REHEARSAL CALENDAR
WHAT ARE DISTRICTS?
& why is everyone so crazy about them?
Every Florida Thespian Troupe belongs to a District. Leon is Troupe 01-1429 in District 1, along with theatre programs from Chiles, Florida High, Wakulla, Maclay, Lincoln, Panama City, and more.
Each year, we gather for the District 1 Festival, and this year it’s NOVEMBER 13 & 14!
At Districts, students present Individual Events (IEs) and are adjudicated by theatre professionals. Events include acting, musical theatre, dance, and technical theatre.
Why do we love it? You get to:
perform or present work you’ve spent months developing
receive feedback from theatre professionals
see some of the BEST high school performers and technicians in our area
spend the day surrounded by hundreds of theatre kids
So yes. It is educational. It is inspiring. It is also a LOT of theatre kids in one place, which is exactly as delightfully chaotic as you’re imagining. 🎭
DISTRICTS COST: approximately $85 per student
Need a scholarship? Email Lea.Marshall@leonschools.net BEFORE SEPTEMBER 5. We do not want cost to keep anyone from participating.
WANT TO GO TO DISTRICTS?
FIRST, YOU AUDITION!
REGISTER FOR AUDITIONS: AUGUST 12–16
You must register by midnight on August 16 and follow all audition instructions.
AUDITION SCHEDULE
ACTING: Monday, August 17 | 2:00–4:00 PM
ACTING & TECHNICAL: Tuesday, August 18 | 3:00–4:30 PM
MUSICAL THEATRE DANCE: Wednesday, August 19 | 3:00–3:45 PM
DANCE INTEREST SESSION: TBA
You may audition for acting, musical theatre, dance, technical theatre, or any combination of those categories.
Mrs. Marshall casts Acting & Technical Events.
Mrs. Peck casts Musical Events.
Anna Norris casts Dance Events.
NEED HELP WITH YOUR AUDITION?
That’s what your Thes-parent is for!
Come to the Theatre Room during lunch during Welcome Week. A Leon Thespian can help you choose an audition piece, prepare it, and answer questions.
IF YOU’RE AUDITIONING FOR A PERFORMANCE EVENT:
MUSICAL: Prepare and memorize 30 seconds of a musical theatre song. No background track. Just you, singing loud & proud! Mrs. Peck will run Musical auditions.
ACTING: Prepare 1–2 minutes of a monologue from a PUBLISHED PLAY.
CLICK HERE FOR AUDITION PIECES
IF YOU’RE AUDITIONING FOR A TECHNICAL EVENT:
Come prepared to tell us:
which play you want to use
which technical area interests you
your concept for the project
Technical IEs require a lot of independent work, so you should have some experience in your chosen area and be ready to manage your project largely on your own.
NEED THE INDIVIDUAL EVENT RULES? CLICK HERE!
YOU MADE THE DISTRICTS CAST! NOW WHAT?
Students may be cast in up to THREE events, but only TWO may be performance events.
If cast, you’ll receive a contract and rehearsal schedule. You are expected to attend all required rehearsals and prepare your event to the best of your ability.
Even if your event doesn’t require regular group rehearsals, plan to spend approximately 2–3 hours each week working on your District piece.
DISTRICT SHOWCASE
Tuesday, November 10
Rehearsal/Critiques: 3:00–5:00 PM
One Act: 5:30 PM
Individual Events: 6:00 PM
Friends and family are invited to come see the fantastic work Troupe 1429 is taking to Districts!
DATES TO KNOW
AUGUST 12–16 | Register for auditions
AUGUST 17–18 | District auditions
DANCE | TBD
CAST LIST | TBD
SEPTEMBER 14 | Parent Meeting, 5:00 PM + contracts & payment due
NOVEMBER 10 | District Showcase + Parent Meeting
NOVEMBER 13 | Watch One Acts at Districts
NOVEMBER 14 | Individual Events at Districts
Payment may be made through eFunds online, check to Leon High School, or cash.
SLATING & ASTERISKED PIECES
Before your event begins, you’ll introduce yourself and your piece. This is called your slate.
For example:
“My name is Jimmy Jam, and I proudly represent Troupe 01-1429. Today I will be performing a Musical Solo from Next to Normal, with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The song is ‘Everything Else,’ and this piece is asterisked for Adult Language.”
Get used to saying “Troupe 01-1429.” District wants the district number included in our slates going forward.
WHAT DO THE ASTERISKS MEAN?
If your piece contains mature content, your slate must include the appropriate code:
L – Adult Language
S – Sexual Situations
D – Frank Talk of Death
SA – Substance Abuse
V – Violence
R – Religious Commentary
P – Prejudice or Intolerance
G – Gunshot Sound Effects
DISTRICTS RESOURCES
APPROVED LIST OF THESPY MATERIAL Search the title of your play or musical. If it isn’t on the approved list, it is NOT approved material.
10 TIPS FOR A EXCEPTIONAL I.E.
LOOKING AHEAD: STATE 2027!
Every other year, Troupe 1429 attends the Florida State Thespian Festival, and March 2027 is a STATE YEAR!
Students whose Individual Events receive straight Superiors at Districts are eligible to be considered to perform/present at State. Our troupe may take only SIX of our highest-scoring events to perform/present.
Those six will be selected based on:
District scores
student availability for State
the director’s evaluation of the student’s commitment throughout the process
Students who earn an Excellent or Superior at Districts may also attend State as participants, even if their IE is not one of the six selected.
And State is BIG.
There are fantastic workshops in acting, musical theatre, dance, and technical theatre; incredible One Acts and full productions from around Florida; and approximately 10,000 Florida Thespians descending on downtown Tampa at once.
It is DRAMATICALLY CRAZY & FUN.
STATE COST
Plan on approximately $500 per student for transportation, registration, and our extremely-not-cheap Spring Break hotel in downtown Tampa.
Students should also plan for approximately $50–75 for lunches and dinners.
Because students move around downtown Tampa in groups during the festival, State is a trip for mature, responsible, trustworthy students.