Group Secondary Events

Show Tune Lip Sync Battle

Sync Your Heart Out, Steal the Show Take the stage and bring your favorite show tunes to life at the 2026 VTA Show Tune Lip Sync Battle! Grab your friends, create your routine, and get ready for an unforgettable night of performance. Please invite your friends—a lip sync battle is no fun without a crowd, and audience response is part of the judging criteria! So register, rehearse, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!

When & Where: Norfolk Ballroom IV-VI (Theater A) on Thursday, 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm.
Capacity: Limited to 24 performance slots (individuals or groups). Only these 24 will compete!
Eligibility: You are allowed up to 8 participants per act.

Performance Guidelines

Time Limit: Maximum of 90 seconds for your performance.
Music: All music must be pre-cut (Garageband is a great tool for this, along with many others) and emailed to vtalipsyncbattle@gmail.com. Please make sure all music is clean and school-appropriate.
Props & Attire: You are responsible for all your own props. This includes instruments, microphones, costumes, etc. While we encourage all of these things, please make sure that both props and costumes are school-appropriate!
Check-In: There will be a person at the door to check in performers, so please arrive on time.

Rules & Judging

Each category will be worth 10 points. The judges’ decisions will be final!

Lip Sync Abilities: How well the performer(s) lip sync the lyrics of the song.
Creativity: How original and creative the performance is. Instead of just standing on stage and lip syncing a song, you are encouraged to use props, choreography, and costumes to impress the judges!
Stage Presence: Again, don’t just stand there! Engage the audience, dance, smile, make eye contact with the judges and the crowd!
Audience Response: Engage the audience, get them clapping, cheering, and singing along.

The Finale: Lip Sync For Your Life!

At the conclusion of all acts, the judges will pick the top 2 based on the criteria above. The top 2 performers will be asked to LIP SYNC FOR THEIR LIFE! :) The predetermined song is “Come Alive” from The Greatest Showman (Link to track here). Be ready to perform this song, should you make it to the final round!

Your Host

Kendall Knight is a small-town entertainer born and raised in Lynchburg, VA, and is now living in NYC pursuing a life in the industry. Kendall has been fortunate enough to work as a Make-up and Hair swing on Broadway in shows such as Almost Famous, The Thanksgiving Play, Bad Cinderella, Moulin Rouge, and Heart of Rock & Roll, among others! They are also the creator and host of the bi-monthly "Kendall Knight and the Dolls" variety show at NYC's infamous Strand Bookstore! In addition to the dazzling lights of Broadway and gay clubs, Kendall works as a recovery advocate for people suffering with mental health issues and substance use disorder to help anyone they encounter know they are not alone! With a passion for changing the perception of drag entertainment, making it accessible to everyone, being a voice for underrepresented queer youth, and a classic Popeye's chicken sandwich, they are so excited to return to host the Show Tune Lip Sync Battle for a 5th time and once again experience the magic of VTA!

How to Register

Registration closes October 14th, 2026. The registration form is now open! At registration, you will need to give the following information: your group name, number of participants, song selection, and your school (if applicable).

VTA Improvathon 2026

Think Fast, Act Faster Put your quick thinking to the test! The Improvathon is a fast-paced competition where school teams go head-to-head in a classic unscripted game of Blind Freeze Tag.

Sessions: Thursday and Friday evening, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
Capacity: Each session is limited to 8 teams. Slots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and schools will sign up for one of the two nights.
Eligibility: Teams are limited to 8 persons, with a minimum of 7 persons required. All members of a school’s team must be currently enrolled at that school.

Pre-Show Logistics

Arrival: All competing teams must be seated in the audience of the performance space by 6:00 pm.
Performance Order: Order will be pre-determined by placing schools into an online random order generator. Teams will be informed of their performance order before they arrive at VTA.
Identification: Team members will be handed numbered signs to wear during their performance and will affix them to the front of their shirts.

Game Rules: BLIND FREEZE TAG

The Lineup: One by one, each team will stand up on stage and line up straight across, facing the audience.
The Prompt: An adjudicator will call out two numbers. Those two team members will step forward (downstage), and an adjudicator will deliver them a prompt, which could be one word or a phrase (Example: Mac and Cheese).
The Scene: The emcee will get the timer out, set it to 6 minutes, and say “go!” The two actors will begin improvising a scene based on the prompt.
The Freeze: When an adjudicator yells “freeze,” the actors will freeze, holding their physical position. The adjudicator will call out the number of one of the actors standing in the back.
The Switch: That actor will run up and tap one of the active actors out—their choice—and take that actor’s place, assuming the exact same physical position. It is important that the entering actor is the one who starts the scene. They will then start an entirely new improvised scene based on that physical position, with no prompt, that has nothing to do with the previous scene.
Time Up: This pattern continues until the emcee sees the clock reach 6 minutes and yells “time!” All team members will then stop and go sit down. This process repeats with the other 7 teams.

The Finals & Awards

Tabulation: At the conclusion of all 8 teams, there will be a 10-15 minute break for tabulations. At the conclusion of the break, the emcee will call the room to order, thank the judges, and announce the 3 Finalists in no particular order.
Finals Setup: The emcee will call up a representative from each of those 3 teams. The reps will draw a number from a hat to determine their Finals performing order, then return to their seats.
Finals Gameplay: Team #1 takes the stage in the same way as before (with numbers still on). The Finals is also BLIND FREEZE TAG with the exact same rules, except the three finalist teams will each get 8 minutes on the clock.
Awards: At the conclusion of the 3 Finalists, the emcee will thank and dismiss the audience and teams. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Improvathon Winners will be announced at the VTA High School Awards Ceremony on Saturday night.