You may have read my blog post last month detailing my trip to Columbus for the annual Georgia Thespian Conference, affectionately known as ThesCon. Of course, there are quite a number of theatrical festivals and conventions throughout the country and around the world. I thought I’d introduce you to some you may not have heard of, and profile some of the others that you might already be familiar with. Here are some highlights; of course, this list does not represent comprehensively the magnitude of theatre festivals and conventions—every year the list grows.

Adelaide Festival of Arts
This internationally acclaimed festival highlights theatre as well as opera, dance, visual arts and other media. The festival began back in 1960 (founded by a man named Sir Lloyd Dumas—but who cares) and since 2012, has been federally funded by the Australian government. Trolling their website, I see that my favorite contemporary dance company in NYC—Cedar Lake—and if you have any interest in modern dance, you should know these talented and pretentious people—are traveling to the festival to perform something called Orbo Novo. I mean, seriously, I don’t believe most of the dancers could even spell that—luckily, they are very talented at what they do. I worked as a stand-in on the Matt Damon ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, and Cedar Lake Company was featured in some of the film. On the theatre front, from chocolate-loving Belgium, “Following the 2014 sold-out hit BIGMOUTH, a gripping follow-up takes us deep into… …psychology of human conflict. Set in 1914 but focused on wars old and new, SMALLWAR shares battle stories in the words of those who lived them. The masterful Valentijn Dhaenens embodies doctors, nurses, wounded soldiers and mothers in this raw and authentic performance set against mind-blowing digital theatre.”

Texas Thespians
Every December, this lone star state-festival opens its doors to any Texas thespian troupe, offering workshops, performances, college auditions, performance competitions, technical competitions, guest speakers, theatrical vendors, and so on. The festival is attended by a whopping 4,000 people—a number appropriate to the BIG state—and lasts three days.

Edinburgh International Festival
This festival is the festival—probably, the most well known and most talked about of them all. It is the world’s largest arts festival—really, ten festivals held simultaneously. It lasts over three whole weeks in August and grew out of the mayhem of the Second World War, focusing largely on classical music, when the Vienna Philharmonic reunited their with their conductor after he fled Nazi-occupied territory. There is such a plethora of good theatre from around the world—my friends’ fabulous Off Broadway production of REANIMATOR had a very successful run at the festival a few years back.

The Southeastern Theatre Conference
This conference is especially geared towards thespians in the following ten states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. J. Steven White, the Company Manager from Stella Adler Conservatory here in New York said, “Thank you again for a great conference. It is the most vital and the best-organized event we attend during the year. Both September and March are so helpful to us in terms of knowing the talent outside of New York. We all have a tendency here in Manhattan to be isolated. SETC is rich with talent and energy. I am so glad we went and will continue to go.” The 66th Annual Convention will be held soon—in March—in the historic city of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Harare International Festival of the Arts
Or HIFA, takes place in Zimbabwe’s capital city in late April or early May, and highlights the following five disciplines: theatre, music, dance, fine arts and poetry. Luckily, the festival is funded through private donations—since 2008, the Zimbabwean dollar is worth about two grains of sand minus one grain of sand. Literally, I’ve seen people wheelbarrow a massive pile of the currency to buy a small container of milk. The art featured there, however, cannot be quantified and the stories from rural southern Africa that need to be told are inestimable in cultural value.

Florida Theatre Conference Festival
This annual festival lasts three and a half days and features high school, children’s theatre, and community theatre troupes. More than 50 workshops are offered, including those in the disciplines of singing, acting, pantomime, dance, stage combat, directing, play writing, and all technical areas of theatre. The conference is actually a mash-up of three distinct play festivals. Events are mostly held on the campus of Sante Fe College in Gainesville. The festival provides the opportunity to audition for over 30 regional college theatre programs.

International Festival of Children’s Theatre
The Subotica International Festival of Children’s Theatre is the world’s largest single event strictly dedicated to youth theatre and held annually in Serbia. And, I’ve been looking for an excuse to revisit Serbia after a quick stint in Belgrade this summer. Beautiful country! Both dramatic and puppet-focused productions are judged by a five member panel of international judges. What I love most about this festival is that it actually features and addresses street theatre. Excellent!

National Arts Festival, Grahamstown
I saved the best for last! Most of you know that I lived on and off in South Africa for a few years and by far, the most important theatre festival there is located in the redundantly named town of Grahamstown. Held this year from July 2 – 12, festival productions fall into one of three categories: main stage, fringe or arena. The festival is held in South Africa’s winter, so if you plan a visit, bring layers. Do not pack like you are going to the Sahara! In addition to all of the theatre offerings, there is an amazing crafts fair. Flights run regularly during the festival days from Jo’burg or Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, the closest major airport. I highly recommend it.