NATIONAL DEAF HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE FESTIVAL
Virtual Festival: January 30 - March 10, 2023
In-Person Festival: March 16-19, 2023
at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Salt Lake City, UT
The National Deaf High School Theatre Festival is hybrid-virtual and in-person educational theatrical competition for young Deaf actors across the United States, produced with support from Deaf West Theatre and the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (USDB).
The NDHSTF gives young Deaf performers the ability to perform on a national stage, refine their skills through competition and feedback, use American Sign Language (ASL) as their medium for acting, experience professional theatre in an accessible language, and socialize with like-minded Deaf peers.
Building on the work started by USDB and Sunshine 2.0 in 2020, the 2022 festival partnered with the Tony Award® winning Deaf West Theatre to create a truly rich and unique experience for over 100 participating students from across the country. In addition, artists and educators presented workshops, bringing real-world training to the table. Previous instructors have included Sundance and SAG Award-winner Daniel Durant (CODA), Natasha Ofili (“The Politician”), DJ Kurs (Deaf West Theatre), comedian Harold Foxx, and members of the performing troupe Sunshine 2.0 of NTID.
The in-person festival will be held March 16-19, 2023 in Salt Lake City, with the final community performance being live-streamed to a national audience on Stellar. The virtual festival will be held January 30 through March 10. The deadline to register for both is January 20, 2023. For more information, to submit for consideration, and for complete Festival rules and guidelines, please visit DeafWest.org/Festival.
Teaching Artists for the 2023 festival will include renowned artists from the Deaf community including Jonaz McMillan, who also serves as this year’s Festival Programmer and Coordinator, Storm Smith, Renca Dunn, and Sunshine 2.0 from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.