Fostering Community Theatre across Aotearoa/New Zealand

Theatre New Zealand 2024 TheatreFest
GENERAL INFORMATION

TE KAUPAPA: THEATRE NEW ZEALAND

• Theatre New Zealand represents community and educational theatre groups across Aotearoa NZ.
• Through advocacy, initiatives, workshops and the annual TheatreFest, Theatre New Zealand (TNZ) promotes, fosters and mentors community and youth theatre in all its aspects. These include performance, production, staging, design, and script creation.

TE ARONGA: PURPOSE OF TheatreFest

To improve theatre standards by:

• providing each participating group with feedback on its work in respect of creativity, technique  and production choices
• offering constructive feedforward to performance groups for further development
• helping audiences better understand the components of theatrical production
• encouraging friendship, learning, sharing, and communicating through theatre practice

NGĀ WHĀINGA: OBJECTIVES OF TheatreFest

Participants will:

• Increase their knowledge and confidence through performance and education (Whakangungu)
• observe and support the work of other groups (Manaakitanga)
• develop relationships with other participants and groups (Whakawhanaungatanga)

TE RAUPAPA: STRUCTURE OF TheatreFest

• There are two levels to TheatreFest: - Local and Regional plus ShowCase; a festival of the top presentations coming through TheatreFest
• At Local TheatreFests, there is a talk from the stage by the adjudicator, a 10-minute Greenroom discussion and a written report.
• The Adjudicator recommends to the organisers those presentations to be advanced to the regional level.
• There are 4 Regional TheatreFests: 2 in the North Island, Upper and Lower and two in the South Island, Upper and Lower.
• A panel of two adjudicators from Local TheatreFest reassesses the Regional TheatreFest presentations and recommends 6 presentations to be invited to perform at ShowCase.
• The only adjudications at Regional TheatreFest are a team talk via Zoom within a week of the Regional TheatreFest and a written report.
• Local TheatreFests can offer a non-competitive section where theatre groups or schools may enter the Local TheatreFest and receive an adjudication but choose not to be selected to perform at regional level.
• If a Local TheatreFest is not being held within a groups/school’s region or the group/school is not able, for whatever reason, to attend a local TheatreFest in their region, then they may enter a TheatreFest in another region but only with the consent of TheatreFest National Coordinator, or, they may have their presentation adjudicated at their own venue and be considered for selection to a Regional TheatreFest.
• ShowCase is a festival of theatre where the 6 top presentations from the Regional TheatreFests are invited to perform. No form of adjudication takes place at ShowCase and no awards are given out.

THEATREFEST: HE AHA NGĀ PAINGA? WHY GET INVOLVED?

• TheatreFest allows individual work and the production to develop through impartial views of an ANZDA Accredited Adjudicator.
• TheatreFest adjudication focusses on creativity, direction, staging and acting.
• TheatreFest facilitates networking within the community theatre environment, including societies, directors, educators and practitioners in all fields of theatre.
• TheatreFest is an ideal forum for practising stage craft in a supportive atmosphere, whatever the experience level. Newcomers and young people can mix, work, and learn from each other and from more experienced and seasoned practitioners.
• TheatreFest is an open forum: any form of presentation is accepted, that it is 50 minutes or less in duration, regardless of genre, style or author and can include music and dance and is not restricted by cultural or content boundaries.
• TheatreFest is an open format that treats participants and audiences with several styles of theatre in one evening.
• TheatreFest recognises endeavour, enterprise, and excellence.
• TheatreFest progression to Regional level or ShowCase brings prestige to a group.
• Groups/schools participating in TheatreFest are offered one hour’s free guidance online on a subject of their choosing eg directing, scenography, devising, costuming, touring, creating websites.

He aha te hua mō ngā kura? What’s in it for schools?

• Students see that there is a theatre-life beyond school.
• Foster and develop inter-school and wider community relationships through theatre and raises the profile of a school’s drama programme in the community and nationally.
• Allows projects from a drama programme to be entered in a forum beyond school.
• Supports performance requirements across Levels 1-3 NCEA Drama Standards.
• Ensemble or devised class projects are eligible for entry.
• Progressing on to the Regional or TheatreFest ShowCase inspires teams to step-up.
• Travelling to other centres places Performing Arts on a par with sporting activities.
• Recognition awards can stand alongside those of sporting achievements.

TE MĀKOHAKOHA: THEATREFEST ADJUDICATION 

• Adjudication is an educative process for both the teams and the audience. Comments are intended to be constructive and educative.
• Adjudication allows reflection on an outsiders professional opinion. 
• Adjudication is a two way conversation to better understand feedback.

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