One student director (either graduate or undergraduate) from each of the eight regions will be invited to participate in the National KCACTF Festival at the Kennedy Center each April. These student directors will each be assigned one of the eight student-written ten-minute plays which were selected as the regional winners in that program. Each student director will spend the week directing a READING of one of these ten-minute plays, including auditioning and casting from a pool of National Irene Ryan Scholarship finalists and partners, and working closely with the student playwright of their script, as well as being supervised by a faculty directing mentor. All of these eight ten-minute plays will be presented in public readings, and this performance will serve, in part, as one of the National KCACTF performances at the Kennedy Center. The student directing fellows will also participate in workshops, and be able to attend other performances during the National Festival.
This award includes travel, lodging and per diem expenses, as well as attendance at KCACTF National Festival workshops and performances.
SSD&C
In May 2004, the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers (SSD&C) unanimously approved a proposal to create an award for KCACTF student directors.
They award SSD&C Associate membership plus one year of dues to each of the regions' student directors being sent to the Kennedy Center for the National KCACTF Festival.
One of the eight National finalists will be awarded a Scholarship to attend The Collaborative Process Summer Intensive as a director-in-residence.
The award began during the 2005 festival cycle. Each region will continue to select their own student director, but it is recommended and requested that -- whenever possible -- a member of SSD&C is involved in the process, and -- whenever possible -- an SSD&C member is invited to the Festival as a guest artist.
Nomination and Application
- A student director can be nominated by a faculty member at the student's Region VIII school.Each nominee must have directed a show that was entered in KCACTF as either a Participating or Associate production during the previous year. A Faculty member making a nomination should use the STUDENT DIRECTOR NOMINATION FORM which must be sent by December 7th.
- The Regional screening committee will review the applications, as well as the comments of the Regional Respondent to the show, and will select one or two Regional Finalists from each of the seven circuits within Region VIII.
- Finalists will be invited to interview at Festival. In addition, each candidate may be given a directing exercise or assignment at Festival.
- Finalists will need to bring to Festival:
- a letter of recommendation from their supervising faculty member
- a brief concept statement for the production.
- supporting material such as production photos and examples of script analysis (i.e. the director's script.)
- Based upon the interview, review of submitted materials, and observation of each finalist's handling of Festival activities and/or assignments, the Regional Selection Committee will select a National Finalist. The National Finalist will be invited to the National Festival at the Kennedy Center in April where he/she will work on a new play in the10-minute play festival under the supervision of a faculty director who specializes in new play development. (The student's experience with new plays, while not a requirement, will be a consideration of the selection committee.)
