Prepared by KCACTF Region VIII Irene Ryan Coordinator, Eve Himmelheber
The INTENT TO PARTICIPATE form is the one you fill out and send to Eve Himmelheber so that she knows you are participating in the Ryans and can schedule you accordingly. We are only asking for the first round title this year in order to save us all a lot of work - the 32 semifinalists will have to call Eve with their titles once that round is announced...so no need to verify them before that time.
The ONLINE REGISTRATION form is for the Festival - you have to pay this fee to participate in all the wonderful opportunities at festival, including the Ryans. Think of it as your one-price-includes-all fee. The link is called “Online Registration” and is located on this page: http://kcactf-8.org/festival.html
That page also has a link to the Festival XLI information page, where you'll find more info on all the various activities offered at festival.
The RIGHTS REQUEST form is only to be used if any of a scene or monologue you have chosen is NOT covered by the blanket agreements the Kennedy Center has made with all the major licensing houses. You must ensure that you are legally able to present the material you choose - the steps to determine this can be found online at the Rights Information Page (instructions immediately below).
Rights Information Page:
http://www.kcactf.org/
1. Click “Students” (at the bottom)
2. Click “Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions” (on the left)
3. Click on “Royalty Information” (on the left)
There you will find all the major publishers' agreements with the Kennedy Center.
How to find who holds the rights to a play/musical, and whether or not you can use it in the festival?:
1. Ascertain rights holding company: To find the publisher of a particular play, go to the following website: www.findaplay.com
If not listed there, search it by AUTHOR, too (often one company will represent all of one playwright's titles).
If not able to ascertain by author search, then look in the book itself (credits page, like what you would use to cite it on a research paper).
If not able to ascertain by credits page, Google it. Often, an older title will be included in an anthology, bought by a major house, etc. Many anothologies of plays, such as The Actors' Theatre of Louisville and the Off-Off Broadway Festival Plays series, will be available through a major house.
2. Verify that company's agreement with the Kennedy Center: On the Rights Information Page (see the links to follow above), follow the instructions specific to that company. If the play you have selected is handled by an agency not listed on the KC website, you MUST contact that agent to secure written permission to perform your selection using the Rights Request form (again, this is ONLY if the show you are using is NOT covered already through the Kennedy Center):
1. Download form from http://www.kcactf-8.org/Actors.html
2. “Save” to your computer/disk
3. Fill in the blanks as instructed
4. “Save as” the name of the piece (so your information is saved)
5. Print it out and fax it or mail it (slower); OR submit as an email attachment - you can research most of these companies online to find their permissions contact info
6. Follow up with a phone call if you have not received a response in a reasonable amount of time.
EUROPEAN TITLES: Methuen, Samuel French (Europe), etc.
Often, new works premiering in London have not yet been licensed in the United States, and hence you must send the RIGHTS REQUEST form to the company in Europe that holds the rights to secure written permission. You should check online at SamuelFrench.com first - sometimes they have already secured the property for release here in the States.
IF YOUR PIECE IS NOT COVERED BY THE KENNEDY CENTER BLANKET AGREEMENTS, you CANNOT perform the piece in your audition WITHOUT submitting WRITTEN PERMISSION from the rights holding company PRIOR to using the piece in your audition. There will be no exceptions offered to this rule.
Nominees, you must first confer with your faculty advisor on choice of material, rights information, etc. Then, if you are really having difficulty ascertaining the rights holding company, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Looking forward to meeting you all at the festival,
Eve Himmelheber
Region VIII KCACTF Irene Ryan Coordinator
(714) 743-8317
