WACT News – June, 2005 -- Page 1

Festival Mondiale? Mon Dieu!

(Note: You have not accidentally received

the French version of WACT News) In 1957 the first World Festival of Amateur Theatre (Le Festival Mondiale du Théâtre Amateur) was held in the principality of Monaco under the high patronage of Their Serene Highnesses Prince Ranier and Princess Grace. The World Festival of Amateur Theatre was, and is, the official competition of the International Amateur Theatre Association (IATA). “Amateur” is used in this context of “to love”; thus, an amateur is one who does something for love and pleasure rather than for monetary remuneration. The typical American definition of amateur, implying a relative lack of skill, is not accepted by IATA. While IATA handles the international aspects, the festival itself is an almost entirely Monégasque production organized by the Studio de Monaco, home of the Cercle Artistique Monégasque d’Amateurs de Théâtre. This year the International Amateur Theatre Association will be holding its World Theatre Congress in Monaco July 28 – August 6, 2005. This world theatre meeting is the largest gathering of community/amateur theatre people from all over the world. It is an open festival with performances from approximately twenty-six different countries of the world. The United States will be represented with a

production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change from Tacoma Musical Playhouse in Tacoma, Washington. Other performances will be from Germany, Italy, Cameroon, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Japan, South Africa, Ireland, Russia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Slovakia just to name a few. Frank Peot, WACT’s Vice President, will again be one of the official delegates to the congress as a representative of the United States.

Other official US delegates include George Crepeau (Ohio), Roger

Ellis (Michigan), Shirley Harbin (Michigan), Tim Jebsen (Texas), and John Sullivan (Iowa). These six delegates will meet in congress

with representatives from approximately forty-six other

countries of the world to discuss common issues related to community/amateur theatres worldwide. It promises to be an exciting, enlightening, and worthwhile experience for everyone. It is a place where many countries of the world meet together, all speaking the common language of “amateur” theatre.

2004 US Attendees: Roger Ellis, Alyson Brown, Shirley Harbin, George Crepeau, Frank Peot, Janice Weigen, Ross Rowland, Linda Ylvisaker

WACT News – June, 2005 -- Page 2

National AACTFest ‘05 AACTFest is the national theatre festival of the American Association of Community Theatre. The 2005 national festival is being held in Kalamazoo, Michigan, June 14 - 18, 2005, it is the final festival in an almost two year long festival cycle. Leading up to the national festival there have been more than forty state festivals, and eleven regional festivals. Advancing companies have been selected to proceed at the state and regional levels and will now perform and be adjudicated at the national festival. The five day festival consists of performances, workshops, parties, and meetings where community theatre people have the opportunity to see some of the best community theatre in the nation, learn from top notch theatre experts, and make contacts with other theatre enthusiasts from all over the country. AACTFest began as the Festival of American Community Theatres (FACT) in 1971. It was originally designed as a mechanism for the United States to select a representative to the World Theatre Congress held in Monaco every four years. It has evolved into a much larger festival held every two years across the United Stages. The principal purpose is to provide a means to affirm, support, and nurture community theatre companies as they strive toward excellence. The entire festival cycle follows a format prescribed by AACT through the AACTFest Handbook. Each producing company is allowed to present “any performance of a theatrical nature”. Companies have ten minutes to set their stage, sixty minutes to perform, and ten minutes to strike back to a bare stage. Following each performance the adjudicators publicly critique the performance they have just witnessed.

State and regional festivals have chosen the following productions to perform at AACTFest’05 in Kalamazoo, Michigan:

Acme Theater Productions (Maynard MA) Lonely Planet

The Hard Bargain Players (White Plains, MD) Xphiles Unrequited

River City Family Theatre (Elhart, IN) Nunsense A-men

Manatee Players (Bradenton, FL) Metamorphoses

Delta Center Stage (Green Ville, MS) The Glider

Theatre Cedar Rapids (Cedar Rapids, IA) Boy on Blacktop Road

Slightly Off Center Players (Deer Park, TX) All in the Timing

Bas Bleu Theatre (Fort Collins, Co) Beast on the Moon

Prescott Fine Arts Association (Prescott, AZ) It Had To Be You

Bellingham Theatre Guild (Bellingham, WA) Sons of a Common Mother

Roadside Theater (Armed Forces Europe) Suburb

Festivals are wonderful opportunities to meet new people, see new productions, and learn innumerable things to take back to your own community theatre. It’s not too late to register for the festival at www.kazoocivic.com. WACT News is published quarterly by the Wisconsin Association of Community Theatre for its members and is annually distributed to an expanded list of known community theatre organizations and interested individuals. Publication dates are March, June, September (expanded list) and December.

Volume 3, Number 2 © 2005 Wisconsin Association of Community Theatre

All Rights Reserved

WACT News – June, 2005 -- Page 3

Coming Soon(er than you think)

If you haven't already, mark your calendars for WACTFest 2006. This "off-year" festival/conference will be held in Beaver Dam February 24-26. A full weekend of theatre is being planned, including a special performance of THE COMPLETE WORKS OF

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (abridged) presented by the Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre on Friday night. Saturday will be a day of workshops, adjudicated performances, socializing and networking with other theatre enthusiasts. Sunday we will wrap things up with a business meeting and brunch. The festival will also host the Region III annual meeting. Reserve this weekend now and join us for a great time in Beaver Dam. If your theatre would like to volunteer to perform, or if you would like more information on this event, please contact one of the festival chairs: Carla Gallun (920) 885-3858 4qtsfam@sbcglobal.net Deb Jahnke (920) 356-9811 say.hi2us@charter.net

Mr. Green Goes to Ireland

Members of the Racine

Theatre Guild left Friday, May 27 for the Dundalk International Maytime Festival where they have been invited to present the

full production of "Visiting Mr. Green" written by Jeff

Baron. A "cut" version was presented at the WACT state festival

this past winter, taking home excellence awards in acting and set design. Thanks to the Dundalk Festival sponsors, the Guild will not have to ship its

set (a rather large one consisting of flats, furniture and set dressings), but will have one custom built at the Town Hall Theatre. The two-man play tells the

intense story of a recently widowed, eighty-five year old man and a twenty-nine year old man who become close friends while helping each other with deep, personal problems. Joining the Racine Theatre Guild in Dundalk for the eleven day festival will be ten other companies from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Germany. In addition to the adjudicated festival, each company will present a half-hour, lunch-time entertainment. The Guild's male members are presently rehearsing a series of Broadway melodies under the title of "6 EDJITS FOOSETING AROUND WITH A BROADWAY SONGBOOK." Their renditions are sure to be a great hit, especially with real Guinness in plentiful supply. The Guild company returns to the United States on Monday, June 6.

In Community Theatre there are no

strangers, only friends you haven’t met yet.

Dundalk

WACT News – June, 2005 -- Page 4

On April 8th, the Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa got their act together and took it on the road to represent Wisconsin at the Region III AACTFest in Grosse Pointe Michigan. The troupe didn’t make it past registration before running into old friends and making new ones. Friday night saw everyone gathered at the Fries Auditorium in the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, a beautiful facility on the shore of Lake Erie. The evening progressed with a production of The Laramie Project by the Emerald City Players of Dublin, Ohio and the Elkhart (Indiana) Civic Theatre’s production of Cabin Fever. As would also be the case after Saturday night’s performances, the evening ended with an afterglow at Grosse Pointe Theatre’s rehearsal/production facility a few blocks away. Saturday afternoon the performances continued with Nunsense A-men from the River City Family Theatre of Elkhart, Indiana and Proof by the Rosedale Community Players from Detroit, Michigan. Saturday evening began with the Wisconsin entry of Two Rooms by the Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa and closing out the festival performances was Unveiling presented by Southwest Theatre & Arts Resources from Chicago, Illinois. Sunday morning the awards brunch took place back at the War Memorial Center’s Crystal Ballroom where Nunsense A-men was selected to go on to the national festival.

Word Search L E A D T C O S T U M E H E T Q BL M S C R I P T P A R T Y O C U EI O U I C S C E N E K B L R R R EB O O B L O C K I N G P E F I W RY R S U R O H C N F T W A C T O RA N O X J R U I M H P R S H I O EL E V E R C T T G H C E E L C S GP E T O N H G I H E A A C A S T AZ R L I N E L D O G T G A P F A NO G G U P S T A G E I M O R S R AD I R E C T O R R C A R S C R I MA S F L Y R A I L R P U E K A M EN T O P L A Y R D E W A N G P D GC R S E S K R N O I T I D U A I AE I V F R E S N E L V E N N Y T TR K E A R D T S A E G A E G A T SO E C N E I D U A G O R E V I E W

ACTOR AUDIENCE AUDITION BEER BLOCKING CAST CHORUS COSTUME CREW CRITIC CUE DANCER

DIRECTOR DIVA DRAMA FARCE

FLYRAIL FRESNEL GEL GREENROOM

HIGHNOTE LEAD LIGHTPLOT LINE MAKEUP ORCHESTRA PARTY PIT PLAY PLAYBILL PROPS RAKED REVIEW SCENE SCRIM SCRIPT SET STAGE

STAGEMANAGER STAGERIGHT STAR STRIKE

THEATER TICKETS UPSTAGE WACT WING

Want Ads

Little Shop of Horrors The Redbud Players of Columbus are looking to borrow, rent, or purchase the following props for their fall 2005 production of Little Shop of Horrors:

Dentist Chair Audrey II (all sizes but especially the largest)

If you can help out please contact Carla Gallun at (920) 885-3858 or 4qtsfam@sbcglobal.net

We will publish want ads for any WACT member. Send requests to: ruhllc@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us

Upcoming WACT

Member Productions

May 20-June 12, 2005 The Music Man Racine Theatre Guild June 17-25, 2005 Seussical, The Musical Verona Area Community Theater June 17-26, 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory La Crosse Community Theatre June 21-25, 2005 Seussical, The Musical Eau Claire Children's Theatre

July 8, 10, 15-17, 22-24, 2005 Oliver! Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa July 14-15, 2005 Tales from the Brothers Grimm Eau Claire Children's Theatre July 15-24, 2005 Packer Fans from Outer Space Racine Theatre Guild July 15-31, 2005 The Secret Garden Lake Country Players, Hartland July 26-30, 2005 Oklahoma Eau Claire Children's Theatre

September 9-October 2, 2005 The Affections of May Racine Theatre Guild October 21-30, 2005 The Assassin's New Friend Racine Theatre Guild Nov 25-Dec 18, 2005 Scrooge - The Musical Racine Theatre Guild

January 13-February 5, 2006 Weekend Comedy Racine Theatre Guild February 24-March 19, 2006 The Supporting Cast Racine Theatre Guild

April 21-30, 2006 Anne Frank & Me Racine Theatre Guild May 19-June 11, 2006 Lucky Stiff Racine Theatre Guild

WACT Membership Application Please fill in the information below and mail this form with your check (payable to WACT) to: WACT/LaCrosse Community Theatre P. O. Box 1852 LaCrosse, WI 54602-1852 I have enclosed: $15.00 Individual Dues $50.00 Organizational Dues Name: ____________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip _______________________________________________________________ Home Phone _______________________________________________________________ Cell Phone _________________________________________________________________ Business Phone _____________________________________________________________ E-mail _____________________________________________________________________ Name of Theatre Group _______________________________________________________

President — Bob Kafka2418 N. 111th Street #2Wauwatosa, WI 53226(414) 774-4768bobkafka@execpc.com

Vice-President — Frank Peot1747 Pennsylvania AvenueSun Proairi, WI 53590(608) 837-9179frpoet@aol.com

Secretary — Lynn Ruhl3528 South Toldt CircleMilwaukee, WI 53221(414) 643-0203ruhllc@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us

Treasurer — Dee Baldock6394 Grandview RoadVerona, WI 53593(608) 845-7991dmb@oregon.k12.wi.us

Member at Large — Carla Gallun223 East Maple AvenueBeaver Dam, WI 53916(920) 885-38584qtsfam@sbcglobal.net

Member at Large — Dick Jellings825 Lothe StreetSun Prairie, WI 53590(608) 837-4461Jellineb@chorus.net

Member at Large — Elaine Jellings825 Lothe StreetSun Prairie, WI 53590(608) 837-4461Jellineb@chorus.net

Member at Large — Mark Holten496 Todd StreetVerona, WI 53593(608) 845-6020markholten@tds.net

Executive Secretary — Sandi WeberPO Box 1852La Crosse, WI 54602(608) 784-9292SCWeber@lacrossecommunitytheatre.org

Member at Large — Marie PetersonW11888 Behan RoadColumbus, WI 53925(920) 382-7511mariepeterson1@yahoo.com

Member at Large — Russ Stetler3315 Ruby AvenueRacine, WI 53402(262) 681-9197stetler@wi.net

Member at Large — Jeannie Pitsch1605 Heide LaneMarshfield, WI 54449(715) 387-6535pitsch.jj@verizon.net

2005 WACT Board of DirectorsWisconsin Association of Community TheatrePO Box 1852La Crosse, WI 54602