What are Individual Events?

Individual Events are one of the two ways to compete in District or State Thespians. They are produced and performed entirely by students, with the exception of Large Group Musicals, which are directed by Mrs. Timberlake and Mr. Hudson. These compete on the third day of District Festival at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg and are adjudicated by a panel of two or three judges, and throughout all days of State Festival.

What are the Individual Event Categories?

There is a variety of categories which appeal to actors, singers, dancers, technicians, directors, and writers. A full list with descriptions and rubrics can be found on the District IV website, liked here.

Adjudication

While each event has its own specific rubric, they all follow the same basic grading guidelines. Events are graded in on a scale of 1-5 in six different criteria, creating a total of 30 points. Once all criteria are added, the score receives a rating based on the following point total:

In addition to a score, events could also receive a Top Honor from the judges. Each judging panel for each category awards one event “Critics’ Choice” and two events “Honorable Mention”. All three recipients are recognized at Closing Ceremonies, and all Critics’ Choice events get the opportunity to perform at that ceremony.

All events which receive a Superior rating are eligible to progress from District Thespians to State Thespians, however since each school is only aloud to bring six events to State and our Troupe usually earns more than six Superiors, most of our Superior rated events do not move on. Mrs. Timberlake and Mr. Hudson choose the six progressing events based on scores and top honors.

Event Limitations

Each student is only allowed to compete in up to three individual events. The following do not contribute to a student’s limit: participation in the Once Act Play, being a performer in another student’s Student Directed Scene, and being a dancer in another student’s Choreography. If you have a question about whether your combination of events is allowed, ask Mrs. Timberlake or a board member. Furthermore, each school is only allowed to bring a set number of each event. As a result of limited space, not all events which audition for districts will be selected.

Content

Districts is not censored, so no content is barred from presentation in your scenes or songs. That said, any content which might be deemed provocative must be “asterisked” or included in the scene’s registration and slate, as seen below. Your scene must be asterisked if it includes any of the following: violence, death, gunshots, substance abuse, foul language, sexual situations, discrimination/intolerance, or religious commentary.

Slate

All events at district and state begin with the student’s slate. The slate does not contribute to your time. Your slate must include the names of all participants, the title and author of the work you are performing, any asterisks, and your troupe number (in our case, 5590). If there are multiple participants in an event, everyone should say their own name and you should take turns reciting different parts of the slate. Feel free to ask Mrs. Timberlake if you have questions about your slate or if your event category has special slate requirements. Below are some sample slates for different events: