GUIDELINES FOR KCACTF RESPONDENTS

THE GOALS FOR RESPONDING TO PARTICIPATING ENTRIES:

• To choose the best work to represent the region at the Regional Festival, so the National Selection Team can evaluate it for the National Festival.
• To choose the best and most interesting work for the benefit of all who attend the Regional Festival.

THE GOALS FOR RESPONDING TO BOTH ASSOCIATE AND PARTICIPATING ENTRIES:

• To celebrate and explore the theatrical process through the benefit of a response from a reasonably objective colleague.
• To recognize excellence in college theatre by providing opportunities for showcases, commendations, fellowships, and competitions for both student and faculty theatre artists.

 
A BASIC MODEL FOR YOUR RESPONSE:

• Find out what you can about the show before the performance. It's great if you can have dinner with the director before the show and let them talk about their program and their production. It's important for you to listen and find out what they want you to know. If they have a very young cast whose members are inexperienced and eager, that could color the tone of your response. If they have a well-seasoned cast of graduate students doing their MFA final projects, that might affect your response in a very different way. If you can't get together with the director for an extended conversation before the show, you should try to do it on the phone or via e-mail.  The more you know before you begin, the more appropriately informed your response can be.
• It's essential to identify yourself as a representative from KCACTF, and thank the company for participating.  Many students have never attended (and may never attend) a Regional Festival. While it's great to encourage them to attend the Regional Festival, remind them that they're vital participants in the Festival even now, by virtue of being involved in an entry at their own school. Your being there, seeing their show in their space and giving them an immediate response IS the heart of the Festival.
• It's good to remind the company that you are not more knowledgeable about their production than they are; you simply have the advantage of seeing it with fresh eyes. They are to understand that yours is only one opinion, and that they shouldn't listen to your response as any kind of final word. Remind them not to "change" anything based on what you say, unless their director instructs them to do so.
• Be sure you specifically discuss all of the following topics, and not necessarily in this order:
• Direction - topics might include: concept, overall stylistic choices in acting, pacing, staging, overall production unity, etc.
• Acting - topics might include believability, honesty, listening, technical skills such as vocal production, movement, stylistic choices, interpretation of character, sense of ensemble
• Some respondents make it a point to specifically mention every actor in the production. While this is often considered courteous and appropriate, it may not be feasible in a show with a very large cast. Do specifically discuss all the actors in major roles.
• Design - topics might include contribution to, and integration with the overall production concept, artistic excellence. Be sure you cover all areas of design: scenic, costume, lighting, makeup, sound, properties.
• Technical Elements - topics might include execution of designs, attention to detail, completion of design, stage management and running crew assignments.
• Additional Elements - these might include (but are not limited to) original music, front of house operation, lobby display, program/program notes.

• It's a good idea to ask for questions or comments from the group. Encourage them to ask for clarification if they didn't understand something you said, or to ask about a topic you neglected to mention specifically.  Really encourage questions and comments; if you can get the company talking, it helps to diminish the sense that you're there to pass judgment, but encourages them to see you as a peer who is interested in what they are doing.
• Be thorough, but don't be long-winded. It's very possible to do a complete response in 30-40 minutes. It's fine to go longer if you perceive that everyone is really "with" you, or there's a lively dialogue going on.  15 minutes is definitely not long enough and 90 minutes is way too long!
• Do your best to remain positive about the work you've just seen. Egos can be very fragile immediately following a performance when everyone is sometimes still on an adrenaline/applause "high." Your goal is to celebrate and explore the work; try to approach the task as a collegial colleague rather than a judge. Your words are not carved in stone, and you should remind everyone of that. Never intentionally embarrass or offend or demoralize a faculty member or student during the process.
• Work from positive statements, and be specific and thorough in your praise. Ease into negative aspects carefully; it's sometimes good to couch them as questions, rather than definitive judgments. Remember that for many people any negative comment resonates much more loudly than a positive one. Some respondents seem to be in too big a hurry to get to the problems; don't forget to elaborate and celebrate what worked well in the production.
• Don't let the encouragement to emphasize what is positive be misconstrued into an instruction to remain superficial or patronizing in your comments. Be sure you are honest and thoughtful and thorough. A common complaint from schools about respondents is that "They talked for quite a while, but they didn't really say anything."
• Always do your best to be gracious and cool; you are representing KCACTF, and we appreciate your being able to "sell" the Festival, even as you are giving an honest and specific response. 

PLEASE REMEMBER:

• Avoid letting your personal feelings about the play color your response.  Address what the company was attempting to achieve with the production as opposed to whether or not it was “likeable” or if they did it as well as another production of the play.  Criticize the production in the best possible sense of the word, move beyond “good” or “bad” into what moved you, challenged you, made you think, etc… Offer opinions and questions, not judgments and credos. Avoid conjecture. Talk about what really happened in the performance.
• Be sincere, thoughtful, honest, encouraging, even humorous - but don't "perform."  Avoid “showing off” how much you know, but neither should you downplay your education and experience. 
• Avoid personal criticisms of students (i.e. "you're too heavy for that role," or "you're just the wrong type for this").
• Work to use a vocabulary you believe is both appropriate and will be accessible for the students involved.
• While it's fair to mention that you have some questions about the text itself, avoid spending the majority of your time discussing textual issues apart from the acting, directing, design, and production choices that were made with the script (unless it's an original play and/or the playwright is present). If you have some problems with the script by Edward Albee, or Moliere, or Arthur Miller, mention them and then move on.
• The three most common complaints about responses are:
• Design and technical elements are glossed over, ignored, or merely an afterthought. It might be a good idea to START with them.
• Nothing of substance is really offered. The response was merely a bunch of platitudes: "Gosh, it was great and I really liked it." Even if the show was terrific, be sure you are specific and give them something of substance to consider and talk about later.
• The respondent acted like he/she hated the production, was terribly bored, and/or was in a hurry to leave.  Occasionally, you will see a production that seems greatly flawed.  Don't feel that you need to articulate every negative aspect of the production. Pick the key points you wish to make, and focus only on those. Remember, you’re there to celebrate theatre—these folks worked hard and are proud of their production.  Your task is not to teach the company everything there is to know about theatre in your response. Nudge them to the next level, and then call it a day.

Please try to avoid these three recurring problems!

KEEP YOU EYES OPEN FOR THE FOLLOWING:
1.            Costume Parade possibilities:  look for costumes that are truly exceptional, unique, and engaging.  Be specific about the costumes you’re nominating and nominate no more than five from a particular show.  Remember:  these are only your nominations and should not be shared with the school.  The Executive Committee will make the final decision at the Selection meeting in December.  At that point, we’ll be looking for a geographic and stylistic representation that will provide for an interesting “parade” while the judges are deliberating during the Ryan Finals.

2.            Invited Showcase of Scenes:  look for scenes that are app. 10 minutes in length, will not require unusual scenery and effects, can function independently from the rest of the production, and will “showcase” well.  The scenes should be entertaining—remember these are performed in front of a restless, highly-critical crowd of students and faculty who are mostly looking to pass the time.   And, again, the REC will make the final decision at the Selection meeting, so please don’t mention to the school that you are “nominating” a scene.

3.            Meritorious Achievement Awards:  these awards are given solely upon your recommendation.  Therefore, be judicious in awarding these honors.  These shouldn’t be given as “pats on the back,” but rather, they should be awarded because of the truly outstanding achievement in a particular area. 

4.            Exemplary student directors:  look for outstanding student directors who we can invite to direct in the 10-Minute Play Festival.  These students will come from faculty nominations AND from your recommendations based on the work that you see on the road. 

5.            Exemplary stage managers:  we are allowed to submit one nominee from this region to compete nationally as the stage manager who is selected to attend the national festival in April.   

7.            Outstanding teaching artists:  We should keep our eyes open for possible candidates for the following fellowships: 

• O’Neill National Critics Institute Fellow
• Actors Center Teacher Development Workshop Fellowship
• Kennedy Center Faculty Summer Fellowships In: Costume, Scenery & Lighting
• KCACTF National Festival Faculty Fellowships (this year, Region V is selecting a Directing teacher)

The response forms that you will fill out after seeing the production(s) will contain an additional link if you have anyone or any group to nominate.  Newsletters that carefully outline the above faculty fellowships are posted on our regional website. 

A WARNING:
You are NOT doing official peer review for use in retention, promotion and tenure procedures unless you are formally asked to do so, and you agree to this role (and you understand the liability you engender). Even if this is the case, KCACTF and the Kennedy Center are never involved in this process. Any written report you create for KCACTF must have the appropriate disclaimer stating such.

RESPONSE FORMS:
It's very important that you e-mail the Regional Chair with your response forms on the Monday or Tuesday after you've seen a production, so that it's fresh on your mind, and so that we can keep up to date on our list of commendations, possible Regional Showcase scenes, etc. A very important feature of the reports is your listing of all student playwrights/directors/designers, so please remember to ask which members of the production team are students.  We list these in the Festival program and count on you to properly spell students’ names. It's especially important for you to send screening reports in early for participating entries, so we have a sense of what shows are being "held" for possible Festival consideration.  In addition, both the respondent and the selector of a participating entry should write a brief report (1-2 paragraphs, at least) on the show to the Regional Chair and Selection Committee for selection purposes only.  After you’ve submitted your response forms, a request for a “response to your response” is sent to each director.  Most directors take the time to fill these out and are kept by the regional chair for periodic review.  If at any time you would like feedback to how your responses are received, don’t hesitate to contact me and I will give you an overview while still protecting the source of the information.  We all can look for ways to improve our own responses.

IRENE RYAN NOMINATIONS
Each associate entry receives two Irene Ryan nominations; one made by the respondent and one by the director. Each participating entry receives three nominations; one each from both of the respondents, and one by the director. It is extremely helpful if respondents will consult with the director immediately after the performance about Ryan nominees. Respondents need to have as much autonomy as possible in choosing the person they think is the most deserving of the nomination, but please work within whatever guidelines the director may give you.
For example, if you're seeing a show in the spring semester, then the school may not want to nominate graduating seniors who will be unable to attend the Regional Festival the next January. Or some students in the cast may have been nominated from an earlier entry; if the school would like you to nominate someone else, so as to spread the nominations around, please do so. Finally, be sure that the actor you're thinking of nominating is in fact an eligible student.
It is not your responsibility to fill out the Ryan nomination form; the student's school should do that. It is your responsibility to make sure the school knows who you are nominating ASAP, preferably before you leave the theatre after the show.

FINALLY:
Do your best to "give them their money's worth." For many schools who bring few or no attendees to the Regional Festival, the experience of receiving an oral response is their sole contact with KCACTF. Let's make it an experience they can remember as valuable, and one they'll consider again in the future.

Revised August, 2009
Anne Byrd
KCACTF Region V
Borrowed freely from, and with many thanks to:
Beate Pettigrew, Harry Parker, Jay Edelnant, Catherine Norgren, Brad Myers, Jim Christy