2026 Conference Schedules will be prior to the conference via COThesCon.net

When

December 10th - 12th, 2026

ThesCon is traditionally held the first or second weekend in December, depending on city and facilities availability. High school troupes begin arriving Thursday afternoon with the conference concluding Saturday afternoon.

Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado

What

A weekend filled with active theatre workshops designed especially for high school students. Students and chaperones self select events to attend during the nine workshop and Individual Event/Thespys sessions (pre-registration is required for IE performance opportunities – additional fees apply). High School Theatre in Colorado supports the fifth largest economic industry in the state, the creative sector.

WHO

All public, private, and charter high schools in Colorado and Utah are invited to attend. We encourage new schools to join us and share the excitement of high school theatre. Schools do not need to have an official Thespian troupe to attend.

All State Opening Number

We’re looking to cast 15-20 student performers from around Colorado to participate in the ThesCon Opening Number! The audition is open to all students grade 9-12 who attend the Colorado State Thespians Conference. We are looking to cast students who complete the following process by October 20th at midnight, no exceptions.

College and Thespian Scholarship Auditions

Audition Application Deadline to register is November 18.

Deadline to upload self tape performance or technical presentation is November 18th

Colorado Senior University Audition Instructions

Who is Eligible?

Colorado State Thespians offers the opportunity for senior thespians to audition for over forty Universities, Colleges, and Conservatories from across the nation. 

REQUIREMENTS: Upload your audition in your personal thespianpointtracker account is November 18. 

Audition Form Tip: Each auditor will be viewing your application and audition online through thespianpointtracker, so the auditor’s first impression of you is your online presence. Please follow directions to make your first impression a good one!

How To Participate in Callbacks and Interviews:

Callbacks through a personal interview with college and university representatives will occur at ThesCon. Be sure to check the method of contact (email address) you provided in thespianpointtracker to see what schools would like to meet with you individually about your future with their school.  Be prepared to answer questions about yourself, your goals in theatre, and to ask questions about the school’s program. You may be asked to repeat all or a portion of your audition. Please have the courtesy to contact all schools that call you back. Scholarships and admission, based on your audition, may also be offered to you by mail, phone or email after the conference is over.

Colorado State Thespians Scholarships

How To Participate

Your university audition doubles as your audition for a Dr. Jay Seller Colorado Thespians Scholarship. $2,000 scholarships are offered to one student in Acting, Musical Theatre, and Technical Theatre. Runners Up will receive a $1,000 scholarship to the school of your choice. Colorado Thespians will determine scholarship winners and runner ups based on the self submitted auditions. The award will be made directly to your college or university on confirmation of your intent and enrollment. No checks will be issued to individuals. Colorado Thespians scholarships in any amount cannot be deferred. The award is presented at the closing of the conference and the recipient/troupe must be in attendance to perform or accept their technical theatre award.

AUDITION CATEGORY DEFINITIONS:

Acting: Perform two contrasting selections from published literature within the two-minute time limit. Choose characters reasonably close to your own age that provides opportunity for physicalization. Make sure you feel comfortable with the selections and make your characters come fully alive in the short time you have.

Musical Theatre: Perform one acting and one musical selection within the two-minute time limit. Accompaniment for musical auditions can be recorded or a student can choose to sing acapella. Dance auditions fall under Musical Theatre. To audition for dance, perform one acting or musical selection and a one-minute dance routine. Follow the applicable rules above. A dance only audition will not be allowed.

Technical: Present your portfolio of designs, renderings, plots, books, pictures, etc. which illustrate your expertise in one area of technical theatre. You should prepare to discuss your work, the production for which you’ve done the work, and your expectations of future theatre involvement.

Students can only participate in an audition for ONE of the above categories. No multiple auditions in multiple categories are allowed. 

SPONSORS

Encourage your student to register for this event, this is not something that a parent or teacher should do for the student (thespianpointtracker.com) Pay special attention to the restrictive time limit. Encourage your students to contact college representatives who call them back. Remember that each student represents you, your school, and Colorado State Thespians. Due to limited space and at the request of the auditors, sponsors will not be allowed to observe the scholarship auditions.

Individual Events / Thespys

Colorado Individual Events and the National Thespys are an educational program that offers conference delegates the opportunity to receive constructive feedback on prepared theatrical material and technical designs. The goal for participating students is to receive feedback from industry professionals on their skills, strengths, and weaknesses to grow as theatre artists and individuals. The events culminate in the selection of a showcase cast of selected outstanding entries. The Thespy showcase will be cast with representatives of the highest quality performances, and not all categories may be represented. All participants in the Colorado Thespys must be registered attendees for the conference.

The eligibility requirements and rules regarding Thespys at the national level are provided below. Colorado follows the same rules with some exceptions:

1. Colorado Thespys presenters/performers do not need to wear all black.

2. Colorado Thespys presenters/performers can participate in up to two Individual Events in different categories

. 

3. Colorado Thespys monologue performers can perform just one monologue, but this will disqualify them from 

qualifying for participation at the national level.

Individual Events are filled on a first-come-first-serve basis. At our in-person conference we are limited by space, time restraints, and adjudicators. Troupe Directors are encouraged to register early for these events. There are no waiting lists for Thespys. 

Please carefully review all the guidelines for Individual Events/Thespys for Colorado (with special attention to Technical Theatre Thespys and Film Thespys) before registering. Failing to comply with event rules and regulations will not result in financial reimbursement. 

Colorado Thespy Guidelines     

Educational Theatre Assocation Official Thespys Program Guide  

Approved Publishers List