Phase two of the BACKstage Technical Theatre Pilot Exam has begun! High schools that are part of the BACKstage pilot will be administering the second phase of the pilot April 26 through June 30, 2021. 

During phase one of the BACKstage exam, 84 schools with a total of 2,272 students registered. Data on responses to individual test questions as well as overall results offered insight into which questions needed to be rewritten or eliminated. Other aspects of the pilot that needed fine tuning have also been addressed and version two of the exam is ready for another round of testing. The goal of the pilot is to test the appropriateness of the exam’s content for most high school programs.

USITT, the recognized expert in the field of technical theatre, developed the exam as part the organization’s eSET program (Essential Skills for Entertainment Technicians.) Their partnership with EdTA on BACKstage Exam Pilot is intended to further both organizations’ desire to gain greater recognition and understanding of technical theatre as a viable Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway for students with an interest in the profession. 

Mean    Median    Mode    Min    Max
50.67%    51.00%    52%    14%    95%

The BACKstage exam is a school year initiative partnership of Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) and USITT.

Learn more about Phase One and the origin of the BACKstage Exam.

A special thanks to the sponsors of the BACKstage Technical Theatre Pilot Exam: