Festival Registration
Join theatre students and educators from across Virginia at the 2026 Virginia Theatre Association Conference, October 21–25, 2026, at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott.
Participating schools will enjoy five days of performances, workshops, networking, competitions, and unforgettable theatre experiences while connecting with peers and professionals from across the Commonwealth.
Registration Details
Registration Fee: $225 per school
Registration Deadline: September 1, 2026
Conference Dates: October 21–25, 2026
Schools may register and request an invoice to secure their participation.
Please Note, that you will need to register your group for the conference in order to perform in a festival.
Ready to join us? Register today and become part of Virginia's premier theatre education event.
Special Statement Regarding The Studio Festival from President Harvey
As of September 2, no high school festival participant has declared an official interest in the VTA Studio Theatre Festival. Our need to issue contracts to judges, plan the conference schedule, and finalize the HSTF schedule necessitates that we cancel the Studio Theatre track as a separate festival for this year.
Similar to last year, we will ask participants in the HSTF to indicate whether they wish to be considered for the Studio Theatre track. In other words, participants will be asked whether they believe they could, before SETC in March, pare their show down to 30 minutes and adapt it to the Studio Theatre Festival requirements of rehearsal blocks, chairs, five costumes, and limited props.
We will continue to have an HSTF Top 6. The top two schools will be offered spots in the SETC One Act Festival. The next two schools that indicate “YES” to Studio Theatre consideration will be named the Studio Theatre representatives.
Should one or no schools in the HSTF Top 6 indicate “YES” to Studio Theatre consideration, the highest-ranking schools from Round 1 that have indicated an interest in Studio Theatre will be offered the remaining Studio Theatre spots for SETC.
VTA remains committed to growing a Studio Theatre Festival in partnership with SETC. In consultation with SETC and Virginia educators, we will continue to explore opportunities to establish a separate Studio Theatre track in the future.