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. Recognitions are presented for designs and other allied design and technology appraised on the basis of quality, effectiveness, originality, and visual presentation techniques.
Each student entered in the Expo will receive a response to their entry from professionals specializing in their respective field.
National Expo Categories
Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound and Allied Design & Technology
We CELEBRATE all the diverse and innovative work being done in the nation in the areas of Design, Technology and Management
This festival season has already proven to be a very unique and unprecedented year in academic theatre. We want to celebrate all your efforts in creating theatre in this unique time in our world today. Whether your 2020 design and technology work was fully “realized and produced” or “nonrealized and non-produced”, we want you to submit your work to be showcased. We encourage students to also submit their work on productions that might have been cancelled or postponed this past spring due to COVID-19.
All work is eligible this year to participate in the National DTM Program and will be considered for national honors and awards.
To be eligible, students must:
Event
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.
How to Participate
This year’s virtual festival will be using Google Slides to create presentations of student design and technology entries. When creating your slide presentation please follow these guidelines for submission:
Please remember that we are interested in your story of this project in the process from page to stage. Focus on clearly telling the story of the process, evolution, and art of the design or technology component.
Important! After you have created your Google Slides presentation, you will need to create an embed code for inclusion in the expo entry form.
In your completed google slide presentation:
This festival season has already proven to be a very unique and unprecedented year in academic theatre. We want to celebrate all your efforts in creating theatre in this unique time in our world today. Whether your 2020 design and technology work was fully “realized and produced” or “nonrealized and non-produced”, we want you to submit your work to be showcased. We encourage students to also submit their work on productions that might have been cancelled or postponed this past spring due to COVID-19.
All work is eligible this year to participate in the National DTM Program and will be considered for national honors and awards.
To be eligible, students must:
- Have designed or created a technology project at their home institution in 2020.
- Be a bona fide student in 2020;
- Be registered for and attend the virtual Regional Festival to showcase their project and participate in response sessions.
Event
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.
How to Participate
This year’s virtual festival will be using Google Slides to create presentations of student design and technology entries. When creating your slide presentation please follow these guidelines for submission:
- All presentations will be limited to 10 slides.
- Slide 1: Title Slide. Please include:
- student’s name
- student’s area of discipline
- name of the production including the playwright’s name.
- If this is a realized production, please also include the names and disciplines of the other designers involved.
- Please be sure to use an easy to read font.
- Please do not include the name of your school on this or any supporting slides. (We realize that this last point can cause difficulty for marketing/publicity/poster designers. We understand that the name of your school is already printed on your publicity materials. We do not expect you to remove the name of the school from your posters/programs/marketing materials as this will affect your design. But please do not include your school name anywhere else in your presentation.
- Slide 2: Design Statement Slide.
- Write several descriptive sentences that communicate the purpose, focus and fundamental concept of your design.
- Please use an easy to read font.
- Slides 3-9: Supporting Materials Slides. Supporting materials that have proven most useful include combinations of the following:
- production photographs (for realized productions)
- research images
- preliminary sketches
- photos of set models (white board or colored)
- color renderings
- drafting, including sections
- recording of sound cues (15 second maximum on sound files)
- story boards
- costume plates
- fabric and trim swatches
- costume plot
- cue synopsis
- tracking sheets
- Slide 10: Closing Slide. Please summarize your experience working on this project. Choose one or two of the following questions to assist your thought process.
- What did you learn about the art of your discipline from working on this project?
- What did you learn about yourself as an artist from working on this project?
- How did working on this project play to your strengths and weaknesses?
- What challenges do you foresee in bringing this project to life? (if you worked on an unrealized design)
Please remember that we are interested in your story of this project in the process from page to stage. Focus on clearly telling the story of the process, evolution, and art of the design or technology component.
Important! After you have created your Google Slides presentation, you will need to create an embed code for inclusion in the expo entry form.
In your completed google slide presentation:
- On the file menu select "File".
- Select "Publish to Web".
- Select "Embed".
- Set the slide size to "Medium (960x569)".
- Leave the "Auto-advance slides" to the default of "every 3 seconds".
- Select the "Start slideshow as soon as the player loads" checkbox.
- Select the "Restart the slideshow after the last slide" checkbox.
- Select the "Publish" button.
- Copy the code displayed in the text window for inclusion in the expo entry form.
Design Categories
Allied Design & Technology Category
The project samples should reflect the range of technical challenges that you can solve and provide details on the process and the finished quality of the project. Realized work should include production photos. In addition to:
Additional Regional Design and Technology Categories
Region 5 also recognizes and welcomes presentations from the following Design and Technology disciplines.
- Costume Designers may include examples of some process work such as preliminary sketches, or paperwork along with sketches (swatches) and realized work should include production photo(s).
- Scene Designers may include examples of some process work such as preliminary sketches, ground plans, or final renderings and/or models. Realized work should include production photo(s).
- Lighting Designers may include a plot, associated paperwork and the process you used to arrive at your design choices. Realized work should include production photo(s).
- Sound Designers may include clearly identifiable links or digital files with selected cues plus organizational/paperwork such as sound plot and sound system design. Please include your process for arriving at your design choices. Realized work should include production photo(s).
Allied Design & Technology Category
The project samples should reflect the range of technical challenges that you can solve and provide details on the process and the finished quality of the project. Realized work should include production photos. In addition to:
- Production & Shop Managers may include work that gives a thorough presentation of the scope and complexity of the project.
- Technical Directors, Master Electricians, and Sound Engineers may include examples of drafting and associated paperwork.
- Costume Technologists, Craft Artisans, and Hair and Makeup Artisans may include photos of the project worn by a model, or on a dress form, or wig stand and detailed process photos of the interior and exterior of each project.
- Prop Artisans and Scenic Artists may include detailed process photos of each project.
Additional Regional Design and Technology Categories
Region 5 also recognizes and welcomes presentations from the following Design and Technology disciplines.
- Publicity. Poster, program and marketing design. Publicity designers may include the poster, program, flyers, postcards or any other marketing materials created. Preliminary sketches, color palettes, and previous drafts, photos of your work being used in social media may also be included.
National Recognitions
Design at the National Festival
One student in each design discipline (Costume, Lighting, Scenic, and Sound) will be chosen from each region to participate in the National Festival.
At the National Festival, students will have an opportunity to present their design projects and network with student and professional designers from across the country. Students will be eligible for various professional training opportunities, fellowships, and awards based on their projects and work during the festival.
Allied Design and Technology at The Santa Fe Opera
One Allied Design and Technology student from each region is selected to participate with The Santa Fe Opera.
At The Santa Fe Opera, students will have an opportunity to present their allied projects and network with student and professional artisans. Students will be eligible for various professional training opportunities and gain experience in their area of interest, plus will have a chance to share their portfolios with the staff at The Santa Fe Opera.
Region 5 Recognitions
Vectorworks Recognition: Celebrating a project that demonstrates a clear solution from concept through process and completion potential. This multidisciplinary award is for a Regional KCACTF entry in the areas of Scenic 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.
SPAM Recognition: This award sponsored by Society of Prop Masters and Artisans celebrates the project that reaches a high level of artistry and functionality in the discipline of Props Design.
Stage Institute of Las Vegas Awards (SILV):
DTM Legacy Recognition- celebrates student designers and technicians presenting work for the first time at The Expo. Along with this award comes a copy of Robert Edmond Jones’ The Dramatic Imagination.
“In our world of live entertainment, we are all too often embracing the newest and the best “hows” for our productions. This little book reminds us of the “why” of this art in the first place: we collaborate to share stories that are founded in our dramatic imaginations. This book is a celebration of that “why” and should be part of everyone’s libraries and one’s conscience for making good choices! This award is to encourage further exploration within the student’s area of interest in design and technology.”
Don Childs Cross Discipline Collaboration Recognition– There will be teams nominated from each region to be considered for the overall award, which will be determined by SILV to receive a full 8-week experience at the SILV summer intensives.
SILV Summer Intensives- Students from across disciplines can be chosen to receive a 1-week experience at SILV.
Puppeteers of America Recognition- KCACTF Design Expo Award in Puppetry sponsored by Puppeteers of America. Projects which feature puppetry (defined as the manipulation of an object to create the illusion of life) in a significant way are eligible to receive a two-year membership to POA. A few member benefits are:
Project effectively combines function and aesthetics within the puppet.
Process demonstrates understanding and consideration of the puppet/actor relationship.
Student expresses energy/passion/enthusiasm for the art of puppetry.
One student in each design discipline (Costume, Lighting, Scenic, and Sound) will be chosen from each region to participate in the National Festival.
At the National Festival, students will have an opportunity to present their design projects and network with student and professional designers from across the country. Students will be eligible for various professional training opportunities, fellowships, and awards based on their projects and work during the festival.
Allied Design and Technology at The Santa Fe Opera
One Allied Design and Technology student from each region is selected to participate with The Santa Fe Opera.
At The Santa Fe Opera, students will have an opportunity to present their allied projects and network with student and professional artisans. Students will be eligible for various professional training opportunities and gain experience in their area of interest, plus will have a chance to share their portfolios with the staff at The Santa Fe Opera.
Region 5 Recognitions
Vectorworks Recognition: Celebrating a project that demonstrates a clear solution from concept through process and completion potential. This multidisciplinary award is for a Regional KCACTF entry in the areas of Scenic 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.
SPAM Recognition: This award sponsored by Society of Prop Masters and Artisans celebrates the project that reaches a high level of artistry and functionality in the discipline of Props Design.
Stage Institute of Las Vegas Awards (SILV):
DTM Legacy Recognition- celebrates student designers and technicians presenting work for the first time at The Expo. Along with this award comes a copy of Robert Edmond Jones’ The Dramatic Imagination.
“In our world of live entertainment, we are all too often embracing the newest and the best “hows” for our productions. This little book reminds us of the “why” of this art in the first place: we collaborate to share stories that are founded in our dramatic imaginations. This book is a celebration of that “why” and should be part of everyone’s libraries and one’s conscience for making good choices! This award is to encourage further exploration within the student’s area of interest in design and technology.”
Don Childs Cross Discipline Collaboration Recognition– There will be teams nominated from each region to be considered for the overall award, which will be determined by SILV to receive a full 8-week experience at the SILV summer intensives.
SILV Summer Intensives- Students from across disciplines can be chosen to receive a 1-week experience at SILV.
Puppeteers of America Recognition- KCACTF Design Expo Award in Puppetry sponsored by Puppeteers of America. Projects which feature puppetry (defined as the manipulation of an object to create the illusion of life) in a significant way are eligible to receive a two-year membership to POA. A few member benefits are:
- Subscription to the Puppetry Journal (Quarterly publication).
- Discounted registration to all regional and national Puppeteers of America festivals.
- Eligibility for scholarships and awards to attend the National Festival and aid in funding development for new projects.
- Access to and listing in the Puppeteers of America Membership Directory.
- Access to the Puppeteers of America audiovisual library and archives.
Project effectively combines function and aesthetics within the puppet.
Process demonstrates understanding and consideration of the puppet/actor relationship.
Student expresses energy/passion/enthusiasm for the art of puppetry.
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 closed