HANDBOOK for One-Act Play DIRECTORS, ADJUDICATORS and CONTEST MANAGERS
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HANDBOOK FOR One-Act Play DIRECTORS, ADJUDICATORS AND CONTEST MANAGERS TWENTY-FIRST EDITION THE UNIVERSITY INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE “I think I love and reverence all arts equally, only putting my own just above the others; because in it I recognize the union and culmination of my own. To me it seems as if when God conceived the world, that was Poetry; He formed it, and that was Sculpture; He colored it, and that was painting; He peopled it with living beings, and that was the grand, divine, eternal Drama.” Charlotte Cushman Charlotte Cushman (1816-1876) From an oil painting by Thomas Sully Who is Charlotte Cushman? In 1836, Charlotte Cushman made her stage debut as Lady Macbeth in New Orleans. That year she also played Romeo, beginning a career-long tradition of playing both male and female roles. Cushman appeared in London in 1845 opposite Edwin Forrest and was immediately hailed as the greatest actress of her time. She continued to play conventional tragic heroines, as well as Hamlet and Romeo to her sister Susan’s Juliet. Having settled permanently in Europe, Cushman returned in 1857, 1860, and again in 1874 to bid farewell to her American fans. Like her contemporary Edwin Forrest, Cushman’s performances were marked by melodramatic force. One critic compared her style to a “stream of fire,” and another admired her androgynous ability to convey “all the power and energy of manhood.” For Further Information Write: State Theatre Director University Interscholastic League Box 8028 Austin, Texas 78713-8028 512/471-9996 or 471-4517 (Office), 512/471-7388 (Fax) UIL GROUND ADDRESS: 1701 Manor Road Austin, TX 78722 512/471-5883 (MAIN UIL SWITCHBOARD) E-MAIL: [email protected] “In a well-planned One-Act Play Contest, there are no losers.” Handbook for One-Act Play Directors, Adjudicators and Contest Managers 21st Edition ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A very sincere thanks to Jenny Nichols and to Connie McMillan for their contributions. I also wish to thank the Texas Theatre Adjudicators and Officials (TTAO) and the UIL Theatre Advisory Committee for their work on this edition. The League also wishes to thank the Texas Educational Theatre Association, Inc. and the International Thespian Society for material contributions and continued support of the One- Act Play Contest. Our cover picture comes from http://www.marionettesinvenice.com i CONTENTS EDUCATIONAL THEATRE ............................................................................................................... CONTEST CALENDAR ................................................................................................................. 1 JUNIOR HIGH QUICK REFERENCE ................................................................................................. 2 GUIDE TO OAP DIRECTORS ........................................................................................................ 3 THE CONTEST STRUCTURE ..................................................................................................... 4 STUDENT COMPANY SIZE ................................................................................................ 4 SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS ........................................................................................ 4 THE DIRECTORS ............................................................................................................... 5 PROFESSIONAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM ............................................................................. 5 DIRECTOR RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................................................................... 5 THE CONTEST ....................................................................................................................... 6 PLANNING MEETINGS ......................................................................................................... 6 LEVELS ............................................................................................................................ 6 ADVANCING AND AWARDS ................................................................................................... 6 TIME LIMITS ..................................................................................................................... 6 DISQUALIFICATIONS AND OTHER VIOLATIONS .......................................................................... 7 CONTEST ADMINISTRATION ...................................................................................................... 7 THE CONTEST MANAGER .................................................................................................... 7 ADJUDICATORS .................................................................................................................. 7 CONTEST ENTRY PROCEDURES ................................................................................................ 8 THE SPRING MEET ENTRY SYSTEM ..................................................................................... 8 SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS ........................................................................................... 8 FAILURE TO PARTICIPATE .................................................................................................... 9 THE CONTEST PLAY ............................................................................................................. 10 STANDARDS .................................................................................................................... 10 PERFORMING PLAYS ON THE APPROVED LISTS ..................................................................... 10 PLAY SELECTION POLICY ...................................................................................................11 PERFORMING PLAYS NOT ON THE APPROVED PLAY LISTS, ADAPTATIONS AND ORIGINAL PLAYS .....11 LICENSING AND ROYALTIES ................................................................................................ 12 PERFORMING A "SCENES FROM"........................................................................................ 12 ADAPTATIONS .................................................................................................................. 12 DRAMA LOAN LIBRARY ..................................................................................................... 13 AID IN DIRECTING ............................................................................................................... 15 FINDING OR HOSTING A FESTIVAL ....................................................................................... 15 CAST AND CREW ASSIGNMENTS ............................................................................................. 16 REHEARSALS ...................................................................................................................... 16 SCHOOL PERFORMANCES ...................................................................................................... 17 EXTRACURRICULAR DEFINED .................................................................................................. 18 THE BASIC SET .................................................................................................................. 19 STANDARD DOOR AND WINDOW UNITS ............................................................................... 19 MUSIC PLAYBACK AND INTERCOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT ..................................................... 20 LIGHTING AT THE CONTEST SITE ........................................................................................ 20 THE UNIT SET .................................................................................................................... 21 ACTORS ON ELEVATED UNIT SET ELEMENTS ........................................................................ 22 SCENIC ELEMENTS AND PROPERTIES ALLOWED UNDER 1033(C)(2)(F)(I-VI) ................................. 22 LIGHTING ....................................................................................................................... 22 SOFTGOODDS ................................................................................................................. 23 CAPITALS AND BASES ...................................................................................................... 23 TREES, BUSHES, PLANTS AND OTHER LANDSCAPING ............................................................. 24 i FENCE AND RAILING ........................................................................................................ 24 STAGE PROPERTIES ......................................................................................................... 24 SPECIAL ISSUES REGARDING PROPERTIES ............................................................................... 27 PROPERTIES WITH CASTERS ............................................................................................. 27 TOBACCO/ ALCOHOL ........................................................................................................ 27 LIVE ANIMALS ................................................................................................................. 27 UNIT SET USED AS PROPERTIES ....................................................................................... 27 SCENIC ITEMS AND PROPERTIES REQUIRING APPROVAL .............................................................. 30 FOG, SNOW, WATER, FIRE AND OTHER SPECIAL EFFECTS ......................................................... 31 FIREARMS AND OTHER WEAPONS ..........................................................................................