2001 AACT NATIONAL FESTIVAL
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
June 27 - 29

Entries
Schedule
Workshops
Photos
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What an incredible week of community theater! Eleven shows in four days! It was a thrill to be chosen to go to the National Festival in the first place, and then quite an honor to be in such a gathering of talented theater companies. Unfortunately, we didn't place in the top three, but Victoria Lutz (who played the Susie, the nurse) won an Outstanding Achievement in Acting award. On her web site, Vicki said she accepted the award ". . like a deer in the headlights that night! I was just overwhelmed to say the least... I really didn't expect it, and I can't wait to see how the pictures came out of me trembling as I accepted it! I am . . grateful to have worked with such a talented director/professional actor [Scott Fults]. He gave me notes after every performance, and without his observations, I don't think I would have ever understood how to act with a purpose!"

Dane did an incredible job of setting and focusing the lights and working with the house crew to program the lighting board in the 80 minutes we were given to setup beforehand. Nick Credgington from Department of Army Entertainment office coordinated our stay and provided all of us with embroidered polo shirts, as well as outstanding logistical support (hotels, transportation, on-site coordination, etc -- thanks Nick and Machelle for all the driving and schlepping!). Harriet Rice, Army MWR Public Affairs Office, was on hand to record official photos and interviews.

Steve Hocker of Hill-Rom medical equipment supplies delivered the promised hospital bed and gurney on time directly to the theater (brand new - still in the box!), and Kim Payne, Public Relations director of Pinnacle Health Systems and the Harrisburg Hospital rode in our van from clinic to clinic around town to pull the other items we needed (wheelchair, IV pole, stool, etc). Outstanding support and partnership. Thanks to everyone!

Throughout the week, we were approached by other festival-goers in the hallways and elevators with positive comments about our production, and saying that they were truly moved by it. We thank you all for making it a point to share that with us!.

The AACT Board also presented Jim Sohre with The Distinguished Merit Award for "recognition of contributions made to promote and develop the highests standards for community theatre." Jim is the Entertainment Director for US Forces music and theater programs throughout Europe, providing guidance, training, and assistance to programs from England to Italy and beyond. He has been a long-time volunteer director at Roadside, directing most of our musicals in the past few years, and most recently directing the American community theater premiere of "Les Miserables." Jim was quoted as saying "To paraphrase a prior Army slogan, we need every person's contribution to become 'all that we can be.' And when our friends and neighbors come to view our team effort, we have the privilege of transporting them on that journey, too. Community theatre has that ability, to bind people, to allow them to connect, to free their spirit from the constraints of everyday life."

We'll add more pictures, comments, and interviews soon!

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Festival Entries
REGION 1
“Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris”
by Eric Blau & Mort Suhman
Concord Players
Marlene Mandel, President
P.O. Box 22
Concord, MA
01742-0022
978-369-2990
marleneman@aol.com
www.concordplayers.org

REGION 2
“Scooter Thomas Makes It to the Top of the World”
by Peter Parnell
Nikolette Adams, Director
nadams@elliman.com
Burlington County Footlighters
Robert Miller, Treasurer
808 Pomona Rd.
Cinnaminson, NJ
info@bcfootlighters.com
www.bcfootlighters.com

REGION 3
"Quilters"
by Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek
Clio Cast and Crew, Inc .
Clio, MI

REGION 4a
“Fool for Love”
by Sam Shepard
Venice Little Theatre
Murray Chase, Managing Director
140 Tampa Ave.
W. Venice, FL 34285-1796
vltamd@aol.com
www.venicestage.com

REGION 4b
“The Beauty Queen if Leenane”
by Martin McDonagh
Haywood Arts Repertory Theater
Steven Lloyd, Executive Director
P.O. Box 1024
Waynesville, NC 28786-1024
Hartthea@brinet.com
http://members.nbci.com/harttheatre/

REGION 5
"W;t"
by Margaret Edson
Salina Community Theater, Kansas
http://www.salinatheatre.com/
staff@salinatheatre.com

REGION 6
"Over The River and Through The Woods"
by Joe DiPietro
Carpenter Square Theatre
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
http://www.geocities.com/~cstweb/index.htm

REGION 7
“All in the Timing”
by David Ives
Evergreen Players
Molly Epstein, Administrator
P.O. Box 1271
Evergreen, CO 80437-1271
mbepstein@aol.com

REGION 8
“Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You”
by Christopher Durang
Patio Community Theatre
Susan Guffy, Director (Treasurer)
1770 Iris Way
Escondido, CA 92027
guffys@tiora.com

REGION 9
"Pinocchio"
adapted with lyrics by Jim Eiler, music by Jim Eiler and Jeanne Bargy
Spokane Children's Theater
Spokane, Washington

REGION 10
“W;t” by Margaret Edson
Roadside Theater
Dane Winters, Artistic Director
CMR 419, Box 1636
APO, AE 09102-9245
info@roadsidetheater.com
www.roadsidetheater.com

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The Harrisburg Schedule

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The Harrisburg Workshops

Acting Workshops
"Meisner and Mamet: Practical Acting Techniques"
"Don't Forget To Duck: Safe Stage Violence"
"Improvisation for the Actor"
"Movement for the Actor"

Artistic Director Workshops
"Pulling out the Performance: non-traditional audition/rehearsal techniques for the Director"
"How to Block a Script"
"Taking a Stab at Bill"
"Auditioning The Actor, Not the Role"
"No More Two Left Feet: Choreography for the Non-Dancer"

Technical Workshops
"Killer Sets on a Budget"
"Costuming to Design"

Administrative Workshops
"Governance of Non-Profits"
"To Compute or Not Compute - Online Ticketing Services"
"How To Get The Most Out of Your Website"
""In-Kind Money: The Theatre's Underground Economy"
"Milking Your Marketing Dollars So Hard They Moo"
"Co-Productions: How Community Theaters Can Prosper Through Strategic Collaborations"
"Friendraising: a Prologue to Fundraising"
"Resources for Musical Theatre"

Programming
"Theatre On The Road - theatre outreach programs for your community"
"Theatre Trips for Fun and Profit"
"Playwriting Demystified"
"New Trends in Senior Theatre - how to begin and maintain a senior theatre program"

Adjutication Master Class

Fundraising Workshop

Sorties
Gettysburg Civil War Tour
Lancaster Amish Tour
Susquehana Riverboat Cruise
Pub Crawl
Hershey Tour

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