Introduction to the hybrid response experience

Students will present a design or technology project comprised of materials which clearly tell the story of the process, evolution, and art of the design or technology component. A team of theatre design and technology respondents will serve as selection panelists and respond to the projects in a hybrid experience that includes both IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL DTM Response participants.

Useful supporting materials (across all categories) may include combinations of the following: production photographs, a design statement, research images, preliminary sketches, white models, color models, color sketches, drafting including sections, recording of sound cues and manipulations that lead to compositions, design paperwork, story boards, costume plates, fabric and trim swatches, costume plot, cue synopsis, tracking sheets, and the like. This is in no way meant to be a definitive list. Participants should choose elements that best articulate and document the conceptual approach, process, and the production.

Professionals from across the entertainment industry will be engaging you in a conversation about your work, process, and giving you helpful advice as to how to grow and improve!

Hybrid Response Format

Responses will be conducted in a “Response Room”

Participant displays will be projected in the Response Room

ZOOM will be used to simulcast responses

There will be some exciting additions this year

Will resemble a “Talk Back” format or conversation about your work

Participants will share their work for about 3 minutes, followed by questions and response

All are welcome to attend response sessions

Respondents come from a variety of professional backgrounds and are excited to meet you!

All work created in a 2023 class or for a campus stage is eligible to participate in this year’s National DTM Program and will be considered for national honors and awards.

To be eligible, students must:

How do I participate?

• First, register for the festival on the main event landing page
  

• Prepare your materials! All submission must first be submitted for inclusion in the virtual gallery (including “in-person” entries)
  

• Navigate to one of these links to submit:
  
• COSTUME, LIGHTING, SCENIC, SOUND, ALLIED CRAFTS AND TECHNOLOGY
  
• STAGE MANAGEMENT
  
• FACULTY DESIGN SHOWCASE
  

• All DTM registrations are due by February 15ᵗʰ, 2024 at 5pm
  

• You may submit up to six (6) total entries across all DTM categories
  

Curious about what types of materials to include?

DTM Display Parameters

“In-Person” Display

• ALL CATEGORIES (except STAGE MANAGEMENT) 2- 48” square display tiles
  
• limited to one stand-able item, including
  
• music stand, dress form, etc., participants must provide own extension cords, music stands and dress forms
  
• ALLIED CRAFTS/SOUND: a combination of a 48” x 48” display panel and 48” x 48” table space, with option to use floor for overflow of bulky items
  

Virtual Display

• 2- square image tiles
• may not exceed 25MB in size
  
• should be at least 120dpi resolution
  
• can be a photograph of F2F display
  
• all F2F displays must also be submitted virtually
  
• STAGE MANAGEMENT: Entire Prompt Book Materials will be uploaded online (may not be displayed)
  

Sample Image Board Layouts

Resources for Printing Materials

Suggested Image Resolution Options

Suggested Plays for Non-Realized “Paper” Projects

• Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca
  
• Mojada by Luis Alfaro
  
• Galileo by Bertolt Brecht (translated by Charles Laughton)
  
• Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage
  
• Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine
  
• A Year with Frog and Toad by Robert and Willie Reale
  
• Little Foxes by Lillian Helman
  
• M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang
  
• Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker
  
• Priscilla Queen of the Desert by Stephan Elliot
• Compleat Female Stage Beauty by Jeffrey Hatcher Allan Scott
• She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen
• The Father by Florian Zeller
• The House that Will Not Stand by Marcus Gardley
• The Imaginary Invalid by Moliere
• The Piano Lesson by August Wilson
• The Mirror for Princes by Sulayman Al-Bassam Theatre.
• Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov (translated by Sarah Ruhl)
• Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
• Or, by Liz Duffy Adams
• Twelve Ophelias by Caridad Svich
  

Abilene Convention Center

DTM Expo Space

A. Workshop Room

B. Workshop Room

C. Stage Management

D. Response Room

E. Quiet Room/Workspace

F. Small Table Gallery

G. ETC/Tech Olympics Space

H. DTM Expo

I. Sound Design Lock-Up

J. Sign-in and Questions

Anticipated Sequence of Festival Events

Sampling of

In-Person Events

• Pre-Response Breakfasts
  
• ETC Light Lab
  
• Tech Olympics
  
• DTM Expo
  
• DTM Responses
  
• Faculty Design Showcase
• Resume/Portfolio Review
• Region Faculty Responses and Peer Responses
• Respondent Training
• RED in Design Round Table
• Respondent Talk-Back
• Student Mixer
• Workshops
• Networking and Social Events
• NEXT STEPS
• Student Choice Awards
  

DTM/RED Collaborative Drag Event

BE READY FOR A FUN, DESIGN- AND- PERFORMANCE-FILLED FESTIVAL-LONG EVENT!

MORE NEWS TO COME!

KCACTF’s Mission, Commitment to Representation, Equity, and Diversity,

and Philosophy of Recognition:

KCACTF aims to:

• Encourage, recognize, and celebrate the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theater programs;
  
• Provide opportunities for participants to develop their theater skills and insight, and achieve professionalism;
  
• Improve the quality of college and university theater in the United States; and
  
• Encourage colleges and universities to give distinguished productions of new plays, especially those written by students; the classics, revitalized or newly conceived; and experimental works.
  
• The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival commits to policies and practices of promoting representation, equity, diversity, and inclusion in its leadership, both regional and national, as well as in its programming. We pledge to nurture talent in all areas of the theater based solely on merit and achievement. We encourage production respondents to avoid discriminatory comments and embrace the variety of artistic choices generated by the diversity of perspective that exists on college campuses across the country. We promote collegial exploration of new ideas, supported by a clear understanding of long-held artistic practices, fully respecting the communicated intentions of the playwright.
  
• We encourage discourse that affects positive change in the ways that under-represented groups are portrayed onstage, and we oppose acts of cultural appropriation and character depictions that deepen existing cultural divides. We embrace the idea that diversity in experience and perspective makes our organization stronger and more relevant and is therefore essential to our educational mission of training the future artistic leadership in American theater.
  
• We believe that effective theater is assessed by its ability to involve audiences in an experience that is both stimulating and illuminating, which emphasizes the spoken word; physical interpretation of the text; genuine emotions; and relationships between characters.
  
• In this time of global disruption, KCACTF further celebrates the imaginative and evocative theatre-makers and productions at the forefront of a revolution in artistry that ignites conversations of national importance through innovation in process, content, form, design, technology, outreach, and audience engagement.
  

KCACTF National Recognitions

KCACTF National Stage Management Fellowship

Recipient of KCACTF National Stage Management Fellowship will display their work at the national KCACTF festival.

Barbizon KCACTF Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in Sound Design

Recipient of Barbizon KCACTF Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in Sound Design will display their work at the national KCACTF festival.

Barbizon KCACTF Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in Lighting

Recipient of Barbizon KCACTF Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in Lighting will display their work at the national KCACTF festival.

Barbizon KCACTF Award for Theatre Design Excellence in Costume Design

Recipient of Barbizon KCACTF Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in Costume Design will display their work at the national KCACTF festival.

Barbizon KCACTF Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in Scenic Design

Recipient of Barbizon KCACTF Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in Scenic Design will display their work at the national KCACTF festival.

KCACTF Randy Lutz Allied Design and Technologies Award

Information on this recognition will be forthcoming.

Don Childs Award for Cross Discipline Collaboration

All students, across all DTM categories are eligible for this certificate of merit which seeks to recognize outstanding achievement in collaborative efforts that traverse disciplines.

Jane Childs Legacy Award for First-Time Presenters

All students, across all DTM categories are eligible for this certificate of merit which seeks to recognize outstanding presentation by a first-time presenter.

KCACTF REGION 6 DTM RECOGNITIONS

KCACTF Region 6 Awards in Design/Technology/Management Excellence

Specific excellence categories are at the discretion of area respondents. General categories for DTM Excellence may include, but are not limited to: Scenic

Design, Lighting Design, Sound, Costume Design, Costume Crafts, Make-up Design, Properties Design, Puppetry, Scenic Art, Graphic Design, Projection Design, Stage Management, and Collaboration and Design.

Sheilagh Carmichael Award

Sheilagh devoted 32 years towards mentoring the efforts of students in stage design, production, and performance at San Jacinto – South Campus. Students attending a 2-year institution, across all DTM categories, are eligible and is selected by the consensus of all invited DTM respondents. Recipients of this recognition will receive a $100.00 check.

Doug Getzoff Award for Undergraduate Design Excellence

Doug Getzoff received a Master of Fine Art degree at the University of Georgia and was the director of technical theater in the Department of Theater, Dance and Media at UCO for 14 years. All undergraduate students, across all DTM categories, are eligible. This recognition is selected by consensus of all invited DTM respondents. Recipients of this recognition will receive a $100.00 check.

National Partners of the American Theatre (NAPAT) Design Award

All students, across all DTM categories are eligible. This recognition recognizes student work in collaboration with their design mentor. Both a student and design mentor will be recognized. This recognition is selected by a NAPAT representative or consensus of all invited DTM respondents

Vectorworks Award

This is a multidisciplinary recognition in the areas of Scenic Design, Prop Design, Lighting Design, and/or Technical Direction. It is intended to help the recipient in developing their creative approach, and to promote thoughtful and explorative processes. This recognition is selected by consensus of all invited DTM respondents.

SPAM Award for Excellence in Properties Design

SPAM is the Society of Properties Artisan Managers. Allied Craft entries in properties design, properties art, and properties management are eligible

for this recognition. This recognition is selected by a SPAM representative. Recipients of this recognition receive a copy of The Prop Building Guidebook: For Theatre, Film, and TV for Theatre, Film, and TV by Eric Hart.

URTA CANDIDATE AWARDS

URTA Candidate Awards provide free registration for the URTA Auditions and Interviews, including free admission to continuing education sessions and other programming. The Candidate Award is currently offered in several ways:

SOUND DESIGN

Recognizing the important growth in the field of sound design and the goal of introducing graduate study to students with backgrounds outside traditional theater, URTA offers a Candidate Award to all URTA candidates in Sound Design.

ARTS LEADERSHIP

URTA is committed to increasing diversity among leadership in the American theater. To support those seeking training in areas including arts administration, theatre management, producing and arts entrepreneurship, URTA offers a Candidate Award to all candidates in Arts Leadership.

KENNEDY CENTER – AMERICAN COLLEGE THEATER FESTIVAL

URTA recognizes the incredible achievement of students who have reached the national KCACTF festival. Their dedication to the theatre arts represents the ideal focus and commitment that URTA member schools seek in their MFA candidates. For 50 years, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States and cultivate a pool of talented, trained, and devoted theatre artists to continually renew the American theatre landscape. KCACTF is a natural partner with URTA and to underscore our overlapping missions, URTA provides Candidate Awards to the following qualified KCACTF participants: Finalists for the National Award for Design Excellence (Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound), KCACTF National Stage Management Fellows. The Candidate Award provides a free registration for the annual URTA Auditions and Interviews, including free admission to all of URTA’s continuing education sessions. KCACTF recipients may make use of their Candidate Award within two years of receiving the Award.

DTM Quick Links

Where do I go for help?