JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Bimonthly Newsletter of Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc. www.setc.org

Registration: www.setc.org/register

To celebrate SETC’s 70th anniversary, we’re inviting members and friends of SETC to tell their stories at “How SETC Has Helped Me!” We’re also sharing 70 fascinating facts about SETC on our website.

Have you sent your SETC story yet? Here’s what Jef Canter, AEA-SG/AFTRA actor, who recently appeared in CBS’s Bull, had to say: “My first auditions at SETC were a great success for me. The opportunity to see 60-plus companies at once was wonderful... I received interest from five companies and as a result... I booked my first professional theatre job. SETC will be on my schedule for years to come...”

Did you know these fascinating facts about SETC?

2019 SETC Convention l Feb. 27 - March 3 l Knoxville, TN

Please join us in Knoxville for the

70th annual SETC Convention!

Online Registration Deadline:

Jan. 22, 2019

Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc.

Tituss Burgess, who has won critical acclaim as Titus Andromedon in Netflix’s popular series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, got

his start at SETC in 2000 and returned a decade later as a keynote speaker at the SETC Convention in Lexington, KY.

SETC was a leader in uniting the races in the Southeast, electing a black man, Dr. Thomas E. Poag, as its second president in 1951. SETC was incorporated during the term of SETC’s first female president, Ann Stahlman Hill, in 1963.

CONTENTS

SETC CONVENTION: 70th AnniversaryPage 1

PlaywritingPages 2-3

High SchoolsPage 4

Teachers InstitutePage 5

ProfessionalsPages 6-7

Member SpotlightPage 8

Theatre SymposiumPage 9

State ConventionsPages 10-12

Theatre and FamiliesPage 13

2019-20 OfficersPage 14

SETC Consults!Page 15

MiscellaneousPage 16

NEWS SUBMISSIONS

Deanna Thompson, Editordeanna@setc.org

SETC CONVENTION: PLAYWRITING

www.setc.org January / February 2019 2

More info: www.setc.org/upcomingMore info: www.setc.org/ready-to-publish

Have a play you’re readying for publication? Get inside advice from Stage Rights President Roger Bean and other experts at the SETC Convention.

Saturday, 12 - 12:50 p.m.I Wrote a Play! So Now What?Presenter: Roger Bean (Stage Rights)Details: Learn ways to give legs to your play. What happens after closing night? Get to know the ins and outs of touring, publishing and licensing.

Friday, 4:30 - 5:45 p.m.Making a Small Musical: From Page to StagePresenters: Roger Bean (Stage Rights),Gayla Morgan (A Dog Story, The Musical), Michael Roberts, Charlie Schulman (Goldstein: A Musical About Family), Jonathan Brielle (Himself and Nora) Details: Writers of intimate Off-Broadway musicals share their creative processes and how they took their ideas from page to stage.

Don’t Miss Readings of the Winning 2018 and 2019 PlaysThe 2019 SETC Convention in Knoxville, TN, will feature readings of the 2018 and 2019 winners of the Ready to Publish Award.

Thursday, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.2018 Ready to Publish Award winner readingAnthropology Lesson, by J. Harvey StoneAnthropology Lesson explores the lives of “roommates” Thomas and Douglas during the summer of 1969. The men have spent the last 13 years building a life together, until an unexpected late-night visitor interrupts Douglas’ first night home after a weekend away.

This year, 279 playwrights – the highest number yet – submitted entries for the Ready to Publish Award sponsored by SETC and Stage Rights. Ten finalists have been chosen, and one lucky winner will be announced Jan. 22, 2019, via social media and on the SETC website.

The winner will receive a $400 royalty advance and the opportunity to have their play read at the 2019 SETC Convention, published in the Stage Rights catalog of plays and musicals, and prominently displayed in final published form in the Stage Rights booth at the 2020 SETC Convention. The winner also will receive 2019 convention registration.

Stage Rights, one of the leading independent theatrical publishers in the United States, teamed with SETC beginning in 2016 to offer this award, dedicated to developing, publishing and licensing new works by members of the SETC community.

Finalists for the 2019 Ready to Publish AwardThe Girl Who Would be King, by Jen O’ConnorChore Monkeys, by Patrick GabridgePillar of Salt, by Samuel LevitNeil Simon’s Last Hit, by Jack FeldsteinIf, by Megg WardOpen Meeting Closed, by Michael PerlmutterGreenville Tomorrow, by Chris WidneyCasting the Beverlys, by Jean Hartley SiddenDisposable Necessities, by Neil McGowanRev, by Rachel Bykowski

Friday, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.2019 Ready to Publish Award winner readingWinning Play and Playwright TBA on Jan. 22, 2019

Finalists Named in Ready to Publish Award Competition

ss

2019 SETC CONVENTION: PLAYWRITING

www.setc.org

More info: www.setc.org/getchell

Mark Cornell, a writer living in Chapel Hill, NC, was “surprised, shocked, honored, thrilled, and certain that Joe Frost, the committee chair, had emailed ‘congratulations’ by mistake” when he received notice that his play The Other Half had won SETC’s 2019 Charles M. Getchell Award.

“After I responded to Joe with a huge thanks, I was certain he was going to write back and say, ‘I’m sorry, Mark, there’s been an error. I typed your name and your play’s name in the email when I meant another playwright and another play altogether. Oops!’” Cornell says. “But, weirdly, he didn’t do that.”

Now that his win has sunk in a bit, Cornell is looking forward to attending the SETC Convention in Knoxville, TN, where The Other Half will receive a reading on Friday, March 1,

Charles M. Getchell Award

Mark Cornell Explores the Bonds of Twins in The Other Half

January / February 2019 3

Could You Be SETC’s Next Getchell Award

Winner?

Scripts are accepted from March 1 until June 1.Details: www.setc.org/getchell-new-play-contest

The Other Half is a love story that jumps backward and forward in time. It centers around a tough, but damaged young woman and her relationship to identical twins, one of whom she falls in love with.

“I’m an identical twin, and I haven’t written about it much,” says Cornell. “I did write a short play about a doppelgänger, but this play was my first major attempt to write a play about what it’s like being an identical twin, and how love can be tricky all the way around when twins who are close get involved with other people.”.

About the Play

at 7 p.m. (Check your convention program for the location.)

An accomplished writer who earned a BA in English and an MFA in playwriting from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Cornell has had more than 75 plays produced in theatres around the world. Plays include Sprucehaven B (Frigid Fest, NYC), Two Turtle Doves (Common Ground Theatre), On Pine Knoll Street (winner of AACT NewPlayFest 2020), Bad Thing, Story Road, Theater More Like Baseball and All the Answers.

He also has written screenplays and made some short films. “I got interested in film back in grad school at UCLA when I was in the playwriting program,” he says. “I recently started a partnership with my friend Mark Jantzen called Marked Men Films. We hope to make a feature in the next year. We make all our movies with an iPhone using an app called FiLMiC Pro. Incredible what these phones can do.”

Mark Cornell

Kristin Wright, a recent graduate of Greensboro College with a degree in theatre and concentrations in stage management and directing, is excited to have the opportunity to oversee this year’s High School Theatre Festival as production manager. “I’m looking forward to working with the high school students,” she says. Currently an office assistant in the SETC Central Office, Kristin previously worked as an assistant stage manager and assistant director at Greensboro’s Triad Stage and helped manage North Carolina’s High School Play Festival as an intern with the North Carolina Theatre Conference.

2019 SETC CONVENTION: HIGH SCHOOLS

www.setc.org

More info: www.setc.org/convention

Meet Kristin Wright,Production Manager for the High School Theatre Festival

January / February 2019 4

Have a Group Attending the High School Festival?

Non-Members of SETC Need TicketsAnyone who is registered to attend the SETC Convention may watch performances in the SETC High School Theatre Festival, which will be held at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium. However, friends and family of festival participants and the general public need to purchase tickets. There are two blocks of performances (10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and 5 - 10 p.m.) on both Thursday, Feb. 28, and Friday, March 1. Tickets are $20 for one block (five shows) and may be purchased on-site.

Accademia dell’Arte Actors Studio Drama School at Pace UniversityAlma College AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts American Academy of Dramatic Arts Arcadia University Atlantic Acting School Auburn University Auburn University Montgomery Austin Peay State University Averett University Belhaven University Belmont University California University of Pennsylvania Carnegie Mellon Chattanooga State Professional Actor Training Program Clemson University College of Charleston Columbia College Chicago Dell’Arte Interna- tional School of Physical TheatreEast Tennessee State University

Emory & Henry College Florida School of the Arts Florida Southern College Florida State University Furman University Gainesville Theatre Alliance George Mason University Georgia Southern University Greensboro CollegeHigh Point University Hollins University Illinois Wesleyan University Indiana University Jacksonville University KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts Kent State University LaGrange College Lees-McRae College Lee University Limestone College Lipscomb University Long Island U/Post Louisiana State University Marshall University Michael Howard Studios Midwestern State University

Milligan College Mississippi State University Mississippi University for Women, The Murray State University Neighborhood Playhouse New York Film Academy North Greenville University Northern Illinois UniversityNova Southeastern University Ohio University Ohio State University Oklahoma City University Palm Beach Atlantic University Radford University Randolph College Regent UniversityRollins College Rowan University Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Samford University School of the Arts Savannah College of Art and Design Sewanee: University of the South Shenandoah University Shorter University

120-Plus Schools Recruit at SETC ConventionSETC continues to attract schools from across the nation to recruit students at the annual SETC Convention. Those planning to attend in 2019 include:

See updates to the list of schools and get more info: setc.org/auditions

Nerves Be Gone! Secrets to Audition Success Auditioning for undergraduate school? Join Performer Stuff’s theatrical director Tiffany Wilkie and audition accompanist Jamey Strawn from 7 to 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 27, for last-minute audition tips. The evening is dedicated to empowering YOU to own the audition room!

South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University Southeast Missouri State University Southern Arkansas University Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Methodist University Southern Union State Community CollegeStella Adler Studio of Acting Studio SchoolTexas State University Texas Tech University Theatre of Arts Troy University University of AlabamaUniversity of Alabama Birmingham University of Alabama in Huntsville University of Central Florida University of Georgia University of Houston University of Kentucky University of LouisvilleUniversity of Memphis University of Mississippi University of Mobile University of Montevallo

University of Mount Union University of North Carolina Chapel Hill University of North Carolina Greensboro University of South Carolina AikenUniversity of Southern Indiana University of Tennessee University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University of the Arts University of West Georgia Utah State University Valdosta State University Villanova UniversityVirginia Tech Wake Forest University Wayne State University West Virginia University West Virginia Wesleyan College Western Carolina University Western Illinois University Wilkes University William Cary University Winthrop University York Theatre Company Musical Theatre Training Program

2019 SETC CONVENTION: TEACHERS INSTITUTE

www.setc.org

More info: www.setc.org/teachers-institute

January / February 2019 5

Learn AND Earn at Teachers Institute!

14th Annual Teachers InstituteWed., Feb. 27, 20199 a.m. - 4 p.m.Cost: $85 (includes lunch)

THEATRE FOR ALL ABILITIES

Presenter: Tim Webb, Founder,Oily Cart

Planning to attend the SETC Teachers Institute and earn CEUs? You may be able to earn additional CEUs through the 300+ workshops offered at the SETC Convention.

When you attend the Teachers Institute on the first day of the SETC Convention each year, you have an opportunity to learn AND earn – earning continuing education units (CEUs) for the seminar, that is.

But did you know that you can also earn CEUs for each of the workshops, seminars and masterclasses you attend at the SETC Convention for the rest of convention week? Each session is designed to enrich your knowledge of theatre and provide tangible resources regarding maintenance and renewal of licensure.

4 Questions about workshops offered at the 2019 convention? You can learn about the many workshop opportunities that are available through the 2019 SETC Convention Newspaper. If you didn’t receive one by mail, contact us at SETC via 336-272-3645 or info@setc.org.

4 Need a CEU Certificate of Attendance form? We provide forms at the Teachers Institute seminar on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, and at the Convention Registration area in the convention center. This form will allow you to keep track of the workshops, presenters and hours that you attend during the convention.

4 Who will sign my CEU form? And when? Come by the convention registration area on Saturday, March 2, between 10 a.m. and noon to have your Certificate of Attendance signed by Elaine Malone, the SETC Teachers Institute chair.

4 What are CEUs and how do I earn them? CEU stands for Continuing Education Unit. A CEU is a unit of credit equal to 10 hours of participation in an accredited program designed for professionals with certificates or licenses to practice various professions. A continuing education unit (CEU) or continuing education credit (CEC) is a measure used in continuing education programs to assist the professional to maintain his or her license in their profession. Continuing education or professional development is required in many fields, including teaching, lighting design, engineering, school administration and psychology.

Professionals should always consult their association or regulating body prior to embarking on continuing education and not assume a CEU will be accepted as part of their professional development.

MORE MULTI-SENSORY CONVENTION EVENTSSat., Mar. 2, 201910:30 a.m. – 12:50 p.m.Cost: $35Masterclass with Tim Webb: The Oily Cart’s Multi-Sensory and Interactive Theatre for the Very Young and for People with Complex Disabilities.Attendees must pre-register online. Attendance is limited to the first 20 registrants. More info: www.setc.org/multi-sensory

Thurs., Feb. 28, 201910:30 a.m.Theatre for Youth InvitationalFestival Cityscape, presented by Jumping Jack Theater, which creates works for the autism community.

PROFESSIONAL AUDITIONS

www.setc.org

More info: www.setc.org/audition-resources

January / February 2019 6

SETC Audition Videos Professional Companies Share Insights on How to Get Noticed in Your Audition (and Hired)

Would you love to know exactly what hiring companies want to see in an audition? Then you’ll want to watch the series of videos SETC recorded at the 2018 SETC Convention, where we asked professional companies attending the Spring Professional Auditions to share advice on what makes an auditionee stand out in the crowd and how they choose when more than one auditionee wows them.

You’ll find videos of pro company reps answering the questions below on the SETC website at www.setc.org/audition-resources and on YouTube at the addresses below:

Kelly Goff and Mark Catlett, hiring reps for Disney Parks Live Entertainment at the 2018 SETC Convention in Mobile, AL, answer questions on camera for SETC’s video series on what companies want to see in auditions.

u

u

u

What Makes You Stop and Really Watch an Audition? https://youtu.be/OL8ocnT891A

What’s One Thing Good Auditionees Do Really Well?https://youtu.be/4b3letkOn04

How Do You Choose Between Two Equally Talented Actors? https://youtu.be/IWjwoa7IUEI

Musical Theatre

Performers:Learn Tips to

Help you Brush Up

Your Vocals

More SETC audition videos will be posted soon!

www.setc.org January / February 2019 7

More info: www.setc.org/professional

Getting a Job through SETC:Mads Massey

PROFESSIONAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

How Professional

Is Your Resume?

Check out these resources:

• Templates for Theatre Resumes

• Tech Crew Example

• Industry-Specific Resumes

Kent State University graduate Mads Massey, who has been involved in theatre since age 7, credits SETC’s Job Fair for success in landing Massey’s dream job: assistant production manager. “I had a few professional stage management jobs in the Cleveland area, where I’m from, but I got my start in production management with SETC.”

How long have you been involved with SETC? I attended the SETC Convention in 2016, 2017 and 2018 while I was a student at Kent State University. At the 2016 SETC Job Fair, I talked to every table about production management – and got an offer from Williamstown Theatre Festival, where I got to work with a team of 12 production managers and countless Broadway actors and directors for the summer. At the 2018 Job Fair, I got four offers. I chose STAGES St. Louis, where I worked for six months as the assistant production manager on a two-person team over-seeing 50 production employees.

How did SETC assist you in advancing your career? The two jobs I got through SETC were the key to opening doors for the rest of my career! My experience at SETC also helped me understand the breadth of different jobs and companies across America where I could apply. It gave me a sense of connection to the theatre community I hadn’t felt before. Companies that offer housing opened doors for me that I didn’t have access to before.

Where are you currently working?I recently moved to Boston for a job with Company One Theatre. I am excited to be their assistant production manager for Season 20. Currently, I am working on their musical, Miss You Like Hell, playing at the OBERON in Cambridge in January.

What type of shows do you like to do best?I am definitely a lover of musicals. I grew up watching thousands of shows in the Cleveland area. As an adult, I would say I am a big fan of new works, or plays that make you think. I feel like diverse or intersectional plays can speak to an audience and show them a new perspective or story they might not normally hear.

January / February 2019 8

More info: www.setc.org/growing

years later, he now attends the SETC Convention as a hiring company representative, serves as an adjudicator at SETC Screening Auditions and is on an SETC committee.

“SETC has been an amazing outlet for networking with other theatre professionals, as well as those in academia,” he says. “Sharing and listening to new ideas, written works, techniques and technology that fellow colleagues are utilizing in their own theatres or institutions has proven to be an invaluable resource.”

What are the roles you have had in SETC and how did one lead to another? I was first involved as an auditionee in 2005. I was instantly amazed at the grand scope and organization of what was my first unified audition. Ten years later, I was able to come back to SETC in a different capacity. I started hiring acting interns, summer staff and other education positions for Florida Repertory Theatre. Being back with SETC reminded me of how much sincerity and passionate care is given to actors and theatre professionals alike, and that inspired me to get more involved. I started working several sites as an adjudicator for the SETC Screening Auditions and that led to getting involved in committee work. I currently serve on the Secondary School Scholarship Committee. I can also be seen on the Audition Tip videos and other literature SETC utilizes to inspire professionalism and provide practical tips for young actors.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

KODY C. JONES Director of EducationFlorida Repertory TheatreFort Myers, FL

What are the benefits you have seen from “growing within SETC”?To me, SETC is a true symbol for professionalism and respect within our theatre community. It inspires a respect for the craft that is different from what you learn at a university or practice at a theatre – incorporating the social networking of all levels of theatre artists and allowing young actors and experienced theatre leaders alike an opportunity to leave their homes and see the ever-growing innovations of our craft and the new bars being raised every year in how to tell a story.

Like many theatre professionals, Kody Jones got his first taste of SETC as a college student vying for summer work in the SETC Spring Professional Auditions. Fourteen

‘SETC and its mission continue

to inspire and fuel me every

year in my own artistic growth. I see SETC as a

breeding ground for discussion

and growth, and I appreciate the

constant push for us as theatre

professionals to continue

exploring ideas for innovative

storytelling, audience

accessibility and arts

education.’

Roles in SETC:2005: First audition as a student seeking summer acting work2015-19: Hiring company representative attending Professional

Auditions and Job Fair for Florida Repertory Theatre2016-18: Adjudicator, SETC Professional Screening Auditions 2016-19: Member, SETC Secondary School Scholarship Committee2018: Speaker, SETC Audition Tip videos (see Page 6)

Growing within SETC

www.setc.org

THEATRE SYMPOSIUM

www.setc.org January / February 2019 9

More info: www.setc.org/theatre-symposium

SETC’s 28th annual Theatre Symposium event, scheduled for the weekend of April 12-14, 2019, will focus on the theme of citizenship. The keynote speaker will be Charlotte Canning, a professor of drama at the University of Texas at Austin, and director of the Oscar G. Brockett Center for Theatre History and Criticism.THEATRE

SYMPOSIUM

WHERE:Campus ofAgnes Scott College, Decatur, GA, adjacent to Atlanta

WHEN:Weekend of April 12-14, 2019

Charlotte Canning Discusses‘Theatre and Citizenship’at 2019 Theatre Symposium

Canning (above left) is known for her theoretically and historiographically innovative approaches to the study of theatre and American society. Her books include On the Performance Front: US Theatre and Internationalism (Palgrave, 2015), Representing the Past: Essays in Performance Historiography (Iowa, 2010), The Most American Thing in America: Circuit Chautauqua as Performance (Iowa, 2005) and Feminist Theaters in the USA: Staging Women’s Experience (Routledge, 1996).

What is Theatre Symposium?Theatre Symposium is an annual weekend conference focusing on a single scholarly topic. International attendees gather to present papers and explore the topic as a group, thus creating an intimate opportunity for the sharing of ideas, concepts and opinions. Papers that are presented may be considered for publication in SETC’s scholarly journal Theatre Symposium.

Submit Paper Proposals SoonProposals are being accepted through Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, for paper presentations at the event.

For more information about presenting a paper or attending the Theatre Symposium event, click the link below. If you have questions, contact Editor Andrew Gibb at andrew.gibb@ttu.edu.

Alabama Conference of Theatre

Lonny HarrisonState Representative

Florida Theatre Conference

Marci J. DuncanAuditions Coordinator

Georgia Theatre Conference

Mary NormanExecutive Director

STATE CONVENTION NEWS

www.setc.org January / February 2019 10

More info: www.setc.org/state-organizations

Event: Walter Trumbauer State Secondary Theatre Festival (our largest event).Number attending: Schools participating: District=103; State =98. Students Participating in Individual Events: District=2,946; State=1,635. One-Act Festival: District=40; State=18; Studio Festival: District=25; State=14.Winners of Community Theatre Festival: Of Mice and Men, Actor’s Charitable Theatre, Tuscaloosa, AL; The Diviners, Wetumpka Depot Players, Wetumpka, AL.Winners of High School Theatre Festival: Bell Witch, Bob Jones High School, Madison, AL; Lizzie, Huntsville High School, Huntsville, AL.

Event: Annual conference.Number attending: 2,223.Winner of Community Theatre Festival: Mud, Actors’ Ware-house, Gainesville FL. Winners of High School Theatre Festival: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Trinity Preparatory, Orlando, FL; And Then Came Tango, Windermere High School, Windermere, FL.Idea to share: Three ideas: 1) The top two scorers in SETC Screening Auditions were each awarded a $200 SETC Convention scholarship. 2) Theatre for Youth reached out to area event calendars and parent groups to invite people with young children to the festival. 3) Community Theatre held a separate festival, with its winners honored at the Florida Theatre Festival.

Event: Annual conference: “Celebrating the Bad Guys that Make Our Heroes Great.”Number attending: 1,487. Winners of Community Theatre Festival: 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dalton Little Theatre, Dalton, GA; John Lennon and Me, Lafayette Society for Performing Arts, LaGrange, GA.Winner of High School Theatre Festival: The Very Grey Matter of Edward Blank, Greater Atlanta Christian School, Norcross, GA; The Terrible Infants, Perry High School, Perry, GA.

Look for the Mississippi Theatre Association report in the March/April issue of SETC News.

South Carolina Theatre Association

Anita SleemanExecutive Director

Kentucky Theatre Association

Brad DownallPresident

North Carolina Theatre Conference

Angie HaysExecutive Director

Events: NCTC High School Play Festival (8 regionals, plus the state festival), NCTC College Discovery Day, and North Carolina’s SETC Screening Auditions.Number attending: Approxi-mately 4,500.Winner of Community Theatre Festival: No state community theatre festival.Winners of High School Theatre Festival: The Crane Wife, Charlotte Country Day School, Charlotte, NC; 22 Pebbles, Sanderson High School, Raleigh, NC.Idea to share: Follow us on Instagram! NCTC students and alumni have been taking over our Instagram stories. We’ve gone behind-the-scenes at the NCTC High School Play Festival, followed NCTC alumni on Broadway tours, seen the excitement of College Discovery Day callbacks and more!

Event: Annual conference.Number attending: 580.Winners of Community Theatre Festival: Morte for 2, Theatre Workshop Owensboro, Owensboro, KY; Forever Plaid, Paramount Players, Ashland, KY.Winners of High School Theatre Festival: 1st: The Taste of Sunrise, School of Creative & Performing Arts (SCAPA) at Lafayette High School, Lexington, KY; 2nd: The Trojan Women, Tates Creek High School, Lexington, KY.Ideas to share: Three continued successes: 1) Our regional high school festival, in its third year, has grown from 21 the first year to 30 participating schools. Twelve schools advance to the state festival. 2) Roots of the Bluegrass New Play Festival, which encourages Kentucky playwrights, had 16 full-length entries and 14 ten-minute plays. Ten-minute winner: How I Became the Princess of a Town Called Nowhere, by Sarah Durham. Full-length winner: American Coot, by Brian Walker. 3) The Karen Willis Award for Social Justice was presented to Teatro Tercera Llamada, Louisville, KY, a Spanish-speaking theatre company focused on social justice, and Actors for Children Theatre, Ashland, KY, for its bereavement camps for children experiencing loss.

STATE CONVENTION NEWS

Event: Annual conference.Number attending: 894.Winners of Community Theatre Festival: Never Swim Alone, Guerrilla Shakespeare Company, Greenville, SC; Romeo & Juliet, Mill Town Players, Pelzer, SC.Winners of High School Theatre Festival: Chronicle Simpkins Will Cut You, Sumter High School, Sumter, SC; Elephant’s Graveyard, Blythewood High School, Blythewood, SC.Idea to share: This year we continued our nonprofit theatre summit, which has grown each year. We select a topic and invite all theatres across the state to join us for a discussion, whether they are members or not. It has become a great way for our theatres to come together and learn from one another and a way to introduce SCTA to nonmembers.

STATE CONVENTION NEWS

www.setc.org January / February 2019 11

More info: www.setc.org/state-organizations

Virginia Theatre Association

Chelsea MillerManaging Director

West Virginia Theatre Association

Gregory MachState Representative

Tennessee Theatre Association

Rex KnowlesState Representative

Event: Annual conference.Number attending: Approxi-mately 200.Winner of Community Theatre Festival: You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Parkersburg Actors Guild, Parkersburg, WV.Winners of High School Theatre Festival: Hush, Musselman High School, Inwood, WV; I Never Saw Another Butterfly, Buckhannon-Upshur High School, Buckhannon, WV.

STATE CONVENTION NEWSSTATE CONVENTION NEWS

www.setc.org January / February 2019 12

More info: www.setc.org/state-organizations

Event: Annual conference.Number attending: 993.Winner of Community Theatre Festival: Scott and Hem, The Backstage Series of the Cookeville Performing Arts Center, Cookeville, TN.Winners of High School Theatre Festival: 1st: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Stewarts Creek High School, Smyrna, TN; 2nd: The Crane Wife, Nolensville High School, Nolensville, TN.Idea to share: In an effort to promote inclusivity, TTA will no longer present Best Actor/Actress Awards or Best Supporting Actor/Actress Awards. Instead, five recipients will receive awards for Best Individual Performance in the Secondary School Festival. This will allow TTA to recognize the hard work and talents of the performers without being bound by outdated constraints.

Event: Annual conference.Number attending: 2,800.Winner of Community Theatre Festival: No state community theatre festival.Winners of High School Theatre Festival: 1st: #WhileBlack, Monticello High School, Charlottesville, VA; 2nd: The Happening, Jamestown High School, Jamestown, VA; 3rd: Night Sky, Lafayette High School, Williamsburg, VA. Idea to share: At this year’s conference, we did a staged reading of Bubble Boy: The Musical as the entertainment for the President’s Reception. We asked our members to submit video auditions and created a cast from members all across the state, from high school students to professional actors. It was a huge success and so incredible to see all of the talent our membership holds!

www.setc.org January / February 2019 13

More info: See stories and website links at left

FAMILIES AND THEATRE

Maegan McNerney Azar

VP, ADMINISTRATION

Parents as ArtistsBalancing Work, Creativity and Children

Talking about accessibility in the theatre can take many forms. Currently, a “hot topic” in theatre is a question about how we are serving parents as collaborators. Much of the focus has been on New York theatre artists, but this is an issue that extends beyond the limits of one city. Just look to your local theatre and you’ll see parents “making it work” every day of rehearsal.

There is a mental toll. Most freelance theatre artists also work full-time, which means Monday (the typical day off in theatres) is not a “day off,” creating fatigue when trying to balance family time, work time and creative time.

There is a financial toll. Many professional theatres still don’t pay a living wage, so much of what parents “make” goes directly to the childcare funnel (and paying for evening childcare is far more expensive than the typical day care expenses).

There is a career toll. It can be challenging for a theatre to work with a parent, especially one they haven’t previously hired as an artist, so asking for accommodations can be scary because of worrying about getting the next gig.

So, what can be done? At Lean Ensemble Theater on Hilton Head Island, SC, Artistic Director Blake White makes space for parent artists by investing a few extra dollars to make sure that out-of-town parents can have housing just for their family – and regularly connect out-of-towners to local babysitters. At The Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, SC, Producing Artistic Director Mike Sablone makes space for families to bring their children and caregivers to rehearsals – meal breaks are a family event.

And SETC is joining the efforts to support parents. In November, you may have received a Family Inclusion Survey from Rowen Haigh Mahoney, the chair of SETC’s Women in Theatre Interest Group. This is the first of many steps that are being taken to ensure parent involvement at the SETC Convention.

RESOURCES for more information

Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL),“the national support network, resource hub and solutions community created for parent artists in theatre just like you.”

“Pack and Play: Theatre Parents Find Strength in Numbers” by Caroline Macon, American Theatre magazine

“Working Like a Mother” by Rachel Bonds, HowlRound Theatre Commons

“Taking Your Child to Work, When Your Job is Making Theater” by Michael Paulson, The New York Times

NEW SETC OFFICERS

www.setc.org January / February 2019 14

More info: www.setc.org/leadership

Cast Your Vote for New Officers at March 2 SETC Business MeetingPlease take a few minutes to review SETC’s proposed slate of officers for 2019-20.

The officers and the Nominations Committee members pictured below will be presented for a vote by SETC’s membership at the annual SETC Business Meeting at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2019, immediately following the keynote address in the Knoxville Convention Center Ballroom E-G in Knoxville, TN.

For bios of the slate of officers and the Nominations Committee members, visit www.setc.org/leadership/slate-of-officers

2019-20 Slate of Officers

2019-20 Nominations Committee

President

Jeff GibsonVP, ServicesLee Crouse

VP, AdministrationMaegan Azar

VP, Finance Jonathan

Michaelsen

Past PresidentJack Benjamin

Paul CrookTiza Garland(chair)

Lance Culpepper

SecretaryRebecca Beasley

VP, StatesKris Rau McIntyre

VP, DivisionsTom Booth

Marci Duncan Neno Russell

Jeff GibsonPRESIDENT

During its first full year of operation, SETC’s new Theatre Consulting Network (TCN) completed two professional theatre projects and one academic institution self-study. Each project was unique in its circumstances, community and, as you would expect, outcome.

TCN – which was previously managed by the Institute of Outdoor Drama – draws on a national network of experts to provide consulting services in theatre to a wide range of organizations. TCN completed its first project under the SETC name in 2017: the Stee-ples project in Johnstown, PA, focused on indoor theatre. Our 2018 professional theatre projects dealt with defunct outdoor theatres that were looking for a fresh start. After initial conversations and reviews, we gathered different teams for the deep dive.

SETC CONSULTS!

www.setc.org January / February 2019 15

Betsey HorthEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

More info: www.setc.org/consulting

SETC’s Theatre Consulting Network Completes Three Projects in First Full Year

CONSULTANT MINI-CLINICS OFFERED AT 2019 SETC CONVENTION

Stop by the Consultant’s Clinic table in the main concourse with a challenge or question in any of the areas below, and we’ll provide a bit of guidance or recommend some next steps.

• New or renovated theatres

• Organizational structure

• Production• Marketing and

development• Institutional analysis• Business plans• Feasibility studies

More info: Check your SETC Convention Program

Above: Johnny Appleseed theatre

Interested in learning details of TCN’s 2018 Projects?

Attend “SETC Theatre Consulting Network: On the Road 2018”

9 - 10:15 a.m., Friday2019 SETC Convention

One of the outdoor theatre projects – for the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District in New Philadelphia, OH – focused on resurrect-ing the Johnny Appleseed outdoor theatre, identifying management and finding sustain-able events. The second outdoor theatre project – Caesars Ford, formerly the Bluejack-et outdoor drama in Xenia, OH – ultimately landed on restarting with an original play festival. Both began with similar challenges but warranted very different approaches.

This is where I get to say how lucky SETC is to have an expansive network of experts. The consultant teams not only included a project manager and a market analyst, but field ex-perts and skill-based professionals such as architects, playwrights and tourism officials.

Our 2018 study for an academic institution examined the design and production tracks in its theatre major. Not to be confused with accrediting consultants, our ex-perts looked for ways the program could improve productivity, quality and viability. Again, we tapped into our network of qualified professionals to conduct the study.

Looking forward, we will continue our model of connecting the right team of experts to the right project. To do that, we will maintain our practice of holding initial phone meetings with prospective clients at no charge. If our TCN consulting group is the right fit, we will then build a proposal and a team that fits the client’s needs.

As we enter 2019, we’re committed to expanding our field of experts and broaden-ing the pool of available consultants. If you have an interest in joining us, please email setcconsults@gmail.com for more information.

MISCELLANEOUS

www.setc.org January / February 2019 16

Send your news to deanna@setc.org

Test Your Skills in the Stage Management GamesThis year’s Stage Management Games will take place at the SETC Convention on Thursday Feb. 28, 2019, at 7 p.m. Check your convention schedule for more information and location. Participants in the games compete round robin in five events: blocking notation, lines notes, book cueing, scale ruling a ground plan, and prop preset. EmptySpace Technology sponsors the event each year.

Plan your days at the 2019 SETC Convention with Sched:

• View the web version now at 2019setcconvention.sched.com

• Look for the “SETC 2019” Sched app to download soon in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store

Dates, times and locations subject to change.Additional programming TBA.

Sponsored by:

Central OfficeSETCInstitute of Outdoor Theatre 1175 Revolution Mill Dr., Studio 14 Greensboro NC 27405

336-272-3645info@setc.org

Betsey Horth betsey@setc.orgExecutive Director

Amanda Nielseninfo@setc.orgGeneral QuestionsApril J’C Marshallapril@setc.orgProfessional Theatre

Cadie Burkscadie@setc.orgEducational ServicesClay Thorntonclay@setc.orgMarketing/AdvertisingKim Dotykim@setc.orgCommunications/WebsiteBradley Branhambradley@setc.orgProgrammingJean Wentzjean@setc.orgMembership

Executive CommitteeJeff GibsonPresidentMaegan McNerney Azar VP of AdministrationLee Crouse VP of ServicesDavid WohlVP of Finance Rebecca BeasleySecretaryAlan LitseyElected Past President Kris Rau McIntyreVP of StatesTom BoothVP of Divisions

Connecting You to Opportunities in TheatreNationwide

Make a Donation to SETC’s Silent Auction!The Art of Theatre is the theme of this year’s Silent Auction at the SETC Convention in Knoxville, TN. Please consider making a donation. Submissions can include items such as play posters, costume sketches, set renderings, magazine covers, books, masks, props, set and costume models, and related materials. For details on how to get your donations to us, contact Endowment Committee chair John Spiegel at jspiegel@piedmont.edu.

William Marion Hardy, the 2002 recipient of the Mark Sumner Award given by the Institute of Outdoor Drama (IOD) for lifetime contributions to the field, passed away Jan. 2, 2019, at 96 in Chapel Hill, NC. He was a longtime university professor who also worked in professional theatre as an actor, director and playwright. From 1968 to 1999, he was production director of the summer outdoor drama Unto These Hills in Cherokee, NC. Author of the outdoor drama The Sword of Peace, he also served as general manager of The Lost Colony and Horn In The West. Survivors include his son Michael Hardy, who was executive director of the Institute of Outdoor Theatre (formerly IOD) before its 2017 acquisition by SETC.

In Memoriam

Plan your days at the 2019 SETC Convention with Sched.

* View the web version now

at 2019setcconvention.sched.com<https://2019setcconvention.sched.com>

* Look for the “SETC 2019”Sched app to download soon

in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store

Dates, times and locations are subject to change. Additional programming TBA.