- What is a response?
The Response sessions are designed to give you some outside insight from industry professionals regarding a variety of topics related to your work. Remember: the Respondents were not there at the time that your work was created, they are excited to hear about your ideas, your approaches, the challenges, and spaces where your really dug into your creative process and learned something new.
- …And how does it work?
For Design and Technology Students, your response session will begin with a 1-3 minute “elevator pitch.” This is your opportunity to summarize your process, beginning to end, sharing your key points of inspiration, where you were when you started your journey into exploring your role and your work, and any highlights, important ideas, or benchmarks that unfolded as you dove into the work- whether realized or not. This speech should celebrate what made your project unique, challenging, and how you approached working with others or with the text.
Following your pitch, you will be asked several questions and given feedback by the Respondents. You can also ask follow-ups, engage in conversation, or ask your own questions or the respondents. In total, your session will last approximately 15 minutes. Response sessions can be attended by festival guests. We ask that they remain quiet during the Session and not leave during a Participant’s presentation.
For those using technology, be sure any devices, links, or files you would like to use are working properly.
For Stage Management Students, you will take your book(s) to have on hand during your Response Sessions. Round 1 consists of round-table discussions with a handful of stage managers. Round 2 consists of one-on-one conversations between respondents and stage managers. Students participating in Round 2 should know this is not a “Final Round” but merely a chance for respondents to have further or extended conversations. All Stage Management response sessions are closed to the public.
- Will someone see my materials beforehand?
Yes! Respondents will have viewed your board before your session, as well as your digital submission and pitch video.
- Who Are Respondents?
This is a hand-pocked team of theatre professionals who value creative critique and mentorship, who will respond for you about your work.
- How do I know when I present?
When you arrive at the festival to set up your display, each student will be provided with a specific presentation time and location. Presentation Load-In usually takes place on Day 2 of the festival over a four (4) hour period. Students can use this time at their discretion for set up.
As a reminder, you may enter either as a VIRTUAL (online) or IN-PERSON DTM Participant. Because we both want togive our Fabulous Respondent panel the opportunity to meet you and your work before Festival, so that they can prepare questions for your Response Session, we ask that ALL ENTRIES be curated in the Digital Gallery.
- Once I have entered materials into the virtual gallery, can I make changes?
In the interest of fairness, we ask that there be no major changes to your display materials once you push submit. One of the friendly folx from the DTM Leadership Team will look at your entry to make sure that the format is legible in thevirtual gallery. If we see something problematic, like the inclusion of your school name, we will reach out to you. If you have minor changes before festival, such as adding cations or fine details, you may reach out to DTM Leadership to update your entry prior to the first day of festival to swap things out.
- So I am participating F2F and will be making my board and not printing it, what do I submit?
We ask that you take a picture of your boards and upload them. Please crop out any background.
- What if I am including a dress form or stand-alone item or model?
All entries (except for Stage Management) can include one additional image of this material. In the interest of fairness, we will allow all entries to take a close-up image of something that they wish to highlight on their boards, if they do not have a stand-alone item. For Stage Management, you may include an image of your booth set-up. For Sound, you may include another 15 second sound clip.
- What is the Elevator Pitch Video?
All entries need to submit a 3-mintute video of you talking about your entry, including anything you wish the respondents to know. Only the respondents will see your video. The video does not need to be exceptional quality, though we will encourage this. Try to include details that you may not otherwise have the opportunity to highlight about your approach.You will also deliver an introduction to your displays in the Artist Statement and in the Response Sessions, so think of this as practice or as a chance for Respondent to get to know you. If you hate being on Camera, you may use images of your boards and narrate them.
- So, when looking at the website, it looks like my display images should be a square shape for digital submission?
Yes. If you are crafting your boards in a program as one big 4’x8’ image to print, we will send them back to you to cut into two squares. The virtual gallery really likes square images, so please consider this if you are submitting a board. Werealize that some details will be hard to see. This will not affect your eligibility. For virtual entries, it is likely we will reach out to you for additional files that make very small details easier to see. If you are submitting documents, .PDF is fine.
- How long should my concept statement be?
We recommend a page. On your board, you may integrate this into your composition. For virtual submission, we ask that this appear as a separate document, so that it is easier to read.
- Can my friend make my board for me?
No. Please only submit work that you have created yourself.
- What does Allied Crafts include?
Anything that is not one of the other major categories.
- How many entries can I submit?
Up to 6 across all DTM disciplines.
- If I assisted on a show, can I submit that work?
Yes. We ask that you submit that work to the most relevant category.
- Can I submit personal projects for response?
Yes. We ask that it be connected to school work. We realize that not all schoolwork is connected to a class. All entries, if they were completed in 2023 will receive a response. If your entry does not adhere to the National KCACTF guidelines, it will not have the opportunity to advance to nationals. We encourage you to show off your work, whichmay include cosplay, dance, or other performance art. If you have a question, you can reach out with questions.
- Can I submit multiple entries for one show?
Yes. We understand that you may have performed several different roles on one production. This could include anexample like designing costumes and building costumes. Please note that each entry will count independently towards 6 entries.
- What kind of display set-up can I choose?
Allied Crafts and Sound are the only category that can choose a set-up. You may select to do two panels or one panel and use a tabletop. See the website for details.
- Do I need to bring a music stand?
Yes. We will not provide music stands for the two-panel displays.
- What kind of file should my images be formatted in?
We prefer JPEG. Try to be conscientious of the size. If images exceed 10GB, it shuts down our website. .PDF is fine fordocuments. If you do not format your images in these file formats, or your files are too large, we will likely send them back to you.
- If I am participating in F2F, can materials stick off the board?
Yes, you may layer documents like a flip book or have swatches. We know that this may not be as effective to see in the digital gallery, but this will not affect your entry if it is not fully visible.
- What do I need to submit?
See the website. Generally, this will include a display (or binder/binders for Stage Management). You may also submit your letter of intent (Stage Management) or Concept Statement as a separate file. All entries must include a video. ForDTM categories other than Stage Management and Sound, you may submit up to three total images. Please see the website for Stage Management and Sound.
- When will I receive information about the Festival Schedule?
Our scheduling will likely run right up against Festival, as many entries are submitted right at the last minute. Someonewill reach out to you with more information after the due date has passed. We try to be very mindful about scheduling responses, knowing that participants interact with many events.
- I made a mistake on my entry form, what do I do?
Reach out to use! We can help you!
- Can I put business cards next to my display?
No. Keep a stack on yourself so that you can hand them out.
- Can I share the virtual gallery link once I receive it?
No. The virtual gallery is available only to live and virtual festival participants.
- Can my school faculty attend my in-person response virtually?
Yes. They will need to register for the Virtual Festival Option. They will only likely be able to participate in responses.
- I am worried about the expense of printing my board, what do I do?
Take a moment to reach out to us. We are very creative and understand financial hardship. We would ask that you only reach out after exhausting all of the options mentioned on the website. It is not mandatory that your materials be printed (except for Stage Management) but is a way that we have ident
- I am not finished with my design materials; can I finish them at Festival for my display?
No. Your entry should be for work completed in 2023 only. Please do not make new work for the festival now. Work completed in 2024 can be entered next year.
- I graduated in May from one school and am now at another school in the region, can I submit work from my previous school?
Yes. You can enter this in the region. Be sure to indicate your prior school information on the entry form. If you need to do this, please reach out to us, so that we can pose this question to national. Work completed at both schools will be viable at the region level.
- Are the respondents scary?
No. They are super cool and very excited to meet you and to get to know your work.
- I am a virtual entrant and have to work all week. Will you work with my work schedule when scheduling my response?
Absolutely- and tell your friends. We want to make sure that as many have access to the response sessions as possible, so we will gladly work with you. You will enter conflict information on the entry form.
- What do I do when I get to Festival?
Please stop by the Registration table in the Expo Hall before putting your board up.
- Will I be able to take my display down early?
We ask that you leave your display up as long as possible. Please reach out to us if you need to leave early.
- I will be late to festival, can someone set my display up for me?
Yes. You may authorize someone from your school to do this for you. We ask that they check in at registration.
We look forward to celebrating your work! Please let us know if you have more questions!
Find Software and Technology Resources Here
Friendly Presenting Advice
STAY AWAY FROM LONG PLOT SUMMARIES
It is good to summarize the action of the play that you were walking on, but we encourage you to stay away from spending too much time talking about the text, at the expense of not sharing your contributions in bringing it to life.
DO NOT GET BOGGED DOWN WITH THE TECHNICAL DETAILS
(unless your presentation is only about the technical details…)
A solid summary of any significant technical information is advised, just as with the play summary. We encourage you to balance your time and to think about your pitch time as a limited budget, during which you are trying to cover a lot of material.
SPECIFICS ARE DELICIOUS
When choosing language to describe your process and design choices, be bold, declarative and specific. Words like “nice, pretty, fun, neat, special, period, mean, cool, run-of-the-mill”, are generic. Chances are, your work is exceptional (we’d bet on it). Celebrate that by describing it as such. But don’t go to the opposite extreme by using the thesaurus for the sake of sounding fancy-shmancy. Specific and concise is a great motto!
POINT OUT THE SPOT ON YOUR SHIRT BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE
Every design is an experiment. Sometimes choices do not work out as well as they did in theory, and execution suffers due to one of a billion different reasons (all usually having to do with time or money). It is perfectly acceptable to acknowledge challenges and how you solved them or to relay your own feedback. If – for example – you did not consider sightlines, but realized that you should have, address it in your presentation. Do not dwell on it, but we love to hear about what you learned!
A SCRIPT LED YOU TO A DESIGN, BUT DO NOT LET ONE TAKE OVER THE PRESENTATION
As a general rule, stay away from an overly-scripted presentation. Cue cards are great to keep you on task, but the respondents want to
see your perspective and passion more than your recitation skills. We know that presenting can be scary, but the Response Team is here to help celebrate your work, not put you on trial. Celebrate by using your voice and displays, helping us time-travel to the magic you made!
SOME EXAMPLE TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
- Ask about the Collaborative Process and their experience with others
- Ask them to clarify any information not mentioned in the Concept Statement, especially if their slides have interesting details
- The greatest challenges they faced in the project-Safety considerations if the work is produced
- Unity with other observed design elements and choices
- Expression of story arc and understanding of the text
- Clarity, point of view, and integration of research and detail
- Clarity and completeness of included paperworks
For Sample Layouts click here.
Sample Projects
