Secondary Schools

Attending the Festival?

FTC's annual festival will be held at Santa Fe College, in Gainesville, this year. The new theater wing will host the One-Act Play Festival for secondary schools, as well as over sixty workshops and a College Fair and Vendor Expo. The college is spacious and walking accessible with its own food court. Santa Fe College will open its campus to us, including our attendees in special events like a zoo tour. To check further a link can be found to the college on the main page of the website.

We have blocked rooms at three nearby hotels, to guarantee both availability and a lower rate. This information can be found under the Festival tab on the main page. FTC is providing bus transportation to the campus from the host hotel, and the college is providing designated parking spaces for buses and trucks.

Teachers interested in bringing a group of students to the Festival will find forms and information in the list at the left of the page. We have included information for the student to aid in preparing them for a successful festival.

Annual FTC conference

Festival activities include:

• One-Act Play Festival Competition – High School Theatre Programs present their productions and compete against one another for an award of Superior. The winner of this competition represents the state of Florida at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, where it competes with the nine other states of SETC.
• On the Spot Playwriting Competition - Offering an opportunity for students from different schools to collaborate on a 10-minute play, which must be written, cast, rehearsed, and performed in a very limited amount of time.
• Workshops for acting, singing, dancing, stage combat, costumes, designing, directing, and more. The workshops are presented by professionals from every facet of the theatre.
• College Fair - College and University representatives will be present to answer questions your students may have about arts programs, financial aid, and application to their schools.
• University and College Auditions - Over thirty colleges and universities send their representatives to view these auditions and discuss scholarships.

Present a Workshop at the Festival!

Each year more than 1,500 college/university, high school, middle school, and elementary school students, along with community theatre participants, attend the FTC Festival.

As part of the Festival there are more than 60 workshops presented.

We encourage you to share your unique specialty and be a part of the Festival by presenting a workshop.

It is an excellent way to see the talent that is attending the Festival and provide a community service for the state of Florida.

To register please fill out and submit the Workshop Presentation Form found in the forms list at the left. You will be contacted regarding your acceptance.

Scholarships for Graduating High School Seniors

The Florida Theatre Conference awards two scholarships yearly – the Vern Bryant and the Fran Walker – to graduating seniors attending a Florida college or university.

Scholarship Eligibility
Any high school senior in the Florida Theatre Conference region who is planning to attend a Florida college or university with the intent of majoring in Theatre Arts is eligible to apply for the scholarship. Students interested in applying may download the form. Each recipient of a scholarship will receive $1,000.00 which will be forwarded by the Florida Theatre Conference directly to the college or school that has accepted said recipient. The scholarship must be claimed within a one-year period. The scholarship is not renewable.

Criteria
The awarding of the Vern Bryant and Fran Walker Scholarships are based on:

• Theatre participation and extra-curricular activities
• Talent
• The potential for academic success in college
• Scholastic average
• Financial need

If you have students who wish to apply for the scholarship, simply download the form package at the left. Complete the forms and mail with the application check by September 28th.

VERN BRYANT was not a drama teacher or theatre director. He taught shop and marine biology. He retired from the Pinellas County School System in 1997. He was, however, a teacher to all who knew him. He was a teacher of life, a teacher of understanding and love. He touched all who came in contact with him, the big, the small, the young and the old. He possessed a special gift. He never met a stranger and was never critical of another human soul. The Florida Theatre Conference and the camaraderie shared with the FTC Board of Directors and general membership were very special to Vern. He enjoyed being the “gopher,” always lending a helping hand, stuffing packets, picking up trophies, delivering lunches to the adjudicators, loading and unloading scenery, running to procure a lost prop or repairing a broken piece of scenery for whoever, whenever. All theatre programs wish for such a talented volunteer and many in the Florida Theatre Conference were lucky to have him, hovering backstage or sitting in the back row, ready to take up the slack. “As does the wind to the smallest flowers, we too plant seeds of love into others’ souls to bloom.” This scholarship enables Vern’s seeds of love to continue to grow.

FRAN WALKER was a community theatre advocate. She began her love of theatre in Toccoa, Georgia, teaching elocution in the public schools. She often said, “If you can’t understand an actor, he or she should not be on stage.” She attended Georgia College for Women, graduating with a degree in theatre. Her work in community theatre started in Vicksburg, Mississippi, with the Vicksburg Little Theatre’s famous Riverboat Meller-Drammer, still being performed there today. From Mississippi, Fran moved to Pensacola where she worked with the Pensacola Little Theatre. She served in every capacity, from actor to director, from stagehand to board member. One of her proudest moments was the opening of the cultural center in Pensacola, transforming the historical Pensacola courthouse to a performing center, home of PLT. She had spearheaded the capital campaign for the funding of the venture. Fran began her work with FTC in the early 1970s. She was one of the first life members, and was treasurer for more than a decade. She was also active with the Southeastern Theatre Conference and was always willing to serve when called upon.