Broadway Stars and Creatives Join The 2025 International Thespian Festival

The International Thespian Festival (ITF), the nation's leading event dedicated to middle and high school theatre, has announced a lineup of Broadway performers, creative professionals, and special guests set to appear at this year's festival. Taking place June 22-27, 2025 in Bloomington, IN, ITF invites thousands of student artists and educators to a weeklong celebration filled with performances, workshops, and one-of-a-kind opportunities to connect with some of the most inspiring voices in theatre today.

• The legendary Stephen Schwartz and screenwriter/producer Philip LaZebnik will attend in support of the ITF Main Stage premiere of their musical The Prince of Egypt, an invited production appearing courtesy of ETF's Craig Zadan Pathway for Racial Equity in the Arts Grant. Schwartz will also attend the Theatre Education Conference's (TEC) Awards Ceremony to present the winner of the ASCAP Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teacher of the Year with their award.
• Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller (Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights) will join in a conversation to discuss his upcoming book and memoir Theater Kid.
• Shaina Taub, writer, composer, lyricist, and star of Broadway's Suffs, will host an artistic panel at ITF and take part in a keynote conversation at TEC, where she will also be presented with EdTA's Founders' Award.
• Broadway's Kimberly Marable (Chicago, Hadestown, The Lion King, Sister Act) will host the Educator Appreciation Dinner, an event held in conjunction with TEC. Marable will appear courtesy of Broadway Plus.
• Actor Carly Hughes (American Housewife, Chicago, Pippin) will host the festival's Closing Ceremony and hold an audition coaching workshop with students as part of a partnership between The Princess Grace Foundation and the Educational Theatre Foundation.
• PigPen Theatre Company, composers and lyricists of Broadway's Water for Elephants, will host an artistic panel courtesy of Broadway Licensing.
• Jacob Yandura & Paul Canaan, the composer and producer of Broadway's How to Dance in Ohio, will lead workshops on bringing accessibility to the stage, songwriting, and musical theatre dance.
• Playwright Peter Gil-Sheridan will be present all week, workshopping a developmental staged reading of his play Retreat with students, courtesy of Stage Partners.
• Broadway actress Jodie Langel, known as the “Tik Tok” vocal coach, will hold one of her well-known workshops for Thespian performers.

ITF, hosted by the Educational Theatre Association, offers a unique experience where students, educators, and theatre enthusiasts come together during a week-long celebration of the performing arts. At ITF, the future of theatre starts here. This year's star-studded lineup underscores EdTA's commitment to creating dynamic student experiences that drive lifelong engagement in the theatre as well as the professional theatre community's dedication to supporting young Thespians.

“We're honored to welcome these remarkable artists to ITF—not just as guests, but as collaborators in this celebration of theatre,” said EdTA's executive director, Dr. Jennifer Katona. “There's something powerful about today's students connecting with professionals who once stood exactly where they are. It's a full-circle moment that reminds us that the future of theatre truly starts here.”

Registration is open through May 7 on the ITF website.