National KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence and
the Allied Design and Technology Awards
photo by Susan Shaffer
The purpose of the KCACTF presentation and response is to provide outstanding student designers and technicians with the opportunity to showcase their work at regional festival, receive feedback from professionals working in the field, and exhibit their work at the Kennedy Center and USITT. Awards are presented to designs and other allied crafts appraised on the basis of quality, effectiveness, originality, and visual presentation techniques.
Any student may take part in the KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence, KCACTF Allied Design and Technology Award and/or the KCACTF Stage Management Fellowship Program, as long as their school has entered at least one associate or participating entry during the festival year. All entries must have been realized and produced at their home institution. Participants must attend their regional festival, and display the materials and documentation of their design process and execution.
At the time of registration with the Kennedy Center and Regional Chair, entering schools will inform the Regional Chair of any student designers in one or more of the categories. Please be sure to provide contact information, including email, for all student designers.
At the regional festivals, guest designers from outside of the region will respond to the projects of the regional nominees who are present. These guest designers will serve as selection panelists, naming one regional awardee in scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and allied crafts from the regional design entries. These regional award recipients are therefore national finalists in their area. Designs of the national finalists (scenery, costumes, lighting, and sound) will be on display during the KCACTF national festival in Washington, D.C. The national design award panelists will select a single national awardee in scenery, costumes, lighting and sound during the national festival.
National KCACTF awards finalists are eligible for several professional development opportunities that will be announced at the national festival awards ceremony and in the days that follow.
Some recent professional development opportunities are as follows:
1. Award Recipients have attended the National Design Portfolio Review [“the Clambake”] and spent five days on backstage tours, seeing productions, visiting designers in their studios, in production, and in production meetings.
2. Award recipients attended the Prague Quadrennial in 2011.
3. Awards recipients in scenery and costume design may be invited to attend the Kennedy Center 's Summer Intensives in Design Collaboration. This fellowship includes a full tuition grant, per diem, shared lodging, all materials, and travel.
4. Award recipients in lighting, sound and scenery have been be awarded a full scholarships to participate in the O'Neill National Playwrights', Music Theatre, Puppetry and Cabaret Conferences.
5. National Partners of the American Theatre (NAPAT) Design Award: One designer, regardless of area, will be selected by representatives of the National Partners of the American Theatre. The recipient shall receive a week-long fellowship with the Korean based KNUA, fully funded by NAPAT.
6. USITT's publication, Theatre Design And Technology, will publish information on the recipients of the national KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence.
7. National award recipients will be invited to exhibit their design display at the annual USITT Conference.
8. The national finalist for allied design and technology will get a full paid fellowship to attend the USITT Conference and qualify for an eight-week scholarship for the Stagecraft Institute Las Vegas.
Design Entries
A student will present those materials, which most clearly tell the story of the process and evolution of the design.
Supporting materials that have proven most useful include combinations of the following: a design statement in outline form, research images, preliminary sketches, white models, color models, color sketches, drafting including sections, recording of sound cues and manipulations that lead to those compositions, design bibles, story boards,
costume plates, fabric and trim swatches, costume plot, cue synopsis, production photographs, tracking sheets, and the like. This is in no way meant to be a definitive list.
Choose elements that best articulate and document the conceptual approach and process.
General Information on the KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence Design and Allied Design and Technology Awards
Any student may take part in the KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence, KCACTF Allied Design and Technology Award and/or the KCACTF Stage Management Fellowship Program, as long as their school has entered at least one associate or participating entry during the festival year. All entries must have been realized and produced at their home institution. Participants must attend their regional festival, and display their supporting materials and documentation.
The designer is responsible for developing a suitable method of shipping or delivering their design to and from the regional festival, including providing the appropriate mailing and insurance charges. Should they become a national awards finalist, the designer is also responsible for shipping their design to the national festival, including providing the appropriate mailing and insurance charges. The Kennedy Center will cover the costs of shipping the projects home after the national festival.
A selection panel of guest designers, from outside of the region will respond to the work of all regional nominees who are present at their regional festival, in a public forum. One regional awardee (National KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence and Allied Design and Technology finalists) will be named in each area (scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and allied crafts).
One regional award recipient – a national finalist – in each area (scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and allied crafts) will be announced at the regional festival. National finalists in scenery, costumes, lighting and sound will be invited to exhibit their design display, and will attend, the national festival in Washington, D.C in April. Each Allied Design and Technology regional award recipient will be invited to exhibit their design display and attend the annual USITT Conference.
KCACTF will provide national KCACTF awards finalists with up to five days in residence in Washington DC for master classes, professional development opportunities and response to their award-winning design. Round-trip travel, shared hotel accommodations and per diem for the period of national festival is provided.
KCACTF will provide national KCACTF Allied Design and Technology award recipients with travel, conference fees, shared hotel accommodations and per diem for the period of the annual USITT conference.
Attendance at the national festival is not mandatory; however, many of the awards mentioned above are determined by participation and contributions in workshops and master classes while at the national festival. Faculty mentors are welcome to observe the national design response session. Faculty mentors and other guests are not able to observe other workshops or master classes held during the national festival week.
Please see the “What Next?” page for further information on the national festival.
National KCACTF awards will be selected at the national festival, by national design respondent/s, solely on the basis of the response session for the submitted design and documentation of the relevant production.
National KCACTF awards finalists are invited to bring their portfolio to the national festival at the Kennedy Center. National KCACTF Allied Design and Technology awards recipients are welcome to bring their portfolio to the USITT conference. National design respondents and other guest artists examine portfolios and give feedback to the students’ bodies of work. However, portfolio material may not be presented until after the national KCACTF Awards recipients have been selected; the contents of the portfolio shall have no bearing on the selection of the national awards.
Please see Suggested Format for All Design Exhibits and What Next? Documents for further information.
Regulations and Procedures for the KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence
1. Any student may take part in the KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence, KCACTF Allied Design and Technology Award and/or the KCACTF Stage Management Fellowship Program, as long as their school has entered at least one associate or participating entry during the festival year. All entries must have been realized and produced at their home institution.
2. Only bona fide students are eligible for this award. A bona fide student is:
a) an undergraduate student who is registered for a minimum of six semester hours or nine quarter hours at the time of production;
b) a graduate student who is enrolled for three semester or four quarter hours at the time of production;
c) a continuing part-time student who is enrolled in a regular degree program at the time of production.
3. Regional nominees must attend their regional festival, and display their realized designs and the process documentation to be eligible for KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence.
4. The designer is responsible for developing a suitable method of shipping or delivering their design to and from the regional festival, including providing the appropriate mailing and insurance charges.
5. The timely delivery of such materials will be determined by the host of the regional festival. Alternatively, most regions may require that students bring their materials in person to the design exhibit space at a specifically scheduled time.
6. The complete design presentation normally is presented on a vertical surface. When size limitations require xerographic reduction of materials presented in scale, such out-of-scale reduction should be noted. Each region shall determine its own specific requirements as to space and presentation at their regional festival. Please check with individual regions for specifications and restrictions.
7. Should a regional KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence nominee move on to the national festival in Washington, D.C. as a national finalist, an approximate space of 24 sq. feet, including a table surface, is normally provided to each regional student.
8. Production photographs are very effective in documenting your design. At least three 8” x 10” color are recommended. Please note, inkjet prints on quality photo glossy paper are more effective than photos printed on regular stock paper.
Regulations and Procedures for the KCACTF Allied Design and Technology Award
1. The Award will be open to students who have completed major design or technology projects in areas including (but not limited to) makeup, projection, properties, millinery, masks, tech, wigs, scenic art, draping & tailoring, technical direction, puppets, special effects, costume craft, audio engineering, etc. as long as their school has entered at least one associate or participating entry during the festival year. All entries must have been realized and produced at their home institution.
2. Only bona fide students are eligible for this award. A bona fide student is:
a) an undergraduate student who is registered for a minimum of six semester hours or nine quarter hours at the time of production;
b) a graduate student who is enrolled for three semester or four quarter hours at the time of production;
c) a continuing part-time student who is enrolled in a regular degree program at the time of production.
3. Regional nominees must attend their regional festival, and display their realized designs and documentation, in order to be eligible for KCACTF Allied Design And Technology Awards.
4. The designer is responsible for developing a suitable method of shipping or delivering their design to and from the regional festival, including providing the appropriate mailing and insurance charges.
5. The timely delivery of such materials will be determined by the host of the regional festival. Alternatively, most regions may require that students bring their materials in person to the design exhibit space at a specifically scheduled time.
6. The complete design presentation normally is presented on a vertical surface. When size limitations require xerographic reduction of materials presented in scale, such out-of-scale reduction should be noted. Each region shall determine its own specific requirements as to space and presentation at their regional festival. Please check with individual regions for specifications and restrictions.
7. Should a regional KCACTF Allied Design and Technology Award, nominee move on to the national USITT Conference as a national finalist, an approximate space of 24 sq. feet, including wall shelves, is normally provided to each regional award recipient.
8. Process steps are very effective to illustrate technique and know-how. Production photographs are very effective in documenting your design. At least three 8” x 10” color are recommended. Please note, inkjet prints on quality photo glossy paper are more effective than photos printed on regular stock paper.
Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Awards For Excellence in Technology and Design
The Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas has partnered with KCACTF to award students from each region a one-week master class in the area of their choice. SILV classes may include Computer Drafting, Computer Modeling, Rigging, Automation, Props & SFX, Sound, Makeup & Masks, Wigs, Lighting Technology, Patterning, Projections & Video, and Moving Lights.
Each award includes a full tuition grant, housing, daily breakfast and lunch. Transportation is not included.
Regional Internships
At each regional festival, a team of theatre design and technology respondents will select a student exhibiting outstanding achievement in their area of allied theatre technology, crafts or design as the award recipient.
KCACTF Allied Design and Technology SILV Award
At each national USITT conference, a team of theatre design and technology respondents will select a student exhibiting outstanding achievement in their area of allied theatre technology, crafts or design as the award recipient of an eight-week scholarship with SILV.
For questions regarding Design, Technology and Management, contact Gweneth West (National Chair, Design, Technology and Management) at [email protected]
Any student may take part in the KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence, KCACTF Allied Design and Technology Award and/or the KCACTF Stage Management Fellowship Program, as long as their school has entered at least one associate or participating entry during the festival year. All entries must have been realized and produced at their home institution. Participants must attend their regional festival, and display the materials and documentation of their design process and execution.
At the time of registration with the Kennedy Center and Regional Chair, entering schools will inform the Regional Chair of any student designers in one or more of the categories. Please be sure to provide contact information, including email, for all student designers.
At the regional festivals, guest designers from outside of the region will respond to the projects of the regional nominees who are present. These guest designers will serve as selection panelists, naming one regional awardee in scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and allied crafts from the regional design entries. These regional award recipients are therefore national finalists in their area. Designs of the national finalists (scenery, costumes, lighting, and sound) will be on display during the KCACTF national festival in Washington, D.C. The national design award panelists will select a single national awardee in scenery, costumes, lighting and sound during the national festival.
National KCACTF awards finalists are eligible for several professional development opportunities that will be announced at the national festival awards ceremony and in the days that follow.
Some recent professional development opportunities are as follows:
1. Award Recipients have attended the National Design Portfolio Review [“the Clambake”] and spent five days on backstage tours, seeing productions, visiting designers in their studios, in production, and in production meetings.
2. Award recipients attended the Prague Quadrennial in 2011.
3. Awards recipients in scenery and costume design may be invited to attend the Kennedy Center 's Summer Intensives in Design Collaboration. This fellowship includes a full tuition grant, per diem, shared lodging, all materials, and travel.
4. Award recipients in lighting, sound and scenery have been be awarded a full scholarships to participate in the O'Neill National Playwrights', Music Theatre, Puppetry and Cabaret Conferences.
5. National Partners of the American Theatre (NAPAT) Design Award: One designer, regardless of area, will be selected by representatives of the National Partners of the American Theatre. The recipient shall receive a week-long fellowship with the Korean based KNUA, fully funded by NAPAT.
6. USITT's publication, Theatre Design And Technology, will publish information on the recipients of the national KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence.
7. National award recipients will be invited to exhibit their design display at the annual USITT Conference.
8. The national finalist for allied design and technology will get a full paid fellowship to attend the USITT Conference and qualify for an eight-week scholarship for the Stagecraft Institute Las Vegas.
Design Entries
A student will present those materials, which most clearly tell the story of the process and evolution of the design.
Supporting materials that have proven most useful include combinations of the following: a design statement in outline form, research images, preliminary sketches, white models, color models, color sketches, drafting including sections, recording of sound cues and manipulations that lead to those compositions, design bibles, story boards,
costume plates, fabric and trim swatches, costume plot, cue synopsis, production photographs, tracking sheets, and the like. This is in no way meant to be a definitive list.
Choose elements that best articulate and document the conceptual approach and process.
General Information on the KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence Design and Allied Design and Technology Awards
Any student may take part in the KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence, KCACTF Allied Design and Technology Award and/or the KCACTF Stage Management Fellowship Program, as long as their school has entered at least one associate or participating entry during the festival year. All entries must have been realized and produced at their home institution. Participants must attend their regional festival, and display their supporting materials and documentation.
The designer is responsible for developing a suitable method of shipping or delivering their design to and from the regional festival, including providing the appropriate mailing and insurance charges. Should they become a national awards finalist, the designer is also responsible for shipping their design to the national festival, including providing the appropriate mailing and insurance charges. The Kennedy Center will cover the costs of shipping the projects home after the national festival.
A selection panel of guest designers, from outside of the region will respond to the work of all regional nominees who are present at their regional festival, in a public forum. One regional awardee (National KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence and Allied Design and Technology finalists) will be named in each area (scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and allied crafts).
One regional award recipient – a national finalist – in each area (scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and allied crafts) will be announced at the regional festival. National finalists in scenery, costumes, lighting and sound will be invited to exhibit their design display, and will attend, the national festival in Washington, D.C in April. Each Allied Design and Technology regional award recipient will be invited to exhibit their design display and attend the annual USITT Conference.
KCACTF will provide national KCACTF awards finalists with up to five days in residence in Washington DC for master classes, professional development opportunities and response to their award-winning design. Round-trip travel, shared hotel accommodations and per diem for the period of national festival is provided.
KCACTF will provide national KCACTF Allied Design and Technology award recipients with travel, conference fees, shared hotel accommodations and per diem for the period of the annual USITT conference.
Attendance at the national festival is not mandatory; however, many of the awards mentioned above are determined by participation and contributions in workshops and master classes while at the national festival. Faculty mentors are welcome to observe the national design response session. Faculty mentors and other guests are not able to observe other workshops or master classes held during the national festival week.
Please see the “What Next?” page for further information on the national festival.
National KCACTF awards will be selected at the national festival, by national design respondent/s, solely on the basis of the response session for the submitted design and documentation of the relevant production.
National KCACTF awards finalists are invited to bring their portfolio to the national festival at the Kennedy Center. National KCACTF Allied Design and Technology awards recipients are welcome to bring their portfolio to the USITT conference. National design respondents and other guest artists examine portfolios and give feedback to the students’ bodies of work. However, portfolio material may not be presented until after the national KCACTF Awards recipients have been selected; the contents of the portfolio shall have no bearing on the selection of the national awards.
Please see Suggested Format for All Design Exhibits and What Next? Documents for further information.
Regulations and Procedures for the KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence
1. Any student may take part in the KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence, KCACTF Allied Design and Technology Award and/or the KCACTF Stage Management Fellowship Program, as long as their school has entered at least one associate or participating entry during the festival year. All entries must have been realized and produced at their home institution.
2. Only bona fide students are eligible for this award. A bona fide student is:
a) an undergraduate student who is registered for a minimum of six semester hours or nine quarter hours at the time of production;
b) a graduate student who is enrolled for three semester or four quarter hours at the time of production;
c) a continuing part-time student who is enrolled in a regular degree program at the time of production.
3. Regional nominees must attend their regional festival, and display their realized designs and the process documentation to be eligible for KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence.
4. The designer is responsible for developing a suitable method of shipping or delivering their design to and from the regional festival, including providing the appropriate mailing and insurance charges.
5. The timely delivery of such materials will be determined by the host of the regional festival. Alternatively, most regions may require that students bring their materials in person to the design exhibit space at a specifically scheduled time.
6. The complete design presentation normally is presented on a vertical surface. When size limitations require xerographic reduction of materials presented in scale, such out-of-scale reduction should be noted. Each region shall determine its own specific requirements as to space and presentation at their regional festival. Please check with individual regions for specifications and restrictions.
7. Should a regional KCACTF Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence nominee move on to the national festival in Washington, D.C. as a national finalist, an approximate space of 24 sq. feet, including a table surface, is normally provided to each regional student.
8. Production photographs are very effective in documenting your design. At least three 8” x 10” color are recommended. Please note, inkjet prints on quality photo glossy paper are more effective than photos printed on regular stock paper.
Regulations and Procedures for the KCACTF Allied Design and Technology Award
1. The Award will be open to students who have completed major design or technology projects in areas including (but not limited to) makeup, projection, properties, millinery, masks, tech, wigs, scenic art, draping & tailoring, technical direction, puppets, special effects, costume craft, audio engineering, etc. as long as their school has entered at least one associate or participating entry during the festival year. All entries must have been realized and produced at their home institution.
2. Only bona fide students are eligible for this award. A bona fide student is:
a) an undergraduate student who is registered for a minimum of six semester hours or nine quarter hours at the time of production;
b) a graduate student who is enrolled for three semester or four quarter hours at the time of production;
c) a continuing part-time student who is enrolled in a regular degree program at the time of production.
3. Regional nominees must attend their regional festival, and display their realized designs and documentation, in order to be eligible for KCACTF Allied Design And Technology Awards.
4. The designer is responsible for developing a suitable method of shipping or delivering their design to and from the regional festival, including providing the appropriate mailing and insurance charges.
5. The timely delivery of such materials will be determined by the host of the regional festival. Alternatively, most regions may require that students bring their materials in person to the design exhibit space at a specifically scheduled time.
6. The complete design presentation normally is presented on a vertical surface. When size limitations require xerographic reduction of materials presented in scale, such out-of-scale reduction should be noted. Each region shall determine its own specific requirements as to space and presentation at their regional festival. Please check with individual regions for specifications and restrictions.
7. Should a regional KCACTF Allied Design and Technology Award, nominee move on to the national USITT Conference as a national finalist, an approximate space of 24 sq. feet, including wall shelves, is normally provided to each regional award recipient.
8. Process steps are very effective to illustrate technique and know-how. Production photographs are very effective in documenting your design. At least three 8” x 10” color are recommended. Please note, inkjet prints on quality photo glossy paper are more effective than photos printed on regular stock paper.
Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Awards For Excellence in Technology and Design
The Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas has partnered with KCACTF to award students from each region a one-week master class in the area of their choice. SILV classes may include Computer Drafting, Computer Modeling, Rigging, Automation, Props & SFX, Sound, Makeup & Masks, Wigs, Lighting Technology, Patterning, Projections & Video, and Moving Lights.
Each award includes a full tuition grant, housing, daily breakfast and lunch. Transportation is not included.
Regional Internships
At each regional festival, a team of theatre design and technology respondents will select a student exhibiting outstanding achievement in their area of allied theatre technology, crafts or design as the award recipient.
KCACTF Allied Design and Technology SILV Award
At each national USITT conference, a team of theatre design and technology respondents will select a student exhibiting outstanding achievement in their area of allied theatre technology, crafts or design as the award recipient of an eight-week scholarship with SILV.
For questions regarding Design, Technology and Management, contact Gweneth West (National Chair, Design, Technology and Management) at [email protected]