The California Educational Theatre Association (CETA) is the leading voice for theatre education in the Golden State. We support a vibrant statewide community of educators, artists, and advocates through high-quality professional development, standard-aligned classroom resources, and premier student festivals. Dedicated to equity and excellence, CETA champions state policies and funding that protect the arts, ensuring every California student has access to a transformative, credentialed theatre education.

United for theatre. Dedicated to education.

Charlotte Motter, Founder
CETA

Ralph Freud, Founder
CETA-South (SCETA)

Al Muller, Founder
CETA- North (NCETA)

WE ARE CETA!

Since 1945, the California Educational Theatre Association (CETA) has been a strong force in shaping quality theatre education. CETA’s visionary approach to meeting challenges has made it a nationally recognized organization. CETA supports and represents theatre educators throughout the state with its innovative programs and activities for theatre teachers, artists, and students.

CETA boasts an insightful and dedicated Board of Directors made up of teachers and theatre professionals. Under the direction of its leadership, CETA sponsors exemplary programs, including:

High school and middle school theatre festivals
Stand Up 4 Arts Day at the state capitol in Sacramento (SU4AE-CA Youth In Theatre Day.)
The state’s premier theatre educator conference in October

Our strong political advocacy includes the award winning CETA Position Paper. This concise, full color document puts research data and theatre program guidelines at your finger tips.

We encourage you to take advantage of all that CETA offers. Our website is currently under renovation, but please have a look around and familiarize yourself with our news and information. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or the appropriate board member listed on the board member page. We look forward to working with you to create a bright future for theatre education in California.

CETA Organizational History

The Southern California Educational Theatre Association (SCETA) forms. Ralph Freud (UCLA) serves as first president. College/university faculty lead the organization during its first two decades, establishing educator conferences as a central priority.

Formation of SCETA

1945

Charlotte Motter’s Address to the State Board: Before CETA was officially founded, Charlotte Motter presented a landmark case to the California State Board of Education advocating for Theatre to be recognized as a distinct academic major and subject area in public schools.

Unification into Statewide CETA

1966

In 1970, California lost the Theatre and Dance single-subject credentials. The root of this was the 1961 Fisher Act and subsequent 1970 Ryan Act, which overhauled California's licensing system and reclassified Theatre under English and Dance under Physical Education.

Loss of Theatre & Dance Credentials

1970

Founded over 50 years ago, the CETA High School Theatre Festival established an annual gathering for Southern California students to view top-achieving mainstage productions, perform evaluated scenes, and participate in professional skill-building workshops.

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1st CETA High School Theatre Festival

1972-1972

To elevate the profession, CETA instituted statewide teacher awards (including the Medallion Award and Hall of Fame), creating an annual tradition of honoring pioneer theatre directors across Northern and Southern California.

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Establishment of CETA Educator Awards

1980

The HSTF expanded its geographic footprint by dividing Southern California into four distinct regions (Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and San San Diego Counties), creating regional adjudications that feed into the main festival weekend.

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CETA High School Festival Expansion

1989

Carol Hovey and regional educators establish CETA North, launching the Northern California Festival and expanding statewide conference options. SCETA and NCETA operate as regional entities under CETA. Alongside Carol Hovey, Al Muller was instrumental in founding CETA North (NCETA) in 1992.

Creation of CETA North

1992

California Youth in Theatre (CYIT) Day Established

1998

CETA leaders actively collaborated with the California Department of Education to draft and adopt the official Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards and Framework, establishing clear academic rigor for theatre in K–12 schools.

California VAPA Content Standards Written

2001

Carolyn Elder establishes the Middle Stage Fest in the Sacramento area, serving middle school students statewide through workshops and performance adjudications.

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Middle Stage Fest Founded

2002

CETA's position paper on California theatre education wins the Lin Wright Award from AATE. Under President James Bailey, SCETA and NCETA dissolve separate affiliated statuses to form a single, streamlined statewide organization: CETA.

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Passage & Implementation of Proposition 28

2007

Following the state's rollout of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), CETA provided resources and guidance to help educators advocate for theatre programs directly in their districts' Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs).

Present Prop 28 Advocacy & Oversight

2014

CETA partners with statewide associations for Dance (CADA), Music (CMEA), and Visual Art (CAEA) to establish the California Arts Education Coalition (4Arts).

4Arts Org Coalition Formed

2015

Nov 2015: Joint Commission on the Arts hearing in Beverly Hills inspires Senator Ben Allen to champion credential legislation.

Feb 2016: SB 916 (Theatre and Dance Act) is introduced.

Apr 2016: California Teachers Association (CTA) formally endorses the bill.

Sep 2016: Governor Jerry Brown signs SB 916 into law, ending the 46-year credential gap.

For detailed information about the CA Theatre and Dance Credential Please see out Credential History Page

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The TADA! Act (SB 916) Legislative Journey

2015-2016

CETA board members joined statewide professional development to assist theatre educators in implementing the updated 2019 California Arts Standards for Public Schools, aligning state instruction with National Core Arts Standards.

Revised Arts Standards

2019

Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) finalizes subject matter requirements, enabling California universities to offer single-subject credential programs in Theatre and Dance. The first candidates receive single-subject Theatre credentials in 2022 from Cal State East Bay.

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Implementation & First Credentialed Graduates

2021-2022

CETA actively supports the passage of Prop 28 (Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act), securing ongoing annual state funding specifically dedicated to visual and performing arts education.

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AATE Award & Full Organizational Unification

2022-2033

Following the passage of Proposition 28, CETA launched advocacy resources and linked support toolkits to help educators and districts ensure the historic funding is used to expand theatre programs and hire credentialed arts teachers across California.

Recently CETA was part of the team that helped craft AB 2440 a clean up bill to Prop 28.to clean up the langua Approved by Governor September 27, 2026

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Local Control Funding Formula / LCFF

2023-Present

CETA Medallion Royalty: Carol Hovey, Carolyn Elder, Arelene Hood, Krista Carson Elhai, Gai Jones, Amanda Swann, James Thomas Bailey

California Senator Ben Allen, Leaders from the California Educational Theatre Association, California Dance Educators Association, and CreateCa celebrate TADA! the Theatre and Dance Act!