November 2-4, 2018, Bean-Brown Theatre, Shelton State Community College, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

ACTFest ’19 was by all measures a very successful festival.  The following report examines the outcomes of the festival in terms of company entries, production quality, adjudicator responses, awards given, educational workshop presentations and participation, performance attendance, overall festival attendance, and participant satisfaction.

Participating Companies

The following companies presented the listed shows during ACTFest ’19 in the order listed.

• Theatre Tuscaloosa: God of Carnage
• Spark Theatre Company, Inc. (Dothan): The Theory of Relativity
• The Actor’s Charitable Theatre (Tuscaloosa): Of Mice & Men
• Auburn Area Community Theatre: Silent Sky
• South City Theatre (Pelham): Love, Loss, and What I Wore
• Wetumpka Depot Theatre: The Diviners
• ACE Performing Arts Center (Loxley): Little Women
• Prattville’s Way Off Broadway Theatre: Driving Miss Daisy

Participating companies represented seven Alabama cities: Tuscaloosa, Dothan, Auburn, Pelham, Wetumpka, Loxley, and Prattville.  Approximately 100 theatre artists participated in the production and presentation of these shows.

Production Quality

The production quality of the eight show entries was overall very high.  At least seven of the eight shows presented would have been worthy of representing Alabama at SETC on any other given year, and it was remarked regularly that those of us who have attended SETC in the past have seen shows that were not as good as some of the ones that were not selected to move on at this year’s ACTFest.

Adjudicator Responses

ACTFest ’19 was adjudicated by Kimberly Frick-Welker (actress, director, scenic designer with Cookeville (Tennessee) Performing Arts Center); Gabe Smith (Chief Administrative Officer at Starkville (Mississippi) Community Theatre); and Mike Winkleman (Professor, Auburn University Montgomery). Bill Anderson, Jr. (Center Stage Theatre, Midland, Michigan) served as the AACT Festival Commissioner, and AACT Division IV was represented by Lynn Harper Nelson.

Overall, adjudicator responses were very positive, and it was mentioned more than once that Alabama’s festival demonstrated an unusually high standard of excellence in the shows that were presented.

Best of Show (Moving forward to SETC)

• Of Mice and Men, Actor’s Charitable Theatre
• The Diviners, Wetumpka Depot Players

Alternate Show (May go to SETC if either Best of Show winner cannot)

Theory of Relativity, Spark Theatre Company

Best Actor in a Lead Performance

Greg Vander Wal for “Lennie,” Of Mice and Men, The Actor’s Charitable Theatre

Best Actress in a Lead Performance

Michon Givens for “Daisy Werthan,” Driving Miss Daisy, Prattville’s Way Off Broadway Theatre

Best Director

Benji Stockton for Of Mice and Men, The Actor’s Charitable Theatre

Best Ensemble

Theory of Relativity, Spark Theatre Company

Best Lighting Design

The Diviners, Wetumpka Depot Players

Best Scenic Design

Benji Stockton for Of Mice and Men, The Actor’s Charitable Theatre

Best Supporting Actor

Eric Arvidson for “Boolie Werthan,” Driving Miss Daisy, Prattville’s Way Off Broadway

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Stephens for “Willamina Fleming,” Silent Sky, Auburn Area Community Theatre

Outstanding Achievement in Acting

• Jonah Adkins for “Laurie,” Little Women, ACE Performing Arts Center
• Callie Guthrie for “Amy,” Little Women, ACE Performing Arts Center
• Daniel Maguire for “George,” Of Mice and Men, The Actor’s Charitable Theatre
• Thomas Maple for “Thomas Maple,” Silent Sky, Auburn Area Community Theatre
• Tommy King for “Hoke Coleburn,” Driving Miss Daisy, Prattville’s Way Off Broadway
• Lori Edwards for Love, Loss, and What I Wore, South City Theatre
• Lisa Ponder for Love, Loss, and What I Wore, South City Theatre
• Alex Jeffers for Theory of Relativity, Spark Theatre Company
• Josie Patterson for Theory of Relativity, Spark Theatre Company
• Mattie Winburn for Theory of Relativity, Spark Theatre Company
• Jennifer Guffin for “Annette Raleigh,” God of Carnage, Theatre Tuscaloosa
• Casey Kauffman for “Veronica Novak,” God of Carnage, Theatre Tuscaloosa
• Lee Borden for “Ferris Layman,” The Diviners, Wetumpka Depot Players
• Reese Lynch for “Buddy Layman,” The Diviners, Wetumpka Depot Players
• Kristy Meanor for “Luella Bennett,” The Diviners, Wetumpka Depot Players

Outstanding Choreography

Casey Green for Theory of Relativity, Spark Theatre Company

Outstanding Fight Choreography

Rebecca Yeager for Of Mice and Men, The Actor’s Charitable Theatre

Outstanding Vocal Direction

Cindy Ward for Theory of Relativity, Spark Theatre Company

Spirit of the Road

Theory of Relativity, Spark Theatre Company

Educational Workshops Presented

The following seven workshops were presented during ACTFest ’19.  Overall, participation was very strong.  While specific counts of participation were not captured, an estimate of attendance at each is listed following each workshop below.

• Adam Miller: Courting Corporate Sponsorships: Making Your Community Theatre Irresistible (2)
• Jen Nelson Lane: From Main Street to Broadway: Stage Management Tips that Work (8)
• Jeanette Waterman: Dressing in the Dark: Making Quick Changes Flow (15)
• Tina Turley: What I REALLY Want to Do is Direct (20)
• Yvette Jones-Smedley: Writing Winning ASCA Grants (15)
• Joey Lay: Old Age Make-up: More Than Just Lines on Your Face (25)
• Terry Kelley:  Free Stuff! What’s Not to Love?: An Intro to Tech Tools for Non-Profits (15)

Performance Attendance

Specific house counts between shows were not conducted, however attendance at each performance was quite strong, even at the first two shows on Friday.  The following indicates how many “types” of audience members were eligible to attend each performance.

• Performing Company Members/ACT Members: Approximately 101
• Weekend Pass Purchasers: 25
• Friday Day-Pass Purchasers: 2
• Saturday Day-Pass Purchasers: 12
• Sunday Day-Pass Purchasers: 3
• Individual Show Tickets: 64

Community Division Meeting

The annual meeting of the Community Division was conducted during ACTFest.  A spirited election took place for the position of Vice Chair with Casey Kauffman of Self Express Productions running against Joey Lay of The Actor’s Charitable Theatre. In the end, Ms. Kauffman edged out Mr. Lay by 1 vote.  Showing good sportsmanship, Mr. Lay agreed to be part of the planning committee for next year’s event.

Community Division Survey Results/Participant Satisfaction

During the Community Division meeting on Sunday, a survey was conducted with the following results. Surveys were submitted by 83 respondents.

• 54% of respondents reported attending an educational workshop
• For every workshop, the majority of respondents reported being “very satisfied” with the content and presentation.
• Topics requested most often for future workshops included:
  • Make-up – 9 Requests / 19% of respondents
  • Acting – 7 Requests / 15% of respondents
  • Design – 7 requests / 15% of respondents
  • Costumes – 5 requests / 11% of respondents
  • Lighting – 4 requests / 9% of respondents
  • Other responses included: Auditions, Scenery, Tech, Theatre Jargon, Character Work, Choreography, College Auditions, Directing, Movement, Musicals, Props, Technology, Traveling Shows, Volunteer Management, Blocking, Digital Scenery, Email Automation, Etiquette, Fundraising (General), Fundraising (non-grant), Hair, Improv, Intellectual Property, Marketing, Music Rehearsal, Producing, Scholarships, Set Construction, Stage Management, Storage, Students, Voice & Diction
• The venue of the festival was evaluated on the following criteria with the percentage indicated reporting either a “4” or “5” with 5 indicating “Extremely Satisfied” and 1 indicating “Extremely Dissatisfied.”
  • Geographic Location 89%
  • Hospitality Room 94%
  • Education Workshop Rooms 88%
  • Theatre Auditorium 98%
  • Stage, Wings, Backstage 100%
  • Dressing Rooms 98%
  • Proximity to Dining/Attractions 86%
• Adjudicators were rated on the following criteria with the percentage indicated reporting either a “4” or “5” with 5 indicating “Extremely Satisfied” and 1 indicating “Extremely Dissatisfied.”
  • Thoroughness of Responses 87%
  • Relevance of Responses 90%
  • Educational Value of Responses 86%
  • Usefulness of Responses 89%
  • Fairness of Responses 92%
• Respondents were asked if ACTFest were to be held on the second weekend in January, would they be:
  • More Likely to Attend – 3%
  • About the Same Likelihood to Attend – 32%
  • Less Likely to Attend – 65%
• Three respondents indicated an interest in serving on the planning committee for next year:
  • Daniel Maguire
  • Casey Kauffman
  • Lisa Ponder