More than two hundred Thespians showcase their talents in the National Individual Events Showcase (NIES) program each year. Six performance categories (monologue, duet acting, solo/duet/group musical theatre, and mime) and seven technical categories (costume design, publicity, scenic design, stage management, costume construction, lighting design, and short film) are featured.

For Festival delegates whose troupes do not bring a show to Festival, NIES auditions offer the opportunity to receive constructive feedback on prepared performances and technical designs. The goal for participating students is to find their talent, learn about strengths and weaknesses, and grow as theatre artists.

Participants from up to twelve selected performance events will perform their pieces on the Festival main stage. Three participants from technical events will have their designs prominently displayed in the Lied Center lobby.

All students who participate in the first round of the NIES auditions in monologue, solo musical, costume design, or scenic design are eligible to enter the Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS) program at the intermediate level of judging in those areas. For information on eligibility requirements, visit www.ARTSawards.org.

NIES audition participants are required to comply with the law in the use of copyrighted material—monologues and scenes from published plays. Since EdTA now provides judges at the Showcase, permission is no longer required for musical pieces. Each NIES audition entrant is required to provide, at the time of registration, proof of permission to perform any copyrighted material used in the performance. (The PDF of the IE rights application and permission form can be downloaded below.)

It is the responsibility of the NIES audition participant or his or her school to contact the publisher or licensing agent of the copyrighted material and to request permission to perform the piece. Request permission early to avoid missing the deadline.

More information about copyright and public domain

NIES critique form for monologue
NIES critique form for duet acting
NIES critique form for solo musical
NIES critique form for duet musical
NIES critique form for group musical
NIES critique form for mime
NIES critique form for publicity design
NIES critique form for scenic design
NIES critique form for costume construction
NIES critique form for costume design
NIES critique form for stage management
NIES critique form for short film
NIES critique form for lighting design

NIES new event recommendation form
NIES rule change recommendation form