| I. PARTICIPATION | VI. AWARDS |
| II. PRODUCTION | VII. PUBLIC RELATIONS |
| III. REQUIREMENTS AND COST | VIII. FACILITIES |
| IV. ADJUDICATION | IX. MISCELLANEOUS |
| V. HOUSE RULES | X. DISQUALIFICATION |
I. PARTICIPATION (ref: AACTFest section 2.01; ESTA Rules section A & D.d )
- Any amateur theatre organized for at least one (1) year prior to the state festival, which has produced at least two (2) shows prior to the state festival entry, and is governed by a board from the community, is eligible to enter the festival process.
- Companies from city or county recreational departments, universities, colleges, military bases, etc. must have a governing board from the community, separate from the umbrella organization.
- Any theater meeting above criteria ideally should be able to enter a state (or district) festival without any prior selection process.
- Fairly administered limits on the number of performing theaters for festivals, due to resource constraints, are acceptable.
- Active members of Actors Equity at any time during the festival cycle in which they appear or persons who receive more than one quarter (1/4 or 25%) of their annual “living wage” as income from work as actors in live performances are not permitted to perform in the festival.
- Performers must not be paid for rehearsal or performance of the festival entry.
- Each participation group must be an organizational member of the Delaware Theater Association (DTA).
II. PRODUCTION (ref: ESTA section B)
- A production entered in the festival process may be a cutting of a full-length play or musical, a one-act play, or any other performance of a theatrical nature.
- The total length of the production may not exceed eighty (80) minutes (including setup, introductions, performance, scene changes, curtain calls and strike). Bare stage to bare stage.
(NOTE: Don’t try to enter material that may require more than seventy-five (75) minutes. Consider time required to hold for audience response. Total time control is the responsibility of the performing company.)
- The complete cessation of such will complete the timing period. Timing begins with set up and ends with strike - Bare stage to bare stage.
- The productions winning Best Play 1st Runner Up and Original Works awards must be performed in the same form at the REGIONAL level. No material may be added or withdrawn, no performer, production staff members or technicians may be substituted, and no changes may be made to technical elements, i.e., costumes, set, props, without written prior consent from the ESTAFest Chair. Adjustments in staging may be added to allow for differences in stage facilities or following previous adjudicators’ recommendations.
- Two (2) productions can be entered to ESTA by each member state. Additional Original Works productions may be invited to compete by the ESTAFest Chair.
- Since ESTA has combined the ESTA and Original Works festivals for 2008, each state may send two (2) entries for ESTA and two (2) entries for Original Works.
III. REQUIREMENTS AND COST (ref: AACTFest section 2.04; ESTA section D)
- Every theatre must, at each level, provide the following to the festival Chair prior to or at the company’s Technical Meeting before the festival:
- Proof of permission to perform the production from the leasing agent and/or author.
- Proof of permission to perform the production as cut or altered.
- Warranty that the theater has obtained all other necessary rights, i.e., music, art, photography (re: AACTFest Form E; ESTA section D.c)
- Three (3) copies of the performance script as intended to be performed. Do not photocopy any scripts without proper permission from Agency, Playwright or Playwright’s Agent.
- Entry and registration fees as required by each festival level.
- Affidavits of AACTFest eligibility for each performer (re: AACTFest Form D; ESTA section D.d).
- Festival entry/information sheet (re: AACTFest Form B).
- Technical Information Form (re: AACTFest Form C).
- Program information – 100 copies
- Current membership in state/regional associations and any other local applicable fees as required by each particular festival.
- It is ultimately the participating theatre’s responsibility to ensure that all documentation has been obtained and submitted to the festival Chair.
- The entry fee will not be refunded if the participating group cancels less than two (2) weeks before the festival.
- Entry fees for members and non-members of DTA and admission fees for audience and festival participants will be determined annually by the DTA Board of Directors.
IV. ADJUDICATION (re: AACTFest section 5.00)
- Adjudicators are individuals with a wide range of theatrical training and experiences. Adjudicators view each festival production and share their reactions with the participants and audience.
- State adjudicators are selected by the state festival committee or Chair. Help may be requested from the Festival Commission Chair or Adjudication Committee Chair. States may use one (1) to three (3) adjudicators; however, it is preferable that three (3) are used. It is strongly recommended that at least one (1) adjudicator be from out of state. Anyone connected with a theater entered in the festival may not be utilized.
- Each adjudicator will have a specified period of time immediately following the production to comment on the performance. The festival Chair will determine the duration. Under most circumstances, it will be between five (5) and ten (10) minutes.
- These comments will be based on the AACT Adjudication Guidelines.
- An adjudicator may not adjudicate both a state festival and its regional festival. Violation of this policy could be grounds for exclusion as an adjudicator at future regional and national festivals.
- ESTA will allow panel adjudication with a thirty (30) minute maximum per festival performance session.
V. HOUSE RULES (re: AACTFest section 6.02)
- The timing begins when the festival Stage Manager has turned the stage over to the director or stage manager of the production.
- The house must be closed once performance has begun but should remain open during set-up and strike.
- A timekeeper(s) appointed by the festival Chair will check the time requirements for each production.
- The host theatre facility’s house regulations will apply as pertains to smoking areas, food and beverage consumption, admission of children, etc.
VI. AWARDS (re: AACTFest section 3.08)
- The adjudicator(s) will designate one (1) competitive production as BEST PLAY and one (1) competitive production as 1st Runner Up. These productions- in their exact form- will represent Delaware at the ESTA Region II festival.
- The adjudicator(s) will also rank additional Original Works productions which may be nominated to compete in Original Works Category representing Delaware at the ESTA Region II Festival.
- The adjudicator(s) will award at least four (4) Critic’s Award of Merit to any group(s) or individual(s) who, in their opinion, merit special commendation.
- All articles and press releases will be coordinated by the festival Chair.
VIII. FACILITIES (re: AACTFest section 4.01 thru 4.06)
- The stage of the host theatre is required to be in working order and fitted to mount a production with basic lighting
- Basic area lighting must be provided which may be used by all participating companies and may not be altered. The basic lighting plot will include:
- At least six (6) individually controlled cool and warm wash areas of eight (8) to ten (10) feet in dimension and such other instrumentation as necessary to completely illuminate the stage.
- Two (2) follow spots.
- A maximum of six (6) additional dimmers with circuits for special lighting requirements for use by each performing group. It is the responsibility of the host personnel to strike and replug light specials as necessary between productions.
- An area, down center, or immediately in front of apron, for use by the adjudicator(s).
- Special lighting instruments are the responsibility of the entering company and permission for their use must be obtained from the host Technical Director.
- If the host theatre provides lighting instruments for specials to one company, equivalent equipment must be made available to all entering companies.
- Scenic devices used for creating special effects have no limit but must be provided by the entering company. The host facility must approve scenic devices that require set up in the “house” of the theatre. The host facility may override placement of any special devices if deemed a hazard. The devices may be set up during the company’s technical rehearsal. No scenic devices may be hung, placed, or positioned in the playing area prior to the set-up.
- Each participating group is required to furnish any special settings, props or furniture required for its production. The host theatre may provide standard articles of furniture or platforms if they are available and have been requested in advance.
- If the storage areas are in close proximity to the playing area, setup and strike may take place from the storage areas. If the storage areas are removed from the playing area or different group’s storage areas are at significantly different distances from the playing area, the scenery may be moved to a more convenient “staging area” prior to the setup.
- Dates and times of rehearsals and performances for the festival are set by joint agreement between the festival Chair and the host theatre.
- The host theatre will provide a Stage Manager and Light Board Operator.
- Only a Stage Manager and/or Prompter for each production will be allowed backstage during the performance unless scenery and/or technical requirements warrant additional crew members.
- The host theatre and DTA will not be held responsible for any valuables left in the backstage areas or dressing rooms of the host theatre.
IX. MISCELLANEOUS (re: AACTFest sections 2.03 and 4.01)
- Firearms, weapons, pyrotechnics and special effects may not be used without special permission from the Host Facilities Director.
- While the host facility should publish the necessary rules, it is ultimately the responsibility of the performing company to check as to whether or not a specific item is permissible.
- Regarding rule clarifications and questions during an ESTAFest year, questions need to be funneled through the AACT Region Representative to ESTA. ESTA will not be held responsible for information that has not been provided through the proper chain of communication.
X. DISQUALIFICATION (re: AACTFest section 6.06)
- Failure to comply with festival rules and requirements will be grounds for disqualification. The decision of Festival Chairperson is final. In the situation where a disqualification takes place, no public announcement shall be made.
- The Festival Commission Representative will notify the official contact person for the disqualified group by mail within one (1) week of the close of the festival. This notification must include a reference to the section of the AACT handbook dealing with the violation.
Updated January 20, 2008