Critic's Competition

About the Competition

Students entered in the Critic's Competition write reviews of the Festival productions that will then be "published" at the Festival. In a series of intensive workshops held each day of the Festival, student critics will have the chance to look at everyone's reviews and discuss strategies for improvement. The workshops also discuss other forms of arts writing, the professional life of the critic, issues in film and television criticism, and strategies for finding employment in this competitive field. 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 at the hotel or registration desk by 7pm that evening. Evening shows must be filed by 9am the following morning.

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 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.

Entry Procedure

There is no entry fee, but entry is limited to the first EIGHTEEN students who register.

To enter: When the time moves closer to Festival XXXIX the announcement will be made that entrants will be accepted. At that time please send an E-mail containing your name, street address, E-mail address, major, class rank (sophomore, graduate student etc.), and educational institution, announcing your intention to be part of the KCACTF 2005 critics competition. Students must also ask one of their faculty members to provide a brief reference (an E-mail is preferred).

Before committing to this Competition, entrants should note and agree that they are required to attend ALL of the daily workshops (beginning on Thursday morning). They must also agree to review at least THREE of the productions. And they must bring with them, to the festival, some means of writing these reviews on deadline (a typewriter, laptop computer with printer, word processor etc. If this presents a problem, let us know IN ADVANCE and we will try to help).

Answers to other Questions may be found on the Regional FAQ. Should that fail, feel free to contact Chris Jones either via email or that quaint form of communication, the United States Postal Service.

Chris Jones
Chicago Tribune
435 N. Michigan Ave
Chicago, 60611
312 222 3527

Questions about the competition will be answered through either means of communication.