KCACTF offers two distinct tracks for students interested in directing for the stage.
Track 1 – SDC (Stage Directors & Choreographers) Directing Program
Each director will prepare and present a short scene from the list provided on the national website. The scene will include student actors, and must be rehearsed at the home institution and presented at the regional festival.
Throughout the festival, SDC students will work with seasoned directors to help them clarify their pitches, expand their skillset, and better communicate with actors and designers.
Please review the 2023 SDC Program details to get started. Be sure to submit a Student Program Inquiry form and select Directing/SDC Directing Program to stay up to date on deadlines and program requirements.
Deadline to select Directing Track: December 15, 2022
Deadline for SDC Director Materials – January 24, 2023
Track 2 – Student Directed Ten-Minute Plays
For students who either cannot prepare a scene in advance of festival, or those who are specifically interested in director, playwright and dramaturgical collaboration, the Directing Program partners with the National Playwriting and Dramaturgy programs.
Six ten-minute student plays will be presented as staged readings during the festival. Student directors, dramaturgs, playwrights and actors rehearse through the week and then present these readings. During the festival, students will work directly with three SDC respondents who are successful directors with a wide range of experience across many types of theatre.
Please review the NPP Student Directed Plays program to get started. Be sure to submit a Student Program Inquiry form and select Directing/Student Directed Ten-Min Plays to stay up to date on deadlines and program requirements.
Deadline to select Directing Track: December 15, 2022
Deadline to Submit Director’s Ten-Minute Play Pitch: December 30, 2022
Mentorship note: If you have a faculty mentor, great! Letters of recommendation are no longer necessary to apply to the SDC Directing Initiative, but you can list your mentor on the application form. If you do not have a directing mentor but would like some mentorship, please e-mail us below and we will try to pair you with a director at another institution.