Dear Festival Playhouse Aficionado,
It’s week seven. Ooooooofdah!! It sure feels like it! If you are like most students right now, you’re feeling stretched thin, stressed, a bit disoriented, and having a challenging time to just FOCUS. I get it.
While there is a LOT to read below on ACTF, this is a pretty short newsletter, so, onto the news:
- THANK YOU to EVERYONE who was part of the Kokoro production team – three SIP’s were part of this project (fantastic!) – and, I’m so proud of your great work. Thank you.
- Our devised theatre production, called K, has been in tech this week. So, a shout out and huge thank you to all of the team working on THAT show (and some students worked on BOTH) productions.
- As a department, we will not be participating in ACTF this year. Previously I have sent out ACTF information for playwrights, and below, there is information for Design, Technology, and Management (DTM) students. To repeat we will NOT be participating in ACTF this year as a department; however, if you as a student have interest in one of these areas (again, you can read below), you may reach out to me if you have any questions.
- I was hesitant to include this link (I didn’t want it to appear to be self-promoting in any way), and, given the place where our industry is at, I thought it might be interesting for students to see a trailer for a project I worked on a couple of weeks ago. It’s with the marvelous Dwandra Lampkin, who is absolutely brilliant. The Conviction of Lady Lorraine: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jO5dux3JK9zb0oJwpd3H1J6ny41LtIMp/view?usp=sharing
Me too. Hang in there, and if there is something I can do for you, let me know.
Have a great weekend.
Lanny
KCACTF Region III — DTM 2020
To support all of the ways we have engaged with our art form this past year we are providing as many opportunities for DTM students as possible. Students can register for many of the same categories as in past years and the EXPO will be a public website and response sessions will be zoom webinars.
Because so many shows have been cancelled or produced in alternative formats with altered design elements we are being as open and encouraging as possible for all solutions. No matter how your design, technology and management projects were produced they will be eligible for regional and national awards. When registering you will choose one of the following:
- Fully produced and performed
- Fully designed but canceled
- Fully designed production then adapted for COVID
- Realized production designed for COVID
- Unrealized production
- Other: Please explain:______________
Regional Design Projects — These are not a separate category this year. However, the respondents will be prepared to respond to the selection of shows chosen for the design projects. These plays are listed on the website (note the different tabs for different years).
Registration Deadline: November 30
Presentation Upload Deadline: December 20
Design Expo
Each student will upload a presentation of their work:
- Maximum 16 Pages
- Maximum size and resolution is 18 x 24 inches, 300 dpi, 20MB
- 16:9 aspect ratio PowerPoint/Google Slides/Keynote is recommended as most your audience will be virtual.
- You may create this in any software. However, it must be submitted as a PDF. In PowerPoint and Keynote you can export as PDF. In Google Slides/Docs it is File->Download->PDF Document.
- You may want to zoom in and show specific elements of your drafting in addition to full lighting plots,ground plans, speaker plots etc..
- Audio & Video Submissions
- Audio & video will not embed in the PDF.
- Students with Audio or Video files will be given access to the presentation web site.
- You may upload 1 video up to 1 minute in length.
- You may upload up to 6 sound files each no longer than 1 minute 30 seconds.
- Do not include the name of your school on any of your pages and try to remove as much as you can from your embedded images.
- Stage Managers:
- For the call script and blocking notation please include 3-4 pages as a single PDF. Choose pages that show off your strongest work.
- A letter of intent (AKA Cover Letter) including: your name, event/play/piece title with playwright’s name, a brief statement of your view of the “stage manager’s approach” that includes the following information: a brief statement about how you approach stage management, why you wish to participate in the regional festival, and your future goals as a stage manager.
Presentation Schedule: The initial schedule will be done by January 5th. Each student will get a 5 minute time slot and then there will be a final presentation round where each student gets a 10 minute response session. In the first round students should keep their presentation to 1 minute, in the second round they may prepare a 2 minute presentation. AV materials will be shared by DTM staff from the presentation materials previously submitted. Students will not need to share their screen or playback media samples.
2020 Categories:
- Design:
- Costume
- Lighting
- Scenic
- Sound
- Projection *regional award only
- Allied Design & Technology:
- Any design, technical, engineering, management presentation that doesn’t fit in the design categories above.
- *Projection design is eligible for national allied awards.
- Stage Management
Design Storm
Design Storm continues this year. As with previous years you will be engaged in collaborative designing a production from our list of regional plays in a limited amount of time. Registration is due by November 30. Teams will start work on January 6 and present January 9.
Directors, Dramaturgs and Designers are encouraged to participate.
This years plays are:
- The Imaginary Invalid
by Moliere - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
music and lyrics by William Finn, and book by Rachel Sheinkin - A Doll’s House
by Henrik Ibsen - The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
by Stephen Guirgis - Water by the Spoonful
by Quiara Alegria Hudes - Necessary Targets
by Eve Ensler - Dracula
adapted by William McNulty
Tech Olympics
Tech olympics returns as an online trivia game show! Stay tuned for additional details!