Critics, Dramaturges, & Scholars
Critic's Institute
The Institute for Theatre Journalism and Advocacy
Updated December 13, 2011
About the Competition
Students entered in the O'Neill Critics Institute (OCI) write reviews of three Region III Festival productions that will then be "published" for festival participants by being posted in a central festival site. Reviews must be written for an intelligent general readership (comparable to that of a major urban daily newspaper). The length of the review must be between 500 and 600 words. To simulate deadline pressures, afternoon shows must be filed by 7 p.m. that evening (site to be determined and to be announced at the first meeting). Reviews of evening shows must be filed by 9 a.m. the following morning. Any changes to this schedule will be announced at the organizational meeting.
Reviews will be judged for artistry, accuracy, insight and skill. The winners will receive a cash award and an expenses-paid trip to the national festival. The name and reviews of our region's winner will also be judged against the honorees from other regions. The national winner will receive an all-expenses paid workshop at the Eugene O'Neill Center in Waterford, CT, where he or she will work with established critics.
In a series of workshops held each day of the Festival, student critics will have the chance to look at each other's reviews and discuss strategies for improvement. Participants may have the opportunity to attend one pre-determined response session to one of the main stage productions.
The daily OCI meetings will be hosted by Critics Institute Regional Coordinator, Jane Purse-Wiedenhoeft who has been active in KCACTF as a Regional Irene Ryan Judge, a Ten-Minute Play reader and panelist, a reader for the inaugural Undergraduate Theatre Scholar Award, a workshop leader and a production respondent for the region. She is a professor of theatre at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and is a professional director and actor.
Saturday's session will feature a professional theatre critic discussing topics such as the professional life of the critic, issues in film and television criticism, other forms of arts writing, and strategies for finding employment in this competitive field.
Entry Procedure
There is no entry fee, but entry is limited to the first FOURTEEN students who register.
CRITICS INSTITUTE APPLICATION
Send an email to the O'Neill Critics Institute Chair with the information listed below. Entries are due by December 12, 2011, or until fourteen applicants are accepted—whichever comes first.
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 16, 2011.
To enter: Please send an e-mail containing your name, street address, cell (or other) phone number, e-mail address, major, class rank (sophomore, graduate student etc.), and educational institution, noting your intention to be part of the KCACTF 2012 critics competition.
In a student's application letter, the following paragraph must be included: "I agree to attend ALL of the OCI daily workshops (beginning on Thursday morning); to attend and review at least THREE of the festival's main stage productions, from among those designated by the OCI coordinator; and to attend one production response session, also as designated by the OCI coordinator. I understand that failure to do so will lead to my elimination from the O'Neill Critics Institute." The letter will be considered contractual. Students must also ask one of their faculty members to verify that they are at least part-time students, and to provide a brief reference (an e-mail is preferred). The e-mails should be sent to the O'Neill Critics Institute Coordinator.
The deadline for RECEIVING all applications is December 12, 2011; or when fourteen applicants have been accepted, whichever comes first.
University of Illinois will be asked to provide a computer lab with connected printers that will be available to you at least during business hours. However, that room may or may not be available to you at all hours. Thus, students must bring to the festival a laptop computer or other means of writing these reviews on deadline—a typewriter, word processor, etc. If this presents a problem, notify the OCI Regional Coordinator IN ADVANCE and an attempt will be made to assist you.
If you have any questions about these procedures, feel free to contact the O'Neill Critics Institute Chair by e-mail or phone.
