CAMBRIDGE DRAMA FESTIVAL 2013

23rd to 27th April – the Mumford Theatre, East Road, Cambridge

in association with the All-England Theatre Festival

RULES AND GENERAL INFORMATION & ADVICE FOR TEAMS

AWARDS

* First Trophy

* Second Trophy

* Third Trophy

* Best Actor Cup

* Best Actress Miriam Rundle Memorial Cup

* Best Cameo Performance Marjorie Ticehurst Memorial Salver

* Best Junior Group Trophy (Age limit - 18 years or under on

day of performance.)

* Best actor 18 or under Angela Lewsey Award

* Best actress 18 or under Stagefright Award

* Adjudicator’s Award Trophy

* Backstage Award Cadbury Schweppes Trophy

(Awarded by the Festival’s technical team)

* Best Stage Presentation Pye & Philips Trophy

* Best Original Play Cup (See notes below)

* Lighting Roland Carter Award

* Costume Mary Penson Memorial Trophy

* Sound Radio Cambridgeshire Cup

* Audience Appreciation Award Rodney Salver

Please read the following information carefully, paying particular attention to your

obligations regarding COPYRIGHT.

PRIZES

1. All trophies won at the 2012 festival must be returned to Rosemary Eason, 22, Trinity

Close, Balsham, Cambridge, CB21 6DW (01223 893859) – rosemary.eason@talktalk.net or

Tricia Peroni, 38, Hicks Lane, Girton, Cambridge CB3 OJS (01223 697988) –

trishperoni@hotmail.com by Thursday 4th April

2. The cups and trophies awarded in the various categories shown above will be presented at

a ceremony following the final adjudication on Saturday night, 27th April.

All competing teams must arrange for one of their number to attend this ceremony or to

nominate a representative who will be present at that time.

ENTRIES

1. Each company taking part must consist of members of a bona fide amateur group and all

performers must be amateurs i.e. must act (without payment) only in their leisure time.

2. Cambridge Drama Festival is a Preliminary Festival of the All-England Theatre Festival.

Copies of the AETF rules are available on the AETF website: www.aetf.org.uk

3. Technical and Programme details should be sent to the appropriate committee member by

Monday, 18th March. - more details later. However, if you are entering Cambridge for the first

time, and would like to see the theatre before this date, our technical team can arrange this for

you.

THE PERFORMANCE

1. The work offered by a competing company must be either (a) a one-act play,

(b) an extract from a longer play, or (c) some other form of theatrical performance.

It must also have a minimum of two speaking parts; monologues are not acceptable

2. Companies offering a new play should note that the New Play Award will be given to the

author of the best play performed at the festival that, on the closing date of entry, (a) is

unpublished, (b) has not been performed professionally and (c) has not won a New Play Award in

any competition.

3. Each entry must be at least 20 minutes in length but must not exceed the time limit of 55

minutes. It is important that companies should accurately describe the length of their play when

submitting their entries so that we can organise the programme appropriately.

4. 10 minutes will be allowed for setting and 5 minutes for striking the setting for each

entry. The Festival Stage Manager will check that teams are ready to begin.

5. The penalties for not keeping within the allotted times are:

Up to 1 minute over or under time 1 mark

Up to 2 minutes over or under time 3 marks

Up to 3 minutes over or under time 6 marks

Up to 4 minutes over or under time 10 marks

Up to 5 minutes over or under time 15 marks

5 minutes over or under time Disqualification

6. Companies should note that RULE 5 will be strictly enforced by an official time-keeper.

The Festival Stage Manager’s decision on this and all other backstage matters will be final.

7. COPYRIGHT: If an entry is copyright, it is the responsibility of the company to see

that the author’s permission is obtained for the performance and that any royalty fees have

been paid in advance. It is also the responsibility of the company to obtain appropriate

permission for the use of music and effects in the performance. Documentary evidence of

the payment of the appropriate permission, royalties or fees MUST be presented to the

Festival Stage Manager prior to the performance.

8. The play performed must be as submitted. Any significant changes to the script must be

received by the Festival secretary no later than 3 weeks prior to the opening of the Festival,

accompanied by the written permission of the author where relevant.

9. SEATING IN THE AUDITORIUM: Cast, and named members of the back-stage crew

up to a maximum of 6 will be given passes for seats in the auditorium (subject to availability).

For general supporters, tickets are available from the Festival Box Office.

PRESENTATION

1. The Mumford Theatre’s Technical Director will be in control of the switchboard and

lighting equipment under the direction of each competing company.

2. The Technical Director must be informed of the music and sound effects to be used, and

any sound reproduction equipment which a competing company may wish to use must have the

Technical Director’s approval.

3. Stage effects which present a fire hazard will not be allowed. Effects such as smoking or

the firing of guns may, in certain circumstances be allowed, provided permission has been sought

and obtained from the Fire Officer. The Technical Director, will be happy to discuss effects with

teams at the time of submitting technical details.

4. The Technical Director must be informed if live animals are to be used as the theatre is

required to obtain a licence.

5. Neither the Festival performance nor the adjudication may be recorded on sound or video

tape, filmed or photographed.

FINANCE

1. An Entrance Fee of £30.00 must be forwarded with each entry, non-returnable after the

entry has been accepted.

2. An additional fee of £30.00 is payable by all companies wishing to receive a written

adjudication. This is the fee requested by the Adjudicator.

3. An additional fee of £5.00 is payable by all entrants wishing to be considered for selection

to the next round of the All England Theatre Festival.

ADJUDICATION

1. The Adjudicator will deliver a public adjudication of each entry at the end of each

evening and will decide on the winners of the trophies at the end of the festival.

2. The adjudicator will use the following system of marking: Acting 40 marks, Production

35 marks, Stage Presentation 15 marks, Endeavour, Originality and Attainment 10 marks.

3. The adjudicator’s decision is final.

4. The adjudicator will identify one company to proceed to the next round of the All

England competition by selecting the highest-marked eligible entry receiving 75 marks or more.

GENERAL

1. INSURANCE: Neither the Festival Committee nor Anglia Ruskin University (The

Mumford Theatre) hold themselves responsible for any liability for injury to persons or for loss

or damage to property. Companies are advised to take out their own Third Party cover.

2. On all matters relating to the Festival, the committee’s decision is final.

CLOSING DATE

Entry forms, together with fees and a copy of the play, must be forwarded to:

Jeannie Green (Secretary for the 2013 Cambridge Drama Festival)

265, Hinton Way

Gt. Shelford

Cambs

CB22 5AN

jeannie@madasafish.com

to arrive no later than Monday 31st December 2012

Successful entrants will be notified in mid- February.

Cambridge Drama Festival  -    Advice for Teams

 Deciding to Enter the Festival

 The Cambridge Drama Festival is an annual, competitive festival for One Act plays.  It is open to any team but priority is given to groups based in and around Cambridge.  The Festival is organised by a voluntary committee and we employ a professional adjudicator to provide constructive feedback on the plays presented and to award the trophies on the last night of the Festival.

 If you have never entered a Festival before, we recommend that you (and other members of your group) attend the Festival one year as members of the audience.  This will give you a good understanding of how the Cambridge Drama Festival works and what to expect in terms of the standard of plays presented and the style of the adjudication.   Take the opportunity to talk to participating groups during the interval. Make sure that you and all the other members of your cast and crew are ready to receive the type of public adjudication that may be given.

 Technical Preparation

If you then decide to enter the Festival, make sure that you find out as much as possible about the Theatre where the Festival is being held.  In particular, the size (width and depth) of the stage, the height of the proscenium opening, sight lines, type and colour of the stage curtains, and, vitally important, the lighting rig.  Details of the theatre are given in the Technical Data Package but we recommend that you also contact the Mumford Theatre to arrange a theatre visit (for at least the director, the stage manager and the lighting person) and a discussion with the Technical Director at an early stage in the planning of your production.

You will be asked to complete various questionnaires giving details of your staging, lighting and sound plots.  This is to enable the festival back stage team to anticipate any problem areas or potential conflicts on the use of technical resources.  The Technical Director is there to help but he is not expected to prepare your lighting plot for you - it is your responsibility to provide fully detailed lighting and sound plans to enable your play to be presented.  Please complete and return the forms by the required deadline.

Detailed preparation for the performance on the Festival stage is essential.  Ensure you make effective use of the space available.  Make sure the cast are prepared to perform in a different type of theatre - if you generally rehearse and perform in a small village hall, the cast must be prepared to cope with the very different acoustics of a large theatre auditorium. 

Make sure you know what colour the stage curtains are.  A set, costumes, make-up and a lighting plot carefully designed to be performed in front of pale grey curtains can loose its effect if the stage curtains turn out to be black.  The Mumford Theatre provides the choice of either full blacks or an open white cyclorama.  There is also a set of light coloured mid-stage tabs which can be used if required.

On Stage Rehearsal

The Cambridge Drama Festival provides every group with a 50 minute rehearsal period on stage on the day of performance to carry out the full technical preparation and rehearsal.  There may not be time for a full run through, so prioritise what needs to be rehearsed on the stage.  Do not be over-optimistic about what you can achieve in that time, particularly working with a strange lighting board.  Think very carefully about the lighting plot.  Any special lighting requirements will have to be set, all your lighting cues will have to be plotted and recorded.  In addition, the cast will need time to familiarise themselves with the stage and test the acoustics, sound levels will need to be established, scenery and special effects will need to be organised.

Making effective the use of the on-stage rehearsal time is vitally important - there is no second chance.

 Dressing Rooms and Back Stage Areas

One dressing room at the Mumford Theatre will be assigned to each team.  This room can be used by the team as their base during the day of their performance.  Costumes, props and other non-valuable personal items can be left in the dressing room.  Tea and coffee making equipment will be provided in each room, with fresh milk & sugar.  A limited amount of space in the wings will be assigned for each group to store their scenery and equipment.  Any work on the set must be carried out during the 30 minute get-in period or during the team’s assigned rehearsal period.  During the rehearsal periods, the auditorium, on-stage and back-stage areas are reserved for the exclusive use of the team rehearsing - members of other teams will have access to and from their dressing room but must be quiet and respect the privacy of the other teams. 

 The Performance

For the performance itself, 10 minutes are allowed to set the stage (all scenery, furniture, stage props etc. must be set during this period) and, at the end of the performance, 5 minutes are allowed to strike the set.  This may sound a short time, but it is amazing how much can be achieved with thoughtful design and careful preparation.  An interesting set can often add significantly to the success of a performance - just because you are “on tour” does not mean that you have to perform in front of black tabs.

The stage manager’s desk is located in the stage left wing.  It is equipped with a monitor providing an auditorium view of the stage and a communication system with the lighting & sound control desks.  During the performance, full control will be passed from the Festival Stage Manager to the SM of the visiting team.  FOH curtains can be controlled either from the SM desk or from the lighting desk. 

The Festival audience is very important to the Festival, not only by providing an income to cover the costs of the event but also by responding to the performances of the teams taking part.  It is very depressing to play to an empty house, so please encourage your friends and local supporters to attend the festival. Members of your team (cast and crew, at the discretion of the Organising Committee) will be provided with a complimentary pass for the day of your performance so that you can watch the other plays on that evening (subject to seats being available in the auditorium).  We would encourage you to come along on other nights as well to see other plays in the Festival and hear the adjudicator’s feedback.  And of course we hope you will all come on the final night to find out who has won the awards and to receive any trophies that are awarded to you.

The Organising Committee

Above all, we hope you have fun and enjoy the experience of taking part in the Cambridge Drama Festival.  The Festival Organising Committee is there to uphold the rules of the Festival but also to help and support where needed.  We want the Festival to be entertaining and enjoyable both for the competing groups and for the audience, so please ask if you need any help or advice.

Best wishes from Cambridge Drama Festival Organising Committee.

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