Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

Who attends the Conference? Do you have to be a Thespian to attend the conference?

  • Over 5,600 of Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico’s most dedicated high school theatre students in grades 9 to 12th grade attend the high school conference. And over 1,000 middle school students grades 6-8 attend our one day Junior Thespian Conference. The conference is open to all theatre students; the only conference event limited to Thespian members is the Senior University and Scholarship Auditions.  

How do we register for the Conference?

  • The Colorado State Thespian Conference registration is online; your school will receive postcard reminders for the conference and registration deadlines. Registration opens on September 1st and closes on November 10th, video submissions can be uploaded until November 18th, but your registration must be completed by November 10th. Registering on-line enters the school into a legal and binding contract.

Simply click the registration button on this web site – upper right hand corner of any page. Once schools enter the registration process, teachers can make changes to their account, add and delete students or events, up to the deadline or until they SUBMIT. Please note this is your online record you can add students to your directory that may or may not attend a thespian event.

You will need the following information from your students:

  • name
  • pronouns
  • cell phone number
  • email address
  • graduation year

Please note this is your confidential information, email addresses are used to send judging forms, cell phones are used for emergency and notification purposes. Students can self enter their information at ThespianPointTracker.com, and teachers can import that information into their school directory within the online registration. Please do not allow students to enter registration information into the school or troupe director’s account.

Why should you attend?

  • Colleges, Conservatories, and Universities from all over the state, dedicated to the service of the academic theatre community, have offered over four million dollars worth of scholarships to students in attendance. Besides the college auditioning experience, students have the opportunity to learn from some of the country’s leading professionals in Acting, Directing, Playwriting, and Design & Technical Theatre. The conference also affords students the opportunity to watch main stage presentations produced by area high schools, professional theatres, and university theatre programs.

How much does the conference cost?

  • The most current conference registration fee is posted within the online registration system. The registration fee covers the cost of admission to the conference, workshops, and performances. The registration fee does not cover the cost of hotel rooms, food or optional events including IEs, Improv, One Acts, Tech Challenge or Scholarship and University auditions. Registration opens on September 1st and closes on November 10th.

Where do we send our conference registration fees?

  • You can pay online with a credit card when you hit submit
  • Checks can be mailed to 7310 w 52nd Avenue #A-405, Arvada, CO 80002 Please send only one check per school, no personal checks accepted for registration. Registration must be paid for and checks received in advance of attending the conference. Late fees are added after the event.

What are the deadlines for ThesCon?

  • All State Opening Number Auditions and Uploads: October 20
  • Mainstage Screening Applications: October 20 (and at least two weeks before your production)
  • Conference and IE Registration: November 10 (IEs may close earlier if filled)
  • Late Registration Deadline: November 20
  • Senior University and Scholarship Auditions: November 18
  • Film IE Uploads: November 18

What is the conference deadline and how do you make changes to your registration after you have registered on-line?

  • The deadline for the conference registration is November 10th. You can register after the deadline but you will be charged a late registration fee of $25 per high student. Late registrants cannot participate in individual events or the Senior University Auditions. If you need to make changes to your on-line registration, you can login to make changes prior to submitting your registration. Once the troupe director hits “Submit” no changes can be made. There is no charge to change or drop students, as long as those changes and drops are made prior to the November 10 deadline and before the director hits “Submit”. If you desire to add students to your registration after the deadline of November 10 that can be done online.
  • The final deadline for conference registration for both middle and high school students and chaperones is November 20.
  • Please Note: there are no replacement opportunities offered in the registration process after the deadline. Troupe directors please be advised, our insurance and that of your institution only covers participants that are registered for the conference.

Is there supervision at the in-person conference and what is the charge for additional sponsors or chaperones?

  • Each school district should carry liability insurance for each participant in attendance. Schools attending are required to provide chaperones to supervise their participants per your school and/or district policy. Colorado Thespians provides security in and around the Colorado Convention Center and the Hyatt host hotel. The host hotel has Denver police officers on duty in the evening hours. Schools are strongly recommended to bring one sponsor or chaperone per ten students attending the conference.

How does our school receive tax exempt status in the city of Denver?

  • Denver has a strict municipal code that requires hotels to prove tax exempt status. As a result hotels are shifting this responsibility to the schools. If your school desires to take advantage of their tax exempt status, they must register the proper paper work with their host hotel’s accounts payable, prior to arriving at the conference. Schools must also supply the hotel with a complete room list, prior to check-in. If you fail to follow this procedure you will be charged tax at check-out. Please be advised that teachers using their own personal credit card will not qualify for tax exempt status, even if your school district is reimbursing you for the expense. You should be prepared to bring a check from your district.

How many events can a troupe register for Improv Challenge, Tech Challenge, One Acts, Auditions, and IE’s?

  • High School students cannot participate in more than two Individual Events, Middle School students limit to one, to allow for plenty of opportunities for other students in attendance. The Individual Events are filled on a first-come-first-serve basis, we are limited by space and time restraints and adjudicators. Sponsors are encouraged to register early for these events. Schools are limited to one Improv Challenge group (up to 15 members) and/or one One Act session (up to 15 cast members).  Cancellation of a One Act for the in-person conference after the published deadline may incur a $250 room charge.

How do we register for the conference? How do we verify our registration?

  • Once teachers and/or troupe directors have entered students into their online directory, they can select students to participate in the conference with the registration tab in the online registration portal. Teachers and/or troupe directors will need a valid e-mail address to receive your conference confirmation. Please do not allow your students to register your school, as numerous problems have resulted from students attempting to proceed through the registration process.

How are schools or individuals selected for the showcase presentation on Saturday?

  • Participants are adjudicated by the guest adjudicators, which select the top performances in any given category for presentation to the whole contingency. Students selected must receive an Overall “Accomplished” recommendation from the judges. Students with adult language or offensive content in their IE may or may not be allowed to perform their selection (as originally presented) on the main stage. One Acts will not be included in the showcase due to time constraints for the in-person conference, but the Critic’s Choice Chapter Select performance will be announced.

Where do we send our Senior University Auditions?

  • Students should follow the link on the scholarship audition page and sign up within the Thespian Point Tracker web site.  See more information on the Student Opportunities page. Sponsors are encouraged to tell their students to register early. Deadline is November 18th. 

Refund and Cancellation Policy

  • No refunds granted for registered Thespians and/or their affiliated schools after registration is closed. Please note the deadline date: any and all schools in the system are converted to registered status. Schools are responsible for the full amount of their conference registration after submission or after the November 10 registration deadline. Payment for conference registration is expected and should be received prior to attendance at the conference. Schools have the ability to cancel their registration within the registration window from September 1 through November 10, and should take advantage of this opportunity within that extended time frame and make appropriate changes to their registration. All changes to registration should occur before the troupe director submits the final registration.
  • Any student and/or school registered for the Colorado State Thespian Conference on/or after the posted registration date will be subject to any and all late fees. If a student fails to attend the annual conference for any reason, there is no refund. Registered schools and sponsors are responsible for any and all fees incurred and not paid by their troupe, sponsors, students and attendees, including any legal fees or court costs involved in collecting the conference registration.

Are Guests Allowed at the Conference?

  • This is a student field trip and not a public event. Therefore, for liability purposes, there are a limited amount of guest passes available for each day of the conference. These passes are reserved for adult guests and are not available for student purchase in any situation. Each guest pass costs $70 regardless of the amount of time a person is spending at conference. Guests who are younger than the age eleven will not be admitted to the middle school conference and guests younger than fourteen will not be admitted to the high school conference. Guests passes can be purchased during the hours of 8:00 am – 5:30 pm Thursday and Friday of conference in the registration room.

How Do I Contact Colorado Thespians?

  • Senior Audition or Scholarship Question (students and colleges)?  auditions.cothespians@gmail.com
  • Exhibitor Question? vendors.cothespians@gmail.com
  • Presenter Question? presenters.cothespians@gmail.com
  • Troupe Events Question (tech challenge and one acts)? troupeevents.cothespians@gmail.com
  • IE or Adjudicator Question? judges.cothespians@gmail.com
  • Mainstage Screening Question? mainstage.cothespians@gmail.com
  • Help with your Registration Account or Thespianpointtracker? IT.cothespians@gmail.com

General Questions?     info@cothespians.com       720-885-3474