One of the main attractions of festival is workshops! Workshops are mini classes put on by professionals, and there's something for everyone. 

If you're interested in acting, many workshops have real professional actors teaching about the industry, auditions, and performing. There are even more things for singing and dancing. There are also workshops on more obscure aspects of acting, such as mime workshops and workshops for speaking in different accents! And don't forget about the thrilling workshops for stage combat (all perfectly safe and monitored)! Some past workshops include:

• Career: "How to Get Hired", "The Art of the Audition", 

• Combat: "The ABCs of Knife Fighting", "Knife to Meet You", "Throwing Hands (for Stage)!"

• Dance: " 'Some Like it Hot' - A Broadway Experience", "Dance Call: Tips and Tricks!", "Rhythm & Funk"

• Singing: "Act that Song", "The 32 Bar Audition Cut", 

• Acting: "The Building Blocks of Improv", "Fall for It!", "How to Lock in Your Monologue"

If you're a crewie, there are workshops for you, too! However, it does vary from year to year what workshops are available for each category of crew. Here are some examples of past workshops:

• Props: (unable to find the names - however, there have been workshops about vine construction and large props)

• Costumes: "Digital Costume Rendering 101", "Costume Construction"

• Tech: "Technical Theater in Weird Spaces", "Taking Your Career Beyond Backstage", "Behind the Camera", "Feedback, The Musical!"

• Set: "Set Design? But, I Can't Draw!"

• Makeup: "Effective Age Makeup Techniques", "Zombie Makeup"

No matter what crew you are in, consider competing in the Tech Olympics! Anyone can participate! It includes challenges themed around costumes, props, lights, sound, and rigging. If your team places well enough, you can win a prize for our theater company!  (If you plan on doing this, I recommend going to a knot-tying workshop as this is what you do in the rigging challenge)

ETC: Some don't really apply to a specific category within theater, but are still fun to attend! Some of these past ones include: "Creating Scenes and Conflict from Scratch", "Basic Film Editing", "Mental and Physical Relaxation", "Make a Starburst Crown"

Inducted thespians have the opportunity to compete at Thespys, which are competitions to show off your theater skills! The most commonly done categories are Solo or Duet Acting, and Solo or Duet Musical Theater. However, there are many more categories, including Theater Marketing, Set Design, Lighting Design, and more! When you do a thespy, you perform for judges and receive feedback and scoring. The highest awards are Excellent and Superior.

See what awards our talented thespians have won here!

If you are a senior, you can compete for college scholarships too! This is a slightly different process, but still largely the same idea.

Check here for info on last year's scholarship competitions!

During the course of Festival, you will become very familiar with everyone else in the company! Whether you're roaming Lansing, attending workshops, going shopping, or grabbing food, you will be hanging out with fellow thespians from our troupe and many others.  If there's anything you should do at Festival, it's to put yourself out there! Talk to other thespians and learn more about other troupes!

Food

Breakfast is usually provided with the hotel every morning, but for lunch and dinner, you are on your own. Make sure to have enough money to pay for meals and snacks! Some local restaurants that are fan favorites include: AnQi Sushi, the Kewpee Sandwich Shop, and the Lansing Shuffle! Also, if you are vegan, note that there is an exclusively vegan restaurant named Veg Head!

For snacks, there are convenience stores that are a short walk away, there are snacks sold at the hotel store, and the convention center itself has snack stands set up inside (the cookies get rave reviews from us)!

Shopping

Since we are let loose in Lansing, we also get to go shopping downtown! Some of the businesses around include: Summit Comics and Games, and Capital Hippie!

Also note that the convention center will have booths selling some cool stuff (and don't forget to buy a duck!)

• Clothing: Dress warm! Remember that this is winter, and you're going to be walking outside no matter rain or snow. Also, if you're doing a thespy or scholarship competition, make sure to bring an all-black outfit to comply with the rules.

• Bathing Suit: The hotel has a pool! Bring a bathing suit if you intend to swim!

• Money: Make sure to have enough money to pay for lunches, dinners, snacks, and any souvenirs you may want.

• Games: You will end up with a small amount of downtime each night, so you may want to bring video or card games to play with your roommates!

• Toiletries: You, of course, need a toothbrush and all that stuff. This hotel, like many others, offers soap, shampoo, and conditioner in each of its rooms, but you are welcome to bring your own. Also, we recommend bringing pain medication with you because you never know when you'll get a headache (a lot of people get sick around Festival time!)

• Food and Drinks: If you bring food or drinks back to your hotel room, just know that there are no microwaves inside the rooms, but you will have a fridge and a small coffee machine.\

• Schedule: To access the schedule for Festival, you will need to download the app Eventsential.

Keep in mind that if you forget anything, there are convenience stores just a short walk away, and the hotel's ground floor has a store that carries most necessities!