Texas Thespians
Texas Thespians is the largest U.S. chapter of the Educational Theatre Association, serving 600+ school troupes and 16,000+ Texas middle and high school theatre students through State Festivals, Junior Regional Festivals, Thespy competitions, educator professional development, and approximately $100,000 in annual scholarships and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersDenison, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Texas Thespians does
Texas Thespians is a Texas-based non-profit educational organization founded in 1972 as the largest chapter of the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) and the International Thespian Society in the United States. Operating from its headquarters at 15 Circle Drive, Denison, Texas, the organization serves more than 600 school-affiliated theatre troupes across public, private, and charter schools, reaching over 16,000 middle and high school students statewide. Its mission centers on honoring and advancing theatre education for students, educators, and administrators through competitions, festivals, professional development, advocacy, and scholarships, awarding nearly $100,000 annually in grants and scholarships.
The organization's core programming centers on two annual State Festivals (held at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi and the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine) that together host over 10,000 delegates each, complemented by three Junior Regional Festivals in North, South, and Central Texas, an annual Educator Conference at the Hilton Dallas Rockwall Lakefront, Troupe Days at host schools, the Fine Arts Administrator Day, the Short Play Contest, and a year-long Honor Troupe Leadership Academy. Competition offerings include Performance Thespys, Technical Thespys, Texas Only Events, and Virtual Competitions processed through Submittable, with over 8,000 Thespy entries processed annually. Supporting programs include the Aspiring Theatre Educator Program, Distinguished Educator Program, Texas Theatre Scholars academic recognition, the Advocacy, Access & Engagement Committee (AAEC), and Premier Communities for Theatre Education district recognition.
Revenue is generated through a mix of event registration fees (e.g., $60 per Junior Festival attendee, $100 for the Honor Troupe Leadership Academy, $30 per Virtual Thespy entry, $100 for Fine Arts Administrator Day), corporate and institutional sponsorships reaching 12,000+ student delegates and 20,000+ educators, vendor and college recruiter booth fees at festivals, merchandise sales, and managed grant funding. The organization holds TEA CPE Provider #902-342 certification allowing it to issue continuing professional education credits to educators. Operations are managed in partnership with Times10 Association Strategies under Executive Director Amy Jordan, who has led the organization as Chapter Director since 2012 and as Executive Director since 2021, alongside an Executive Governing Board and volunteer-driven committees. The underlying technology stack relies on third-party SaaS platforms — Submittable for submissions, Canva for newsletter distribution, Google Meet/Zoom for virtual programming, SmartWaiver for consent forms, GooseChase for engagement challenges, and Guidebook for festival apps — with no proprietary platform or AI/ML capabilities in evidence.
Texas Thespians firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Texas Thespians
- Legal name
- Texas Thespians
- Website
- https://texasthespians.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Texas Thespians is the largest U.S. chapter of the Educational Theatre Association, serving 600+ school troupes and 16,000+ Texas middle and high school theatre students through State Festivals, Junior Regional Festivals, Thespy competitions, educator professional development, and approximately $100,000 in annual scholarships and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Texas Thespians industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Theatre Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (611610), Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater) (EDAJAJAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)
Keywords
Where Texas Thespians is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denison
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Texas Thespians business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Event Registration Fees: Fees charged to students, educators, and schools for participation in State Festivals, Junior Regional Festivals, Educator Conference, and other events. Pricing varies by event type.
- Sponsorships: Corporate and institutional sponsorships for events including State Festivals, Junior Festivals, Educator Conference, and Fine Arts Admin Day, providing branding and visibility opportunities to sponsors.
- Festival Grants: While grants are primarily disbursed as scholarships to students, the organization manages and allocates nearly $100,000 annually in grant funding to support participation.
- Merchandise and Booth Fees: Revenue from vendor booths, merchandise sales, and exhibitor fees at State Festivals and other events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | State Festival Registration |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Junior Regional Festival |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Summer Professional Development |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fine Arts Administrator Day |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Festival Grants |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Competitions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Honor Troupe Leadership Academy |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Aspiring Educator Program |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Short Play Contest |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
Texas Thespians product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Texas Thespians is a nonprofit educational theatre organization that operates statewide festivals, regional competitions, and professional development programs for middle and high school theatre students, educators, and administrators in Texas. Its core services include two annual State Festivals, three Junior Regional Festivals, Troupe Days, an annual Educator Conference, and competition pathways spanning Performance Thespys, Technical Thespys, and Texas Only Events, supported by grant funding and educator recognition programs.
Product overview
Texas Thespians is the largest chapter of the Educational Theatre Association, operating a comprehensive portfolio of theatre education programs rather than a single product. The organization serves over 16,000 middle and high school students across 600+ troupes through a multi-tiered event and competition ecosystem. Core offerings include State Festivals (Corpus Christi and Grapevine), Junior Regional Festivals, Troupe Days, and the Educator Conference, which together form the primary programming backbone. Supporting these are the Performance and Technical Thespy competition systems, the Honor Troupe Leadership Academy, Short Play Contest, and Texas Only Events for state-specific competitions. The organization extends its impact through educator development programs (Aspiring Theatre Educator, Distinguished Educator), advocacy initiatives (Advocacy Network, AAEC), academic recognition (Texas Theatre Scholars), grant funding ($100,000 annually), and career/college recruitment services. All programs are coordinated through partnerships with Submittable for competition management, Event Times 10 for registration, and various digital platforms for learning and communication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Texas Thespians Education Network: A network within Texas Thespians focused on empowering theatre educators, administrators, and students through collaboration, professional development, and advocacy for equitable, high-quality theatre education across Texas.
Products and services
- State Festivals
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly $100,000 awarded annually in scholarships and grants
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Texas Thespians
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Texas Thespians technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Texas Thespians partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Educational Theatre Association (EdTA)coreTexas Thespians is an affiliate chapter of the Educational Theatre Association, the parent organization that sponsors the International Thespian Society. Texas Thespians is the largest chapter in the nation of EdTA. The organization follows the national model for promoting excellence in middle school and high school theatre departments and provides local, state, and regional support for adult members, Thespians, and Junior Thespians within the EdTA framework.
- International Thespian SocietycoreTexas Thespians supports the mission of the International Thespian Society, an educational honor society for middle and high school theatre students. Schools with ITS membership are automatically members of Texas Thespians. The society provides national-level events including the International Thespian Festival with workshops, college auditions, and opportunities to showcase skills.
- Times10 Association StrategiescoreTimes10 Association Strategies provides association management services to Texas Thespians. CEO Jennifer Haisten oversees the partnership, providing meeting professional services, logistical support, and operational expertise. The organization collaborates with Times10 for event management and strategic planning.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Texas Thespians competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA): Texas-based non-profit serving K-12 music educators and students through clinics, festivals, and competitions. Directly comparable to Texas Thespians in mission, structure (state association with affiliate chapters), and event-driven membership model, but focused on music rather than theatre.
- University Interscholastic League (UIL): Texas state organization administering academic, athletic, and fine arts competitions for public schools including UIL One Act Play. Operates alongside Texas Thespians in Texas theatre education with significant overlap in participating schools and theatre directors.
- Texas Art Education Association (TAEA): State-level professional association for visual arts educators in Texas, offering conferences, student events, and advocacy. Mirrors Texas Thespians' role as the Texas chapter of a national arts education body (NAEA) with similar festival/conference programming.
- Texas Forensics Association: Texas state organization for competitive speech and debate, providing tournaments, professional development, and student recognition. Operates in the same extracurricular performing-arts-adjacent space as Texas Thespians for Texas secondary schools.
Broad incumbents
- Educational Theatre Association (EdTA): The parent organization and sponsor of the International Thespian Society. EdTA operates nationally and internationally while Texas Thespians is its largest state chapter; EdTA sets the framework, Thespian Society, and International Thespian Festival that Texas Thespians localizes.
- National Speech & Debate Association: National honor society serving middle and high school speech and debate students with district and national tournaments. Comparable to Texas Thespians in providing competition pathways, curriculum resources, and member school recognition at scale across the U.S.
- National Dance Education Organization (NDEO): National non-profit providing dance education programs, curriculum standards, and conferences for K-12 dance educators and students. Comparable in delivering professional development, advocacy, and student recognition in a performing arts discipline.
Direct peers
- Educational Theatre Association (Other State Chapters): Other state-level EdTA chapters (e.g., California Thespians, Florida Thespians) operate near-identical festival, competition, and membership models within their respective states and are direct competitors for EdTA recognition, sponsor attention, and national-level resources.
- International Thespian Society: Honor society for middle and high school theatre students that Texas Thespians directly supports as the largest chapter. ITS provides national-level events and induction pathway that Texas Thespians implements locally for Texas schools.
Others
- Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC): Professional union for stage directors and choreographers. While serving professional rather than student members, SDC's focus on theatre craft standards, professional development, and advocacy makes it thematically comparable to Texas Thespians' educator-focused mission.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Texas Thespians social profiles
Digital presenceTexas Thespians compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Texas Thespians financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Texas Thespians leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Texas Thespians funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Texas Thespians M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Texas Thespians
What does Texas Thespians do?
Texas Thespians is a nonprofit educational theatre organization that operates statewide festivals, regional competitions, and professional development programs for middle and high school theatre students, educators, and administrators in Texas. Its core services include two annual State Festivals, three Junior Regional Festivals, Troupe Days, an annual Educator Conference, and competition pathways spanning Performance Thespys, Technical Thespys, and Texas Only Events, supported by grant funding and educator recognition programs.
Is Texas Thespians a public or private company?
Texas Thespians is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Texas Thespians founded?
Texas Thespians was founded in 1972. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Texas Thespians based?
Texas Thespians is headquartered in Denison, United States, in the North America region.
How does Texas Thespians make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Event Registration Fees are the primary driver. The others are sponsorships, festival Grants and merchandise and Booth Fees.
Who are Texas Thespians's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), University Interscholastic League (UIL), Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) and Texas Forensics Association. Broad incumbents are Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), National Speech & Debate Association and National Dance Education Organization (NDEO). Direct peers are Educational Theatre Association (Other State Chapters) and International Thespian Society. Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) is listed as an others.
Does Texas Thespians have an API?
No public API is recorded for Texas Thespians.
What industry is Texas Thespians in?
Texas Thespians's product category is Theatre Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAJAE, Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater), with a secondary code of BPAGAHAB, Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music). Its NAICS code is 611610 and its SIC code is 8600.