded in 1929, is an honorary organization for high school and middle school theatre across America and abroad. Over 2.4 million students have been inducted into the International Thespian Society. The mission of ITS is to honor student achievement in the theatre arts. High school inductees are known as Thespians. ITS is a division of the Educational Theatre Association. The Thespian troupe is a subset of the theatre arts program. The Student Honor Society is a separate student organization, and membership is earned.  Any student may be a member of the theatre program. Still, only students officially inducted and registered with the EdTA national office are members of the International Thespian Society. Eligibility to become a member requires involvement in two theatrical productions while in high school or middle school. 

 

Inductees enjoy the sense of community and recognition inherent in being inducted into an honor society. ITS membership and its system of progressive honors and recognition encourages them to practice their craft and to grow as a person. The 21st-century skills that they learn from a quality theatre arts education—creativity, self-confidence, leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, as well as specific theatre skills—will benefit them throughout school and beyond, no matter what field they choose to pursue.

 

All Thespians receive:

• A personalized membership card and certificate

• A bumper sticker that reads: Proud parent of a theatre arts honor student

• Eligibility to:

  • Participate in the Thespys Awards at the chapter events and the International Thespian Festival

  • Receive ITS graduation and honor items 

  • Login access to their own member dashboard page and a variety of online benefits

  • Access to our online magazine, Dramatics.org, full of content curated especially for Thespians

  • Member-only pricing on Thespian apparel, theatre books, and resources at the online EdTA Store

  • Student member access to the online Theatre Education Community

  • Apply for scholarships and grants

• Run for office as a State Thespian Officer (STO)

• Run for office as an International Thespian Officer (ITO)

• Submit their original compositions to the Thespys

 

ACHIEVEMENT RANKS

All Thespians are theatre arts honor students, and induction as a Thespian is the first of many honors that troupes may bestow on a student. ITS recognizes three achievement ranks beyond induction. Troupe directors continue tracking Thespian hours after induction and use these points to recognize ongoing Thespian achievements.

 

• HONOR THESPIAN - Honor Thespians have logged up to 400 hours of outstanding contributions to the ideals of the Society and meritorious work in the field of theatre. 

 

• NATIONAL HONOR THESPIAN - National Honor Thespians have logged up to 800 hours of outstanding contributions to the ideals of the Society and meritorious work in the field of theatre.

 

• INTERNATIONAL HONOR THESPIAN - International Honor Thespians have earned the highest rank in ITS. Students who have logged 1,200 hours of extraordinary dedication to the ideals of the Society and exemplary work in the field of theatre. These students receive a letter in theatre and get to wear blue and gold honor cords to graduation.