What is the Expo?
The Expo provides student designers, technicians, managers, and dramaturgs the opportunity to showcase their work at the regional festival and receive feedback from professionals working in the field. Awards are presented for designs and other allied design and technology appraised on the basis of quality, effectiveness, originality, and visual presentation techniques.
Who May Enter the Expo?
Any school entering at least one associate or participating production during the festival year will be allowed a limitless number of student entries for the Expo. If a show at your school received a response in 2020 then you are welcome to enter!
The Expo provides student designers, technicians, managers, and dramaturgs the opportunity to showcase their work at the regional festival and receive feedback from professionals working in the field. Awards are presented for designs and other allied design and technology appraised on the basis of quality, effectiveness, originality, and visual presentation techniques.
Who May Enter the Expo?
Any school entering at least one associate or participating production during the festival year will be allowed a limitless number of student entries for the Expo. If a show at your school received a response in 2020 then you are welcome to enter!
How do I know if I should enter the National Category or Regional Category?
National:
National entrants have the added opportunity (if chosen) to go on to the Kennedy Center or Santa Fe Opera (for Allied Design and Technology). For complete consideration in the National Awards, students must be present at the Region 5 Festival.
Entrants should visit the KCACTF National website DTM page for detailed entry guidelines. CLICK HERE
National:
- Did you design the scenery, lighting, costumes, sound, or allied design and technology for a realized production at your school in 2020?
National entrants have the added opportunity (if chosen) to go on to the Kennedy Center or Santa Fe Opera (for Allied Design and Technology). For complete consideration in the National Awards, students must be present at the Region 5 Festival.
Entrants should visit the KCACTF National website DTM page for detailed entry guidelines. CLICK HERE
Regional Entry Category:
In 2020,
Regional Projects that fall within the National DTM divisions should follow those guidelines. CLICK HERE to visit the KCACTF National website DTM page for details.
In 2020,
- Did you design the scenery, lighting, costumes, sound, or any allied design and technology category at a theatre outside of your home institution?
- Did you build a piece for any show, at your home institution or at any other theatre, that you are particularly proud of?
- Did you create full designs for a paper project that was not realized? (a class project for example)
- Did you create designs for a realized production not represented in the national categories?
- Examples include:
- Makeup Design
- Wig Design
- Costume Construction
- Technical Projects (Technical Direction, scenic construction, stage engineering or automation)
- Puppetry (design and construction)
- Publicity (graphic design or poster design)
- Scenic Painting
- Examples include:
Regional Projects that fall within the National DTM divisions should follow those guidelines. CLICK HERE to visit the KCACTF National website DTM page for details.
General Presentation Criteria and Guidelines:
The most important thing to remember when presenting your materials, is to clearly tell the story of the process and evolution of your design.
All entries should include as much documentation on process as possible. Where appropriate, it is recommended that students show progression from initial idea to final product.
Some questions to consider when assembling your entries:
The most important thing to remember when presenting your materials, is to clearly tell the story of the process and evolution of your design.
- A concise statement of the idea or intent of the project should be included for all projects.
- Supporting materials may include combinations of the following:
- a design statement in outline form
- research images
- preliminary sketches and/or color sketches
- white models
- color models
- drafting (including sections)
- recording of sound cues and manipulations that lead to those compositions
- design bibles
- story boards
- costume plates
- fabric and trim swatches
- costume plot
- cue synopsis
- production photographs
- tracking sheets
All entries should include as much documentation on process as possible. Where appropriate, it is recommended that students show progression from initial idea to final product.
Some questions to consider when assembling your entries:
- How is this design unified within itself and in relation to the play/production?
- Does the design/product serve its purpose?
- What materials or methods made this project unique?
- What skills were utilized to create the project presented?
- Are there supporting visuals to help someone understand the complexity of the project?
- Is the information thorough enough that another person could repeat the project?
- How might others in the region benefit from my display
Display Logistics for the Region 5 Festival
- The exhibition space for each project at the Region 5 Festival will be a vertical format of 48 inches by 48 inches
- Small tables or stands are available on a first come/first serve basis.
- Students entering a Sound Design will have a table top display space of 24 inches wide, with vertical space available for each designer to bring their own foam-core triptych/trifold
All design materials must be labeled with the play title and playwright; act and scene; and the student designer's name.
Wherever possible the name of the designer's college or university should NOT be visible on the front of any materials.
Expo Entry Application Form
Students entering their works in either National or Regional categories need to complete the online entry form prior to 5:00pm January 10, 2020 in order to meet the Entry Deadline. Please note that submission of the entry form is REQUIRED.
Check In and Set Up
The entrant is responsible for setting up their own materials, and for arranging for materials to get to the festival and be returned. If an entrant is unable to attend the festival and/or the set-up (Monday of the festival), the project may be hung by an entrant's designated representative. If the materials cannot fit into the space allocated, the Festival Staff reserves the right to select which pieces, if any, may be displayed. Please be aware that the expo location will not have 24 hour security. The regional festival, its hosts and volunteers are not responsible for items damaged, lost, or stolen from the display area or its environs.
Students entering their works in either National or Regional categories need to complete the online entry form prior to 5:00pm January 10, 2020 in order to meet the Entry Deadline. Please note that submission of the entry form is REQUIRED.
Check In and Set Up
The entrant is responsible for setting up their own materials, and for arranging for materials to get to the festival and be returned. If an entrant is unable to attend the festival and/or the set-up (Monday of the festival), the project may be hung by an entrant's designated representative. If the materials cannot fit into the space allocated, the Festival Staff reserves the right to select which pieces, if any, may be displayed. Please be aware that the expo location will not have 24 hour security. The regional festival, its hosts and volunteers are not responsible for items damaged, lost, or stolen from the display area or its environs.
Expo Check In
Expo check in will happen on Monday 9:00am to 5:00pm
*NEW THIS YEAR!* When the entrant checks in they will also be able to sign up for their response time. Know your festival schedule before checking in.
*NEW THIS YEAR!* When the entrant checks in they will also be able to sign up for their response time. Know your festival schedule before checking in.
Expo Set Up
The entrant is responsible for transporting, setting up, and hanging their own materials
If an entrant is unable to attend the festival and/or the set-up, on Monday of the festival, the project may be hung by an entrant's designated representative. If the materials cannot fit into the space allocated, the expo coordinators reserves the right to select which pieces, if any, may be displayed.
Please be aware that the expo location will not have 24 hour security. The regional festival, its hosts and volunteers are not responsible for items damaged, lost, or stolen from the display area or its environs.
If an entrant is unable to attend the festival and/or the set-up, on Monday of the festival, the project may be hung by an entrant's designated representative. If the materials cannot fit into the space allocated, the expo coordinators reserves the right to select which pieces, if any, may be displayed.
Please be aware that the expo location will not have 24 hour security. The regional festival, its hosts and volunteers are not responsible for items damaged, lost, or stolen from the display area or its environs.
Expo Breakfast
The Expo will kick off with a grand opening event, Expo Breakfast! Come to the Expo display floor on Tuesday morning 1/21 at 8:30AM. Start your day off with a continental breakfast and a stroll through the displays from across Region 5.
Expo Responses
Each student entered in the Expo will receive a response to their entry from professionals specializing in their respective field. Each response will be 10 minutes in length and consist of a short introduction by the student followed by a response to that work by respondents who are experts in that field. The 2019 Expo responses will be held on Wednesday 1/22 from 2pm-5pm and Thursday 1/23 from 8:30am – 5pm. A more specific schedule will be announced after the Expo entry deadline has passed. It is from these responses that national and regional awards will be determined.
Expo Awards
At the final awards ceremony on Friday there will be several awards given to Expo entries.
In the National Category one award will be given for each area: Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound and Allied Design and Technology. Honorable mention may also be awarded.
In the Regional Category one award will be given for each of the following areas: Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound, Allied Design and Technology, Makeup, Publicity, Tech Projects. Honorable mention may also be awarded.
Additional Awards Include:
In the National Category one award will be given for each area: Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound and Allied Design and Technology. Honorable mention may also be awarded.
In the Regional Category one award will be given for each of the following areas: Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound, Allied Design and Technology, Makeup, Publicity, Tech Projects. Honorable mention may also be awarded.
Additional Awards Include:
- Vectorworks Award: Celebrating a project that demonstrates a clear solution from concept through process and completion potential.
- Society of Prop Masters and Artisans (SPAM) Best Prop Entry
- Stage Institute of Las Vegas Awards
- Don Childs Award
- DTM Legacy Award - celebrates student designers and technicians presenting work for the first time at The Expo.
- Puppeteers of America- Best Puppet entry
- Student Award – *New this year!* Students will have a chance to vote for their favorite design expo entry! More info will be available at the festival.
Expo Strike
Expo strike will take place on Friday 1/25 from 8am-Noon. Each entrant in the Expo is responsible for removing their entry and all associated display materials. If an entrant is not available during this time to remove their entry, they may send a representative to remove it for them. All entries must be removed from the Expo floor by Noon. Any leftover entries will be discarded. Please note! There is a limited amount of space in the trash cans provided. Do not plan on throwing away large pieces of your entry at the Expo. Your trash is not the Expo host’s responsibility!
If you have any questions please contact Region 5 Chair for Design, Technology and
Management, Kelly Schaefer at [email protected]
Management, Kelly Schaefer at [email protected]
Entry for this Event Has Now Closed
Please remember, in order to participate in this event you must register for the festival