Designers and Technicians

Updated October 5, 2009

Stage Management Competition

Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Stage Management Award

The purpose of the KCACTF Stage Management Award is to provide student stage managers with feedback from professionals working in the field; to give outstanding student stage managers national recognition; and to provide the opportunity for student managers to attend the national festival at the Kennedy Center.

This is a National-eligible award, meaning that one stage manager will be selected at the regional festival to attend the National Festival in Washington DC.

Participation

To participate, any interested student who has stage managed an associate or participating entry must:

Submit the following to the Region III Co-Vice Chair for Design and Technology.

A letter of intent, written solely by the student, including: a short commentary of the stage manager's "approach statement", a brief statement about why the student believes he/she may gain a positive experience by participating in the regional festival and his/her intention to practice stage management in the future.
A 1-page résumé.
A letter of support from the entered production's director or, if the director is unavailable, the student's closest stage management faculty/staff mentor outlining the student's strengths, weaknesses and an overview of the student's performance on the entered production.

These materials must be sent by mail, fax, or email by November 16, 2009 to the Region III Co-Vice Chair for Design and Technology.

Kathleen Donnelly
Co-Vice Chair Design & Technology
Regional Officers

At the Festival

After completing the steps above, the stage manager will need to prepare for the regional festival.

The Expo Display

Each stage manager will be given a display space in the Design Exposition in which they must display the PROMPT BOOK from their production.

The prompt script should be the genuine book(s) the student used during the actual production. It should not be beautified or improved after closing night. The prompt script is not required to include ALL of the production’s paperwork; these should include, but are not limited to:

The "Blocking Script" and the "Calling Script", as one or more books, with blocking and cue-calling notation.
Rehearsal and performance notes, as presented to the production/design team.
Schedules, including rehearsals, tech rehearsals, etc.
Pre-show/post-show checklists, shift schedules, French scenes, etc.
Forms, emails, communications, schedules, lists and plots.

All of the above materials should be the bona fide working versions, created during the actual production process.

Prompt scripts will be on display as part of the regional "Design Expo". Stage managers are welcome, but not required, to include a simple display along with their prompt script(s), which may present examples of paperwork, unique stage management techniques, production photos (in order to convey the production values and scope of the production), examples of personalized notations, etc. The stage management prompt script display is intended to provide less experienced stage managers and others the opportunity to examine and learn from the prompt scripts. The display itself is not part of the criteria the stage management respondent considers in selecting a Fellowship candidate, though the prompt book is.

Materials should NOT include personal cast/crew contact information. Such information may be expunged.

Festival Stage Management

In addition to the prompt book display, each Stage Manager will be assigned a festival event (10-minute plays, Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions, Summer Stock Auditions, Faculty Acting Showcase, etc.) to manage. The student stage manager’s performance on this project will be part of the criteria for Fellowship selection. Shortly after the Region III Selection Committee Meeting the first weekend in December, you will be notified of your assignment.

Selection

At the regional festival, a guest professional (or professionals) will respond one-on-one to the work of all national-eligible stage management nominees who are present at their regional festival, in a public forum. One stage management winner from the region (national stage management finalist) will be selected. Selection will be based on the following:

Professionalism and completeness of the prompt script and other paperwork.
Effectiveness of coordinating and managing a festival event, based on the respondent’s feedback from the regional event coordinator.
Personal demeanor and communication skills, based on interpersonal communication during the response sessions.
Written material, submitted prior to the Regional Festival.

The stage management finalist will be announced at the regional festival. National stage management finalists will be invited to attend the national festival in Washington, D.C in April.

The National Festival

KCACTF will provide national finalists with travel, shared hotel accommodations and per diem for the period of national festival (normally Tuesday through Saturday). Attendance at the National Festival is not mandatory; however, the National KCACTF Stage Management Award will be determined by a student's work assignments, and participation in workshops and master classes, while at the national festival. Faculty mentors are not able to observe workshops or master classes held during the national festival week.

Note: Only bona fide students are eligible for nomination to this award. A bona fide student is: a)an undergraduate student who is registered for a minimum of six semester hours or nine quarter hours at the time of production; b) a graduate student who is enrolled for three semester or four quarter hours at the time of production; c) a continuing part-time student who is enrolled in a regular degree program at the time of production.

KCACTFRegion III