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Join us at the Capital One Center and the Hilton Tysons-McLean, January 9 - 11, 2026 for our Virginia Thespian Festival College Fair, Auditions and Technical Interviews! Each program will be featured on the main exhibitor floor in the beautiful Capital One Hall for all three days of our 2026 festival where you have the opportunity to meet more than 1500 prospective students and their teachers. Register early to reserve your spot as in-person spaces are limited.
NEW THIS YEAR: Virtual Auditions Option! - Choose to join the live audition in real-time via livestream or view recorded student auditions within 2 weeks after the event if your schedule or budget prevents travel to the festival in person. The registration deadline for all options is 11/14/2025. |
EXAMPLE OF PREVIOUS COLLEGE FAIR |
DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!
Watch your program grow by recruiting at Virginia Thespian Festival! |
HOW COLLEGES PARTICIPATE:
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Choose which registration level best fits your program’s goals.
ALL COLLEGES RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING:
Note that spaces are limited and we did “fill up” last year so submit early to ensure participation. Upon receipt of your intent form our staff will reach out to your event lead with individual adult registration forms and workshop proposal forms to complete your registration. **PLEASE NOTE: For safety and security, we require that each representative from your college fill out the application. We must run background checks on all adults attending festival each year. See our proposed 2026 VTF Block Schedule! |
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COLLEGE AUDITIONS & TECHNICAL INTERVIEWS
Some colleges participate only at recruiter tables while others utilize the audition process in a variety of ways. Participating programs have the flexibility to customize their participation in the performance auditions and technical interviews to meet the goals of their program. Below are some of the ways that colleges have used these auditions in past years! It’s up to you!
Both Juniors and Seniors are invited to attend our performance auditions. This is a unique opportunity for programs to be the first institutions to meet Juniors at the very beginning of their college audition journey when they are making their college lists. For Seniors, you will be seeing them right in the middle of their main audition year where their material should be well-prepared and their decisions imminent. This is an opportunity for a school that may not be on a senior’s list so far to catch their attention and really make a connection!
- Providing feedback to candidates on their performance or portfolios
- Identifying “good fit” candidates to call back for further recruitment conversations
- Follow-Up with Students via email after festival
- Waiving the “pre-screen requirement” for their more formal on-campus auditions
- Waiving the application fees for formal applications or auditions
- Waiving on-campus auditions for good-fit candidates
- Offering Program admission (pending successful application to the school)
- Offering Scholarships
Both Juniors and Seniors are invited to attend our performance auditions. This is a unique opportunity for programs to be the first institutions to meet Juniors at the very beginning of their college audition journey when they are making their college lists. For Seniors, you will be seeing them right in the middle of their main audition year where their material should be well-prepared and their decisions imminent. This is an opportunity for a school that may not be on a senior’s list so far to catch their attention and really make a connection!
PERFORMANCE AUDITIONS:
TECHNICAL INTERVIEWS:
Technical students will be asked to prepare a portfolio that can be presented “science fair style” with ONLINE SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS to share with college faculty. These interviews were moderated last year with timed rotations through each student station so that faculty had time to hear each “pitch,” ask questions and determine the need for call-backs for additional discussion.
- MT Auditions include a monologue and song cut
- Acting Auditions including 2 contrasting monologues
- Exciting new “Online” supplemental component added this year!
- Time for Call-backs if desired by the program
- Video Instruction provided by VA Thespians to help candidates prepare
- In-Person Prep Class for all Student Participants at the start of VTF
- In-Person time for students to workshop with Accompanist prior to the start of auditions
TECHNICAL INTERVIEWS:
Technical students will be asked to prepare a portfolio that can be presented “science fair style” with ONLINE SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS to share with college faculty. These interviews were moderated last year with timed rotations through each student station so that faculty had time to hear each “pitch,” ask questions and determine the need for call-backs for additional discussion.
Need more Info?
We're here to answer questions! Please feel free to reach out to Catina Anderson, the Virginia Thespians Executive Assistant with any questions you may have regarding participation in the College / Conservatory Table Fair, Performance Auditions, Technical Interviews or Workshop/Volunteering Opportunities.
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