Minnesota Thespians

At MN Thespians, we are changing lives through theatre education.

Now in our 17th year, MN Thespians State Thespian Officers (STO) were elected and "crowned" at the 2023 State Conference. STO work on passion projects in their local community, lead workshops at the state level, and set the theme for our annual conference.continues to expand our programming & deepen our impact in Minnesota schools. 2022-2023 was HUGE for us:

• MN Thespians hosted a LIVE Conference in 2023 at PiM Arts High for the first time since Covid shut things down in 2020-21.
  • Unified college auditions were held for Juniors and Seniors with dozens of college in attendance. 
  • Three $1,000 scholarships were awarded to graduating Thespians.
  • Students performed and presented One Acts, Freestyle Theatre, and Individual Events.
  • Student playwrights performed in MN Thespian Originals - PINK by Evan Goebel (which was also chosen for a stage reading at International Thespian Festival) received a staged reading workshop with professional artist Dane Stauffer and other original works were given time to workshop their plays as well.
• Students from 10 different high schools were elected to serve as State Thespian Officers (STO) in our Student Leadership Program.
• Our new leadership series "Learn. Do. Lead,"  kicked off with a daylong retreat at Park High School in Cottage Grove.

High School Thespian troupe leaders and STO participated in the Learn.Do. Lead retreat to help plan for their 2023-24 school years. 

There is no cost to students to participate Minnesota Thespian Originals, the STO Program, Leadership Training, or our Advocacy Program. We are also seeking donations to keep the cost of our annual conference down to make it accessible to students. Your donations will allow us to offer full and partial financial aid for students in need to attend conference.

Our Goals for 2023-24

• .Support students through workshops, college and scholarship auditions, and leadership training
• Deepen outreach, DEIA, and arts advocacy efforts
• Connect with our community of high school theatre students & educators

MN Thespians awarded THREE $1,000 scholarships in 2023. In addition, students earned the opportunity to attend International Thespians through our State THESPYSMN Thespians is the Minnesota chapter of the International Thespian Society (ITS) and Educational Theatre Association (EdTA).

The purpose and aim of our state chapter is to: 

• Advocate for and celebrate excellence in theatre arts education at the school, inter-school, and state levels. 
• To promote passion for the arts
• To empower students & teachers through theatrical and leadership experiences that provide creative enrichment. Experiences include the annual MN Thespian Conference, an All-State Show, Minnesota Thespian Originals, Learn. Do. Lead, Arts Advocacy training, the International Thespian Festival, and more.

All funds raised stay in our state and are used to support Minnesota middle and high school theatre students.

For more information on us and our programs, check out our website at: www.mnthespians.org.