Festivals

1. Community Theatre Festival 
2. Secondary School Theatre Festival
3. Fringe Festival
4. TYA: Theatre for Youth Festival 
5. Short Play Festival

Community Theatre Festival 

Celebrating the soul of local theatre, the Community Theatre Festival welcomes non-professional theatre companies to present full-length productions in a supportive and professionally evaluated environment. This festival highlights the passion, creativity, and cultural value of community-based performance.

Key Features

• Open to non-professional/community theatre organizations

• Full-length productions or significant one-act works (45–60 minutes)

• Adjudication with both written and verbal feedback

• Participants engage in talkbacks and networking with fellow artists

• Offers regional recognition and visibility for outstanding productions

• Focus on community impact, storytelling, and production quality

This festival honors the spirit of collaboration and celebrates the transformative role community theatre plays in creating access to the arts.

Secondary School Theatre Festival

The Secondary School Theatre Festival is SETC’s largest and most high-energy event for high school theatre programs. Schools from across the southeastern U.S. are invited to present one-act or shortened productions for a panel of professional adjudicators, offering students a chance to perform on a major regional stage. 

Key Features

• Designed for high school students (grades 9–12)

• 45-minute performance limit with 10-minute setup/strike

• Professional adjudication with written and verbal feedback

• Exposure to college recruiters, vendors, and theatre professionals

• Encourages excellence in ensemble work, directing, technical design, and storytelling

• Festival culminates with an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding achievement

This festival is not just a competition—it's a stepping stone. SSTF fosters discipline, collaboration, and pride, giving students the chance to grow artistically and personally.

Fringe Festival

The Fringe Festival is SETC’s most experimental and flexible performance platform. Designed to amplify new voices and nontraditional work, the Fringe welcomes original scripts, devised theatre, solo performances, multimedia work, and more. It’s a creative lab where anything goes—as long as it tells a story worth sharing.

Key Features

• Open access; no adjudication required to perform

• Original, devised, or adapted works encouraged

• Minimal technical requirements and a 60-minute time limit

• Flexible, low-stakes environment for trying new work

• Encourages underrepresented voices and emerging artists

• Ideal for college programs, independent artists, and cross-disciplinary collaborations

Fringe provides space for artists to innovate, disrupt, and connect with adventurous audiences. It's a celebration of theatrical possibility without boundaries.

TYA: Theatre for Youth Festival 

Theatre for Youth (TFY) is focused on productions created for and with young audiences. This unique festival features performances from professional TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) companies as well as educational institutions showcasing work geared toward children and teens.

Key Features

• Open to youth theatre companies, universities, and professional TYA ensembles

• Focused on educational value, engagement, and age-appropriate storytelling

• Encourages interactive, imaginative, and message-driven content

• Adjudicated performances with a focus on storytelling clarity and audience impact

• Strong emphasis on literacy, social-emotional development, and inclusive casting

TFY strengthens the bridge between theatre and youth development—highlighting how storytelling can inspire empathy, growth, and critical thinking in young minds.

Short Play Festival

The Short Play Festival is a celebration of brevity and brilliance. This festival showcases short, one-act plays (10–30 minutes) presented by a mix of educational institutions, independent artists, and theatre companies. It’s ideal for directors and ensembles looking to refine their craft within a tightly focused time frame.

Key Features

• Open to schools, colleges, and independent companies

• 10–30 minute original or published scripts

• Emphasis on innovation, strong direction, and effective ensemble work

• All productions receive constructive feedback from a panel of adjudicators

• Encourages bold artistic choices and efficient storytelling

• Often serves as an incubator for new work or experimental staging techniques

Whether comedic, dramatic, or avant-garde, the Short Play Festival champions strong, succinct storytelling and creative risk-taking.