Productions submitted for evaluation must categorize as one of the following:

• A published musical, play, operetta or revue (either currently held by a licensing house or in the public domain) that is presented with the approval or permission of the original creators or their representatives.
• An original musical or play, which features an original script, music and/or lyrics, and is covered under a valid copyright that is presented with the approval or permission of the original creators or their representatives. Schools must communicate with Spotlight Education if they choose to produce a show of this nature to ensure Spotlight can provide all the resources needed. Productions of this nature must be performed in one of the following formats:
  • 90 minutes, no intermission
  • 2+ hours, one intermission
• An original theatrical compilation of musical/text material from other sources that is presented with the approval or permission of the original creators or their representatives. Excludes: show choir, choral or vocal jazz arrangement.
• Junior productions will be considered upon review of the length and difficulty of the material. Please contact Spotlight Education if you have any questions regarding show submission.

All of our evaluations (Pre-, Technical, and Performance) are conducted by our Spotlight evaluators. These evaluators are professional artists and educators with a strong theater background who have worked extensively in theater performance, technical theater, and or/educational theater. All evaluators are required to participate in an annual training, and those interacting directly with students complete a background check.

Spotlight  evaluators’ primary responsibilities and duties are:

• Attend mandatory pre-season evaluator orientation each year of evaluating services
• Be available to evaluate school productions (as per evaluator’s availability) and provide a written evaluation through the online form between 1-3 days after viewing production.
• Provide professional, detailed feedback when completing all evaluation forms with the intention to promote educational growth of individuals and high school programs.

Interested in serving as a Spotlight evaluator for the 2021-2022 season? Email us at [email protected].

Traditionally during a pre-evaluation, a Spotlight Education evaluator attends a final dress or technical rehearsal to engage with your students. In this way, the purpose of the pre-evaluation is to provide feedback prior to the opening of the production and give an informal congratulations to the students on their hard work. Spotlight Education now offers alternative options for the pre-evaluation. See options below:

• A Spotlight evaluator engages during the rehearsal process of a production to work with your students in an area of your choosing. Options could include: diversity coaching, intimacy coaching, fight choreography, vocal performance, video editing, etc.
• A Spotlight evaluator watches a technical or dress rehearsal for your production and provides verbal feedback following the run.
• Spotlight sends a teaching artist to lead a workshop for students in your theater program at any point throughout the school year in an area of your choosing.

The technical evaluation includes a visit by a technical evaluator to a tech or dress rehearsal. The purpose of this visit is for the evaluator to observe the work of student technicians, designers and managers as they are immersed in tech week. Technical evaluators provide helpful and encouraging observations that energize and empower the students as they move toward the run of the show.

The performance evaluation is designed to give your students and production team educational feedback on production execution. Three Spotlight-trained evaluators attend your production as audience members. Each show receives feedback in several categories, including ensemble and individual performance for movement and dance, vocal performance, and execution of the technical aspects of the production.