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Wisconsin AACTFest 2013 took place February 22 -
24, 2013. The Wisconsin Association of Community Theatre hosted the festival
at the River Arts Center in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin and the Cedarberry
Inn in Sauk City, Wisconsin. |
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Another State Festival is History
The weekend of February 22 - 24 was the weekend to remember
for Wisconsin Community Theatre enthusiasts. The Wisconsin Association of
Community Theatre
played host to the 2013 Wisconsin AACTFest at the beautiful River Arts Center in
Sauk City, Wisconsin.
Friday was a day filled with rehearsals and tech meetings,
ending with a welcome party at the Cedarberry Inn. It was a time to catch up
with old friends and make new ones. With snacks and libations as
lubricants, the wheels of “networking” turned until the wee hours of the
morning.
Saturday began early with the first three productions followed by lunch. The festival then
continued with the final five festival performances.
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Sun Prairie Civic Theatre |
Eleemosynary |
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Verona Area Community Theatre |
Blithe Spirit |
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Sauk Prairie Theatre Guild |
Time Flies |
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Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre |
Cradle and All |
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Redbud Players |
The Other Woman and Other Short Plays |
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Kettle Moraine Players |
The Shadow Box |
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La Crosse Community Theatre |
Macbeth |
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Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa |
The Actor's Nightmare |
But the end of the performances didn’t mean the fun was
over yet. While the adjudicators were deliberating and deciding, it was
off to the Blue Spoon Cafe for the post show celebration. Once again there was
sharing of food and libations.
Sunday morning it was back to the stage of the River Arts
Center for the
awards brunch and the WACT annual meeting. Selected to proceed to the Region III festival were
the Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre's
production of Cradle and All and the La Crosse Community Theatre's
production of Macbeth.
Chosen as alternate was Eleemosynary by the Sun Prairie Civic Theatre.
Wisconsin AACTFest 2013 Awards
Productions Proceeding to the Regional Festival
Cradle and All
Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre
Macbeth
La Crosse Community
Theatre
Alternate Regional Production
Eleemosynary
Sun Prairie Civic Theatre
Excellence in
Direction
Susan Edgren
Cradle and All
Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre
Excellence in
Acting
Elizabeth Robbins - Echo
Eleemosynary
Sun Prairie Civic Theatre
Excellence in
Supporting Acting
Jessie Barr - Stage Manager
The Actor's Nightmare
Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa
Excellence in
Performance
Steven Martin - Nate
Cradle and All
Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre
Excellence in
Performance
Jovan Serrano - Agnes
The Shadow Box
Kettle Moraine Players
Excellence in
Performance
Karly Tellekson
- Annie
Cradle and All
Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre
Excellence in
Ensemble
Macbeth
La Crosse Community Theatre
Excellence in
Costume Design
Sarah Mills
Sauk Prairie Theatre Guild
Time Flies
Excellence in
Costume Design
Mandy Parmeter
La Crosse Community Theatre
Macbeth
Excellence in
Scenic Design
William
Millonig & John Brandl
Kettle Moraine Players
The Shadow Box
Excellence in
Fight Direction
Greg Parmeter
La Crosse Community Theatre
Macbeth
Excellence in
Lighting
Dillon McArdle
La Crosse Community Theatre
Macbeth
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2013 Wisconsin AACTFest Adjudicators |
Ross Daniels |
Allen Ebert |
Lauren Love |
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Ross Daniels
recently retired
after 25 years as the Director of U.S. Army Entertainment Programs at
Fort Knox, Kentucky and Vicenza, Italy. In 2001, the U.S. Army presented
Ross with the “James T. Martin Award for Distinguished Lifetime
Achievement”. While at Fort Knox, Ross, and his wife Bonnie, established
Army Community Theatre and built one of the Army’s most decorated
programs. He produced and directed plays that took top awards at state
and regional AACT festivals and were honored at International Theatre
Festivals in Aruba, England and Germany. In Vicenza, Italy, he produced
Do Not Go Gentle which won the AACT
Region 10 Best Play Award. Soldiers’ Theatre of Vicenza became the first
military theatre to qualify competitively and was an award recipient at
the AACT National Theatre Festival in 1999. |
Alan Ebert is the
Production Manager for the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union and
Union South. He was formerly the Executive Director of the La Crosse
Community Theatre where he directed The Women of Lockerbie, a
participant in the 2007 National AACTFest. Allen spent three years in
Italy serving as Entertainment Director of Soldiers’ Theatre, an Army
Community Theatre. He produced The Tolstoy Story Play which
represented the United States at the 2006 AACT International Festival.
Over the past several years he has adjudicated and conducted workshops
at state, regional and national festivals.. He has enjoyed being a
director and an acting instructor with The National High School Theatre
Institute, Sun Prairie Civic Theatre, Menomonee Falls Patio Players, US
Army Kaiserslautern Community Theatre - Germany, CTM Children’s Theatre
of Madison, Madison Repertory Theatre, First Stage Milwaukee, and Center
Stage, New York. |
Lauren Love is
an Assistant Professor of Communication and Theatre Arts at
UW-Baraboo/Sauk County where she teaches, serves as the Director of
Theatre and Artistic Director of the Summerset Festival of the Arts.
Lauren earned a master of fine arts degree in acting from UW- Madison
and a doctorate in theatre history, theory and criticism from the
University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. In between degrees she
performed, wrote, directed, taught acting, and coached actors in several
Chicago theatre venues. While in Chicago, she also co-founded and served
as Managing Director of Theatre Praxis. Lauren directs all University
Theatre productions at UW-BSC and continues to pursue non-academic
directing and dramaturgical work at Stage Q in Madison. She is
delighted to be a part of this year's AACTFest and wishes all
participants (proverbial) broken legs. |
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