All information related to Cypress Ranch Theatre can be found on our web site cyranchtheatre.org. Supporting Theatre At Ranch (STAR) is the booster club that manages this web site as well our Facebook pages. We have a closed Facebook page for all company members, as well as a public page to promote our season and troupe accomplishments.
Thespian points are earned by students through participation in the department’s many productions and sponsored activities. The student Leadership Council is responsible for documenting thespian points which are awarded by the directors who oversee the process. Thespian points are used for earning graduation cords and stoles, letter jacket requirements, and induction into the International Thespian Society(ITS). It is the responsibility of each student to confirm accuracy of points awarded. All questions regarding discrepancies should be submitted in writing to the leadership council, and will be reviewed by the directors and STAR board to ensure accuracy.
Show credits are given based on the type of productions and rehearsal requirements for the production. Mainstage shows, UIL, and Comedy Sports all receive 1 show credit and are audition based productions. Class showcases and blackbox productions receive ½ show credit.
Students qualify for induction into ITS by receiving 2 show credits and 10 thespian points. A formal induction ceremony occurs yearly at the theatre banquet. There is a student registration fee to become an ITS member. All students who qualify at the end of the school year will be notified prior to banquet.
The Texas State Thespian Festival occurs at the end of the first semester in Dallas. It is a 3 day conference filled with Individual Event (IE) competitions for actors and technicians, workshops, and staged performances. ITS members may also submit original works for film, playwriting and musical playwriting competitions. Students who achieve superior ranking at State Thespian Festival, or win one of the film/playwriting competitions, qualify to attend the National Thespian Festival held at the end of June in Lincoln, NE. The national festival is a week-long conference similar to state festival. Juniors and Seniors also have the opportunity to participate in college auditions and scholarship auditions at both the state and national levels. Deadlines for original works submission are located on the Texas Thespian Festival web site.
In class auditions occur at the beginning of the school year. Performance IEs include Monologue, Duet Acting, Group Acting, Solo Musical, Duet Musical and Group Musical. Technical IE’s include, Costume Design, Costume Construction, Light Design, Scenic Design, Stage Management and Theatre Marketing. Each troupe may enter 6 performance IEs and 7 technical IEs and are not limited to one event in each category. Participation in auditions requires a signed parent approval slip ensuring intentions to travel to nationals should the event advance. All decisions are made by the directors and our troupe strives to provide the opportunity to attend State to as many students as possible. This is considered a varsity activity and ITS membership is required to audition. Students who meet the induction criteria with Fall productions may be considered for spots on the troupe and must pay for induction prior to State. More information will be presented at Booster Club meetings regarding costs for participation and travel costs for Nationals.
UIL One Act Play is considered a varsity production, however, all students registered in theatre classes and in good standing are encouraged to audition. UIL guidelines limit the number of participants in UIL OAP. Due to the size of our overall troupe, our directors choose to add additional alternates who participate in all rehearsals but are not listed on the official UIL roster for state competition. Additional alternates earn their UIL credit and benefit from the process of UIL on an educational level.
The state offers additional theatre UIL opportunities in film and technical theatre. Please see individual guidelines on the State UIL guidelines for additional information. Participation in a submitted film or technical category does qualify the student for their UIL show credit.
Students must have 2 theatre class credits, participation in a minimum of 4 mainstage shows plus either UiL or State Thespians, and 10 points as defined by the district. These points are not the same as Thespian Points. For a more detailed description, click HERE.