Though the NCTC Play Festival is somewhat competitive, our goals are to showcase theatre programs and give students a nurturing environment to improve their work. The Festival platform also allows teachers to fulfill the NC Essential Standards for Theatre Arts, through an exciting, hands-on learning experience.

In the Play Festival rehearsal process, students use movement, voice, and writing to communicate ideas and feelings (B.C.1). Students are taught to understand how to design technical theatre components, such as costumes, sets, props, makeup, lighting, and sound, when they design and construct the production design elements for their Festival show (B.AE.1). At the NCTC Festival, students use performance to communicate ideas and feelings (I.C.2).

By watching performances from other schools, students develop critical thinking skills and learn to understand the traditions, roles, and conventions of theatre as an art form (I.CU.2).  At the Festival, young artists analyze theatre in terms of the social, historical, and cultural contexts in which it was created (P.CU.1).

In addition to these essential lessons, students receive valuable feedback from industry experts which helps to improve the quality of theatre programs in schools across the state and encourages students to strive for excellence.