Bunce Hall, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
RULES AND INFORMATION
Garden State Theatre Fest 2005, sponsored by the New Jersey Theatre League, is the first step for New Jersey Theatre Companies to compete in the world theatre community. Groups from all over the state are encouraged to participate. Winners then go on to compete with state winners from New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the District of Columbia in the Eastern States Theatre Association Regional Festival (ESTA/FEST) April 15 & 16, to be held in Dover, Delaware. The National Festival (AACTFest), sponsored by the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT), will be held in Kalamazoo, Michigan, June 14-18, 2005, where Regional Winners from all over the country will come together to celebrate excellence in theatre. AACT National Festival participating companies are typically invited to perform in an International venue. The Festival rules are created by AACT. You are encouraged to download and read the AACTFest Handbook at www.aact.org.
1. REGISTRATION
The 2005 Festival will be held Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 11th, 12th and 13th* at Bunce Hall, Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. *Depending on the number of entries, there may be tech-ins scheduled for Thursday and performances may begin on Friday. Every effort will be made to tech groups closest to the venue in the first slots available. Schedules and starting times will be announced to entrants and the public as soon as possible after January 25th. The Festival is open to the public, and we encourage you to bring audience from your Theatre Company to be part of the event! (See #4) The Holiday Inn Runnemede, located just 20 minutes from the venue, has set aside a block of rooms for our participants. Double Double Occupancy rooms are $88.00/night. You will need to contact the hotel individually to reserve and pay for your room, and your reservations must be made no later than March 1st, 2005. See the Superpass Form for hotel contact information.
Participation in the Festival is open to any amateur community theatre company that has been organized in New Jersey for at least one year prior to March 11th, 2005, has produced at least two shows, and is governed by a Board from their community. Proof of compliance with these rules must be provided in the form of programs for two previous shows and a copy of organizing documents showing the year of formation, to be enclosed with Registration. The theatre company must also be a member of the New Jersey Theatre League for 2004-2005.
All registrations, complete with a $45.00 entry fee (plus $45.00 for member dues if not already a member) must be received by January 25th, 2005. Cast and staff lists should be included with registration, but must be received no later than 2/1/05. Superpass and/or Individual Event Registrations must be purchased no later than 2/15/05. Save $10.00 by purchasing your Superpass before 2/10/05, and note that no Superpasses or individual event tickets may be purchased after 2/21/05. See the Registration Form in this package for complete registration information and the Superpass Form in this package for event information.
All participating Theatre Companies must be a member of AACT (American Association of Community Theatre) for the current season. (Join AACT by visiting their website, www.aact.org and completing the application.)
As NJTL has purchased an insurance policy to cover this event, entrants are not required to submit a separate Certificate of Insurance from their insurance carrier.
2. ENTRIES
Any theatrical presentation, within the specified limits, may be offered. Productions entered may be a cutting of a full-length play or musical, a one act play, or any other performance of a theatrical nature, including children's shows. Entries may also be original works.
Companies who have competed in the past may not send the same production from any previous Festival.
There will be a ten minute set up and a ten minute break down limit per show, with a maximum of sixty minutes playing time. An appointed Festival timekeeper will record all times. Any production that exceeds the time limit will be disqualified from proceeding in the Festival cycle. (When estimating your playing time, remember to include audience response time!!!!!)
Royalties MUST be paid by each participating Company directly to the appropriate leasing agent. Permission from the playwright/agent to stage a cutting of a longer work is the responsibility of the Theatre Company. Note that any cutting permission must specify the permitted cutting. Be aware that the standard cutting permission provides the right to cut full scenes only. If you are planning to make line cuts or cuts other than full scenes, your cutting permission must state this in full. Proof of royalty payment and cutting permission must be submitted in writing to the Festival Chairperson no later than 1/25/05. Note: It is advisable to obtain rights for all legs of the Festival at the same time. Should your entry not proceed, publishing companies are typically quite good about refunding or crediting royalties.
IMPORTANT: Use of incidental music carries a responsibility by the Theatre Company. If the music you intend to use is not in the public domain, your Company MUST procure the rights to the music. Proof of permission to use incidental music must be submitted in writing to the Festival Chairperson no later than 1/21/05. This may take several weeks to accomplish. We've enclosed information for you in this package. Lack of written permission will mean that the music cannot be used in performance at the Festival.
Each participant must submit 3 copies of their script no later than 1/25/05 for the use of the judges. PLEASE NOTE: These may not be xeroxed copies, but must be in published script form (except in the case of original works not yet listed with an agent). If submitting a cutting, the FULL script must be submitted with the cuts written into the script.
3. DIRECTORS/ACTORS
Directors may be either non-professional or professional, as may be other production staff personnel, as long as duties connected with this production are considered part of their normal Theatre Company duties for which they receive regular compensation and not special compensation for work on the Festival entry.
Actors who are or will be active members of Actors Equity at any time during the AACT Festival cycle (from March 11th through June 18th, 2005) are not permitted to perform. Persons who receive more than 25% of a living wage as income from work as an actor in live performances for the year preceding the first day of the Festival (March 11, 2005) are not permitted to perform.
4. ADMISSION
Admission to the Festival will be $10.00 per performance session for each audience member; all cast and crew members must purchase performance session tickets. Theatre Companies may, if they choose to, pay $10.00 at the door for their cast, crew and any audience the day of the Festival at the box office; you may purchase a Superpass, which will grant you admission to all shows and all Festival related activities. Please note: THE ONLY TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE FESTIVAL WILL BE FOR PERFORMANCE SESSIONS. ALL EVENT TICKETS, INCLUDING SUPERPASS TICKETS, AFTER GLOW PARTY TICKET(S) AND LUNCHEON TICKETS ABSOLUTELY MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE. Please be sure that all of your attendees are aware of this rule. There will be no exceptions!
Performance Session tickets may be purchased by your audience participants via our website at www.njtl.net.
No one will be admitted to the auditorium while any play is in progress. If a personal emergency occurs that requires you to leave the theatre during a performance, you will not be permitted to re-enter. Please be sure that everyone involved in your production is aware of this rule, including any audience you may encourage to come! If you have audience members who are coming to the Festival specifically to see your show, please bear in mind that all performance times that are scheduled are approximate. No exceptions will be made to the theatre admission rule.
5. TECHNICAL RULES
The order of performances and estimated set-up/curtain times for the participants will be established by the Festival Committee following the registration deadline and will be communicated as soon as possible to the participating Directors and Theatre Companies. Every effort will be made to schedule performance times based on the running time of each production; however, please bear in mind that if the production just previous to yours ends earlier than reflected in the schedule, your production will begin it's set up within 10 minutes of the previous show ending.
There is no maximum crew size. Cast members may also double as crew; however crew size should be limited to promote the greatest efficiency. (Note: All crew and cast must pay the admission fee, with the exception of the director for whom a ticket is included in the registration fee.)
Participants should presume that they are to supply all of their needs. The sharing of properties, etc. may be arranged, but should not be counted on.
Lights, sound, cycloramas, furniture, etc. which the auditorium has available will be handled by the conditions outlined by the theatre staff. (Technical Information Sheets will be sent upon Registration, and must be returned by the due date stated therein.)
Any special production equipment may be set up prior to the Festival provided if it is agreeable to the participating directors and is authorized by the Festival Chairperson. Additional expense, if any, will be the responsibility of the company involved.
The rules and laws governing the use of weapons, pyrotechnics and special effects vary greatly from location to location. Do not assume that because it is allowed in your home venue that it can be used in others. Even things as innocuous as cigarettes and candles may present a problem. Weapons can be especially problematic, with real guns (even if not fired) often presenting special difficulties. Please note that venue rules will apply to the use of candles, firearms and weapons and permission must be granted in advance. Since the venue rules may be different in every leg of the cycle, it is especially important to share your special needs with the State Festival Chairperson, so that the venue rules at the Regional and State levels can be checked in advance.
It will be the responsibility of the Festival Chairperson to see that no unfair advantage is taken in the event that a participant enters on his home stage.
Appropriate, private, on-stage technical time ("tech time") will be scheduled for each participant prior to the Company's performance slot. Arrangements will be made to "load in" scenery and set pieces, either as part of your Company's tech time or at another pre-scheduled time. Your tech time will not be less than 80 minutes. Tech times will be communicated to each Company upon acceptance of each Company's Registration. During tech time each participant will set their lighting and sound cues with the Festival Technical Director and Stage Manager and technical staff from Rowan University, spike the stage for set pieces, store properties backstage in a designated area, and become familiar with the playing area. While this time is not intended for a full rehearsal, the allocated time should be used by the cast and crew to their best advantage. Only the cast, crew and director for each show, along with Festival & Rowan Staff as determined by the Festival Chairperson will be allowed in the auditorium during each Company's Tech Time.
6. ADJUDICATION
Each entry shall be judged by recognized judges selected by the Festival Committee. Participating directors will be informed of the judging and critique procedures in detail prior to the start of the Festival by the Judge's Secretary.
Judging will not be prejudiced by subject matter. Only dramatic/theatrical value and presentation will be considered.
A verbal critique will be given from the stage following each production. The critiques will be of value as a learning experience for both participants and the audience. Private critiques may be given to participants following the award ceremony, time permitting. There are no numerical scores. Judges critiques may be videotaped by the Theatre Company. It is suggested that the director (or someone designated by the director) take notes from the adjudications and use appropriate critiques to further polish the show prior to moving on in the festival cycle. Under no circumstances may a Theatre Company tape the presentation of their entry.
Plays are to be judged on the overall production, the major elements of which are acting and directing.
The best show is the one which most fully realizes the intention of the playwright.
Among the criteria that will be considered by the adjudicators are:
- Is the acting believable?
- Is the acting technically skillful?
- Are the characters well interpreted?
- Does the company display ensemble work?
- Is the material appropriate for the company?
- Is the concept appropriate for the material?
- How well is the concept realized by the company?
- Do the actors display effective timing?
- How well has the structure of the play been controlled?
- How effective are movement and stage pictures?
- Is the play well paced?
- Do the technical elements support the overall production?
- How was the total impact?
Please see the enclosed summary from the NJTL Workshop "How to Win at Competition", entitled "Criterion of the Judges".
7. AWARDS
The New Jersey Winner will receive a cash prize, a plaque, and the entry fee to the Eastern States Theatre Association Region II Festival.
The Runner-Up will receive a cash prize and a plaque. If there are six or more entries in the Festival, the Third Place winner will also receive a cash prize and a plaque.
Certificates of Individual recognition may be awarded at the discretion of the judges in the areas of Superior Acting, Directing Excellence, and Outstanding Stagecraft. Judges may also give discretionary awards of their individual or collective choosing.
8. VIOLATIONS
At the discretion of the Festival Committee, the violation of any Rule shall disqualify the participating production from all Awards, although the production may be allowed to perform. Questions or disputes shall be referred to the Festival Chairperson for settlement, with decisions final and binding. The National Festival Commissioner, appointed by AACT, will be consulted for rulings as appropriate.
9. WITHDRAWAL
Formal notification of withdrawal from the Festival must be submitted to the Festival Chairperson no later than 14 days prior to the Festival. Please note that Membership Dues and Registration Fees are non-refundable.
CRITERION OF ADJUDICATORS
These notes are largely based on the Workshop presented by NJTL "How to Win at Competition". The criteria here is what most trained adjudicators look for in the shows they judge for competition, though it makes sense to use these as a sort of yardstick for the "polishing" of any show in the last weeks of rehearsal. This list comprises the basic "production values" of a given show.
1) Blocking �
Does the movement make sense in the world of the play? Does it lend itself to communication between the actors and between the actors and the audience? Does it serve the needs of the play? Are the entrances and exits effectively and dramatically achieved?
2) Use of the stage �
Is the stage used effectively? Does the staging lend itself to the dramatic elements of the script?
3) Characterization �
Are the actors comfortable in the skins of the characters? Do you get a strong sense of who they are? Do they understand the play and their place in it? Is the narrative clear, i.e. do the actors understand the words of the playwright and convey their mood and texture to the audience? Do the actors build upon each other, listen to each other and work toward dramatic tension and conflict? Do they sustain their characters throughout?
4) Pacing and Flow �
Is the pacing of the play comfortable for the actors? Does the pacing add to the drama or the comedy of a given moment? Does it work together with the other elements to contribute to the continuity of the world of the play?
5) Acting Fundamentals �
Could you hear and understand the words the actors said? Is the energy they bring to their characters consistent and believable?
6) Technical �
Does the lighting lend itself to the dramatic needs of the play? Does the sound lend itself to the dramatic needs of the play? Costumes? Is there enough attention to detail in these elements? Do they contribute to the action?
7) Overall �
Was the genre of the play was understood by the director and the actors? Did the play as presented achieve the intention of the playwright?