BOY! Lots o' college-like theatre stuff in the past few weeks. Did the ACTF state festival in Greensboro, NC and followed that up this weekend with KTA fest in Hazard, KY (insert your Bo, Luke, Coy or Vance joke here...) where I ran the SETC screening auditions. Saw some really good auditons (and I must brag- 3 of my four students made the cut, including one student who had the 11th highest score out of the 125 in-state auditionees! ) and some not so good, but all around it was a smoothly run, well attended festival.
SOOO- here's your latest question- Are things like SETC and ACTF really valuable for college theatre students or is it all a big waste o time?? Discuss....
13 points for the reference...and I want the ALBUM TITLE too!
Also, as my home PC has died, I will only be able to respond occasionally for the next few weeks. But don't give up on us, baby...we'll be back at full strength in no time!
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11 comments:
krokus, headhunter, 1983, eat the rich. Kid, what's a smyrna?
p.s. david soul, 1977.
I got my first job from the SETC...The Globe of the Great Southwest in Odessa, Texas. It was one of several offers I had. I don't know what the conference is like these days, but people used to get hired out of it in my day.
Yeah, $ I went to the first UPTAS and found it to be a nice audition- very professionally run. And being in Memphis every year, which is sorta centrally located in this region, is nice. But SETC just offers so much more (Workshops, theatre festivals, the new "Fringe Fest", cool keynote speakers,etc) And speaking of the elusive "Veiwpoints", none other than Anne Bogart herself will be the big Keynote speaker in Orlando. So all in all, I feel like SETC has the upper hand of the two...course I'm on the SETC auditions committee, so I guess I have to say that! (lol)
ANd Wretch, you got it! Bonus points too, for the the KID RED and David Soul references...boy I can't get on eby on you brotha!
Tim, before I forget:
I know you are a big 'ol Springsteen fan. He's being interviewed on Fresh Air on WUKY at 7:00PM (tonight (Tuesday, Nov.15). Didn't the anniversary edition of Born to Run come out today? You'd know that, right? I think the interview has something to do with that. Anyway, thought I'd let you know. I'll talk about the topic a little later.
In my humble opinion, the individual ACTF competition seemed to be a waste of time. The best thing for students at ACTF seemed to be the Grad School auditions. The "competition" seems poorly run which sucks the life out of individual auditionees. I remember that one year a joke won the top prize. No, literally. A well told joke. Called "The Joke." Pretty lame. I can't speak for the play competition, but the individual stuff was the stuff nightmares are made of. Especially for the poor judges. After seeing 6oo kids a day for 2 1/2 days, I'd want to cauterize my own rectum with a lighter and a butterknife.
Never been to SETC, so I can't talk about that. But I like the fact that SECT looks a lot like SCTV.
SETC->SCTV... More than you know.
JAL,
Yeah, the BORN TO RUN reissue was yesterday...I'll be saving my pennies for the next week to buy it! I heard some of the interview as well...Bruce can be quite humorous when he wants to.
As for ACTF , just a few things;
Yeah, the IRENE RYAN competition can be a bitch, and I've seen some real shit "win", but I've also seen some awesome acting come away with the top honors as well. As for the judges, they have different ones for each round. Even in the first round, they divide into about six rooms, and the most each judge has to sit through is 60 or so auditionees (still a lot, but not quite enough to cause a suicidal event...)There are also, especially in the past few years, so many other things. Design competition, critiques institute, 10 minute play events for college directors, stuff for dramaturgs, plays, workshops, etc...It ain;t your Father's ACTF anymore...with all that in mind, I find it pretty useful for students, even though some shite still slips through the cracks.
I was involved in Irene Ryan twice. First year, I was a semi finalist and the second year I was a finalist. The second year, the lone African-American judge told me that my pieces were great...but that he didn't feel that I pulled off being hispanic in my Jose Rivera duo piece. I didn't even think about trying to be hispanic because...well...I am clearly not...
perhaps the piece was out of my league
food for useless thought
At the time, I just felt that it was a great piece. But hell, I was a kid and even then I understood that it was subjective on the judges part. I thought the two fellas that won were great and was greatful that the girl who was doing Desdemona with a horrible affected British accent didn't place. The wonderful Wayne Lee Garr was my partner and he won best partner. They fed us fresh krispie kremes before the competition and I thought it was the best doughnut I had ever had...and I don't even like doughnuts
I don't know.....I feel a sense of pride from it. Is that valuble?? What about everybody who never placed? Do they hate competitive theatre? Should theatre ever be competitive? Isn't it always anyway? As much as we try to say we are judging or reviewing what we see with "open minds?"
Laurie, I agree...anyone who doesn't want to acknowledge the competitive nature of Theatre is blind, imho...
and the sense of pride is damned valuable, also imho...
..and $..congrats on the directors award...well deserved, my man!
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