The Secondary Division is one of the most active divisions within MTA. Each year, there are two regional festivals which pre-qualify schools to attend the Mississippi Theatre Association’s Festival. The regional festivals are hosted by Mississippi State University and the University of Southern Mississippi. The festivals are held the first weekend in December.
The division also hosts continuing education / professional development workshops to assist teachers teaching theatre arts. CEU credits are typically given for attendance at the Festival/Convention and for the continuing education workshops.
If you need assistance getting your theatre program off the ground or if you need advice with productions or your curriculum, feel free to contact one of the division chairs listed below or the Executive Director. We are here and willing to assist you in making your program the best it can be!
Important Dates:
- 2020 MTA Teacher Workshop
Friday, September 11
- 4:30 pm – Welcome & What Is MTA – Suz Allmon, MTA Secondary Chair/ Oak Grove High School; Cindy Howie, MTA Secondary Vice Chair / Tishomingo County High School
- 4:45 pm – Playwriting – Kris Lee, Mississippi University for Women
- 5:45 pm – Set Safety – Tim Matheny, MTA Past President / William Carey University; Craig Dettman & Jay Morris, The University of Southern Mississippi
- 6:45 pm – Q&A – Suz Allmon & Cindy Howie
Saturday, September 12 - 9:00 pm – Devised Theatre – Tonya Hays, Mississippi State University; Carrie Ferguson-Bellew- Long Beach High School
- 2:30 pm – Stage to Stream – Carrie Ferguson-Bellew – Long Beach High School
- 3:30 pm – MTA 2021 Festival Questions
Register for the MTA 2020 Teacher Workshop HERE - Playwriting Competition: Opens April 1, Closes November 1, 2020. Click here for more information.
- South Dramafest – November 6 – November 7, 2020 – Virtual Festival (Information will be posted soon)
- South Festival Information – The University of Southern Mississippi – Virtual in 2020
- South Festival Schedule – The University of Southern Mississippi – Virtual in 2020
- North Dramafest – November 6 – November 7, 2020 – Virtual Festival (Information will be posted soon)
- North Festival Information – Mississippi State University – Virtual in 2020
- North Festival Schedule – Mississippi State University – Virtual in 2020
- MTA Theatre Festival — January 14-17, 2021 — Virtual Festival
MTA 2021 Registration Information will be posted October 2020
- School Letter and Festival Information school mailer
- School Registration Spreadsheet
- Upload Registration Spreadsheet
- Technical Schematics – Secondary Festival
- MTALight
- MTArhmthrust
- MTArhstraight
- MTArhthrust
- MTAstage
- MTA 2020 Ford Center Main Stage (Please note that the loading dock doors of the Ford Center are 10’0” x 10’0”)
- Youth Individual Events Rules
- Youth Individual Events – Timekeeper & Doorkeeper Responsibilities
- Youth Individual Events – Technical Title Block
- Youth Individual Event Ballots – (Note if it is a “Youth” or “Adult” ballot at the top right of the ballot)
- IEF – Makeup Design Template 1
- IEF – Makeup Design Template 2
- IEF – Makeup Design Template 3
- 10 Minute Festival
- Jr. / Sr. College Audition Registration
- Jr. / Sr. College Audition Rules
- Jr./Sr. College Audition – How to mark your music (Virtual MTA 2021 will allow CDs, MP3s, etc. )
- Jr./Sr. College Audition – Sample audition
Important Information:
- Join the Conversation: MTA hosts a Theater Teacher E-Mail Listserv. Subscribe to the list today to join the conversation.
- If you don’t have a listserv password you can request a new password here.
- MTA Rules and Guidelines: Read these prior to the regional AND state festival.
- Banned Productions 2020 Productions performed at regional festivals within the last 3 years.
- MTA and Dramafest Scoresheet
- MTA Scholarship: $2000 to a deserving high school senior who intends to pursue a theatre degree at a Mississippi college or university.
- “What to Expect at DramaFest“: A video explaining what students and teachers can expect at the Drama Festival. (Please note in the guidelines the new “Go Line” rule that was instated in 2015.)
- Using Copyrighted Music in Theatre Productions: This post urges theatre organizations to use music wisely, making sure they have the legal right to use it in their productions.
- Tips for College and University Auditions : A video explaining what colleges are looking for in their top high school recruits at MTA
- Portfolio Pointers for students auditioning for tech
