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Community theatre is a local, non-professional theatre group where members of a community produce plays and performances together, usually as volunteers. It differs from professional theatre in that participants are typically not paid, and it differs from school drama in that it is open to adults of all backgrounds. If you want to act, direct, build sets, or simply watch live theatre close to home, a community group is often the most accessible entry point. Franklin Players, based in Roosevelt Park, Johannesburg, is one example of this model.

How community theatre differs from professional and amateur theatre

The three terms overlap, but the distinctions matter when you are deciding where to spend your time.

The practical takeaway: community theatre prioritises access and involvement over credentials. You do not need a drama degree to walk into an audition.

Typical activities in a community theatre group

A group like Franklin Players, which describes itself as providing a platform for creative expression and community development through the arts, generally runs a cycle of activities across a year:

• Productions — full staged plays or shows, usually the main focus.
• Auditions — open calls where anyone can read for a role.
• Rehearsals — recurring evening or weekend sessions leading up to a run.
• Festivals — one-act play festivals or similar events, which the group's own keywords reference.
• Backstage and front-of-house roles — set building, costumes, lighting, sound, props, publicity, box office, and ushering.

The last category is the most underrated. If you are not ready to perform, these roles still put you inside the production and are usually the fastest way in.

How to find a community theatre group near you

1. Search by area plus the term. For example, "community theatre Roosevelt Park" or "community theatre Johannesburg" surfaces local groups directly.
2. Check the group's own site. Franklin Players' site (franklin.org.za) is the authoritative source for its current activities, auditions, and contact details.
3. Look at what they have actually staged. A group's past productions tell you more about its style and scale than any description.
4. Ask about the next open event. Auditions and festivals are the natural first contact points.

How to audition or volunteer with little or no experience

The steps below apply to most community groups; confirm specifics with the group you contact.

1. Find the audition notice. Groups publish these on their site or social channels. Note the date, venue, and whether you need to prepare anything.
2. Prepare the minimum. If a monologue or reading is requested, choose something short and rehearse it aloud. If nothing is specified, expect a cold read from the script.
3. Arrive early and sign in. You will usually be given a form with your contact details and any experience.
4. Read, take direction, and be yourself. Directors at this level are assessing whether you are reliable and receptive, not whether you are polished.
5. If you are not cast, ask about backstage roles. This is the standard route from spectator to participant.
6. For volunteering, state your practical skills. Carpentry, sewing, design, admin, and social media are all in demand.

What to expect: no payment for your time, a real time commitment during rehearsal periods, and a social group that depends on people showing up.

Costs, time commitment, and what to expect

• Costs: Community theatre is volunteer-based, so participation is generally not a paid service. Any membership fees, ticket prices, or production contributions are set by each group — check directly rather than assuming. Franklin Players' site does not publish pricing details, so contact the group for current information.
• Time: Rehearsals typically run over several weeks to a few months before a production, often on weekday evenings and weekends. Backstage work can be more flexible or more intense close to opening night.
• As an audience member: You get local, affordable live theatre and a direct connection to the people on stage. Ticket and booking details come from the group itself.

Why groups like Franklin Players matter

Franklin Players is a community theatre group based in Roosevelt Park, Johannesburg, providing a platform for creative expression and community development through the arts. That description captures the core function of the model: it gives local people a structured way to make theatre together, whether they are on stage, backstage, or in the audience. If you are in the area and curious, the group's site is the place to check for auditions, productions, and how to get involved.

Go directly to rte.ie in any browser to reach the official RTÉ homepage. That single address is the entry point to RTÉ's Irish and international news, its live TV and radio streams, and the broadcaster's other services. No account or app is required to browse the site; you only need a working internet connection and a browser.

Reaching the homepage

• Type rte.ie into the address bar and press Enter. The site resolves to RTÉ's main homepage.
• If you search instead, look for the result labeled RTÉ Ireland's National Television and Radio Broadcaster and confirm the domain reads rte.ie before clicking.
• Bookmark the page once you're there so you skip search results on future visits.

What the homepage gives you

The homepage is a hub rather than a single article. From it you can:

• Read breaking news — top Irish and world headlines are surfaced on the front page, with up-to-the-minute reports on breaking Irish stories and international news.
• Watch and listen — RTÉ's video and audio streams for Irish news stories are reachable from the site, so live and on-demand TV and radio content sit alongside the written coverage.
• Move into sections — navigation leads to areas such as News, Sport, Entertainment, and Player, letting you go straight to the coverage you want instead of scrolling the front page.

Confirming you're on the official site

Because news brands attract lookalike pages, check two things before trusting a page:

1. The domain is exactly rte.ie — not a variation with extra words, hyphens, or a different ending.
2. The page identifies itself as RTÉ, Ireland's national television and radio broadcaster.

If either check fails, go back and enter rte.ie directly rather than following the link.

Common snags

• Search ads and aggregators can appear above the real result. The domain check is what separates them.
• Live streams may sit behind the Player section rather than the front page, so if you don't see a stream immediately, navigate to Player.
• Regional redirects or consent prompts can appear on first visit; these don't change the underlying address, which should still read rte.ie.

Once you're on rte.ie, everything else — headlines, live streams, and section navigation — is one click away.

The Illinois Theatre Association (ITA) is a statewide nonprofit that advocates for theatre at every level in Illinois — youth, high school, college/university, community, and professional. It serves artists, educators, students, and audiences through divisions, festivals, awards, and resources. You can get involved by joining as a member, attending or registering for events like the Community Theatre Festival, participating in the Illinois High School Theatre Festival (IHSTF), or using its job board, auditions listings, and event calendars. ITA is an organization, not a venue or a single production, so "joining" means membership or participation rather than buying a ticket to one show.

What ITA Does

ITA describes its purpose as advocating for the values theatre brings to individuals across Illinois, and its mission as inspiring, engaging, challenging, nurturing, educating, and empowering artists and audiences to enhance the state's cultural landscape. In practice, that work shows up in a few concrete ways:

• Divisions organized by theatre type, so members find peers and programming that match their setting.
• Festivals and events, including the Illinois High School Theatre Festival and a Community Theatre Festival.
• Recognition, through Awards of Excellence and a list of past awardees.
• Information and connections, through news, articles, an event calendar, a job board, and auditions.

The Five Divisions and Who They Serve

ITA groups its work into divisions, each with its own calendar of events:

Each division has a dedicated calendar, so you can filter events to the part of the field you care about rather than scanning everything.

Key Programs and Events

Illinois High School Theatre Festival (IHSTF)

IHSTF is ITA's high school festival and has its own section of the site covering teachers, students, vendors and college exhibitors, the festival committee, advertising and sponsorships, important dates and deadlines, participation guidelines, festival history, and festival documents. If you're a high school teacher or student, this is the main entry point — start with the important dates and deadlines and the participation guidelines before anything else.

Community Theatre Festival

The 2026 Community Theatre Festival, themed "Come Together," is scheduled for 11/07/2026–11/08/2026 at Morton College's Jedlicka Performing Arts Center, 3801 S Central Ave, Cicero, IL 60804. Registration is available through the event listing. ITA frames the theme around community theatre as a gathering place — "where strangers become castmates, where castmates become friends and friends become family."

Awards, News, and eFollowspot

ITA runs Awards of Excellence with a published list of past awardees, maintains a news section and articles, and publishes eFollowspot, its newsletter. These are useful if you want to see who's active in Illinois theatre or follow what the organization is highlighting.

How to Join and What You Get

Membership is handled through the Join link in the site's main navigation. ITA doesn't publish pricing or eligibility details in the material available here, so check the Join page directly for current terms rather than assuming a cost or a free tier.

Based on what the site exposes, membership connects you to:

• Division-specific event calendars (Community, Youth, College & University, Professional, High School)
• The member-sponsored events and performance calendars
• The job board and auditions listings under Industry Opportunities
• Festival participation pathways, including IHSTF and the Community Theatre Festival
• News, articles, and eFollowspot

If you're unsure which division fits, pick the one matching where you actually work or perform — a community theatre actor belongs in Community Theatre, a high school director in High School Theatre.

Resources Worth Knowing About

Beyond membership, ITA's site offers several things you can use directly:

• Job Board — postings for theatre work in Illinois
• Auditions — audition notices
• Event calendars — a general ITA calendar plus five division calendars
• Performance Calendar — listings of member-sponsored events
• Festival Documents and Important Resources — practical materials for festival participants
• Board of Directors and Board Information — who governs the organization

ITA vs. a Theatre Venue

A common point of confusion: ITA is a statewide advocacy and membership organization. It is not a theatre building, a producing company, or a ticketing platform. When you see "ITA" attached to an event, it usually means ITA is organizing, sponsoring, or promoting it — as with the Community Theatre Festival at Morton College — not that ITA owns the venue. If you're looking for a specific show's tickets, go to that production or venue; if you're looking to join a statewide network, advocate for theatre, or plug into festivals and job listings, that's ITA.

Getting Started

1. Decide your role — student, teacher, community artist, college faculty, or professional.
2. Open the Join page and review current membership terms.
3. Check your division's calendar for the next event near you.
4. If you're in high school theatre, go straight to IHSTF's important dates and participation guidelines.
5. Browse the job board and auditions if you're looking for work or performance opportunities.