AACTFest since 2000
>> Return to AACTFest History Through 1999
2000-2009
AACTFest 2001 took place in Harrisburg, PA, co-hosted by the Whitaker Center and Theatre Harrisburg, with Stephen Krempasky and Sam Kuba as co-chairs. Serving as adjudicators for “A Capital Affair” were James Carver (retired Managing Director, Kalamazoo [MI] Civic Theatre), Ted Strickland (Executive Producer, Theatre Memphis [TN]), and John Viars (Executive Director, Des Moines [IA] Playhouse). Wit by Margaret Edson performed by the Salina (KS) Community Theatre, was selected as the first-place production. In second place was the Burlington County Footlighters from Cinnaminson, NJ with its production of Peter Parnell’s Scooter Thomas Makes It to the Top of the World. Traveling from Oklahoma City, OK, Carpenter Square Theatre captured third place with Jo DiPietro’s Over the River and Through the Woods. Ireland’s festival issued an invitation to the Salina Community Theatre, while the Burlington County Footlighters received an invitation to Nova Scotia, Canada, and Heidelberg, Germany would be the destination for the Carpenter Square Theatre. At the 2001 festival, the AACT Endowment reached another milestone when it was able to present each national company with $1,000.
2003 saw AACTFest return to the East Coast at the restored Warner Theatre in Torrington, CT, with Barry Hughson as chair of “A New England Theatre Experience.” Adjudication duties were handled by Michael Fortner (past Managing Director of the West Virginia Public Theatre), Annette Procunier (director and designer from Ontario, Canada), and Chuck Sheffield (chair of the Theatre and Dance departments, Richland College, Dallas). The alternate adjudicator was Rod McCullough (Managing Director, The Fulton, Lancaster, PA). Top honors went to the Spokane (WA) Theatrical Group for its production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly, by Celeste Raspanti. Second place went to the production of Jeffrey Hatcher’s Three Viewings, performed by the Bas Bleu Theatre Company of Fort Collins, CO. Third place went to the musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, produced by the Elkhart (IN) Civic Theatre. An unfortunate byproduct of the 2003 world political climate was the scarcity of international festivals, and so no international invitations were made at the festival.
After almost a quarter century, the national festival returned to Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2005. Kalamazoo Civic hosted “A Hot Time in the Cool City,” with Cathy Weir as the festival chair. First place was awarded to the Manatee Players from Bradenton, FL, for their performance of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses (based on David R Slavitt’s translation of The Metamorphoses of Ovid). Second place went to Nunsense A-men, by Dan Goggin, performed by the River City Family Theatre. from Elkhart, IN. Tying for third place was Suburb by David Javerbaun and Bob Cohen, from the Roadside Theater from Heidelberg, Germany, and the Hard Bargin Players (Accokeek, MD) production of xphiles unrequited, by Bob Bartlett. Serving as adjudicators were Alex Chrestopoulos (former Managing Artistic Director for the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre), Kevin Gardner (faculty member, St. Paul’s School) and Faye M Price (Co- Artistic Producing Director, Pilsbury House Theatre). John Viars (Executive Director, Des Moines Playhouse) served as the alternate adjudicator.
Charlotte, North Carolina, was the setting for AACTFest 2007, Festival Chairs were Ginger Heath and Keith Martin. The Metrolina Theatre Association served as the festival host, using the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Belk Theatre as the performance venue and the center point of the festival. Serving as adjudicators for the festival were Mary Doveton, (Managing Director of Lawrence [KS] Community Theatre), Steven Slaughter (Director of Theatre, Bossier Parish Community College in Bossier, LA), and Ron Ziegler (freelance director and theatre artist from Des Moines, IA). Serving as alternate adjudicator was L. Ross Rowland (President of the American Center of the International Amateur Theatre Association). Appropriately enough for a festival in the Queen City, the production of Crowns by the Denton Community Theatre, from Denton, TX, took the first-place title. Spokane [WA] Civic Theatre’s production of Assassins garnered second place. Third place was awarded to Aberdeen [SD] Community Theatre for its performance of Honk!
“Come West!” was the theme for AACTFest 2009 as, after more than 30 years, the national festival returned to the Pacific Northwest. Hosts were the Tacoma Musical Playhouse and the Washington State Community Theatre Association. Festival Chairs were Jon D. Rake, Judith Cullen, and Lark Moore. The Pantages Theater, a restored 1918 vaudeville house, was the site for the 12 performances and the adjudications by Mary Britt (Executive Director, Ocala Civic Theatre in Ocala, FL), Morrie Enders (former Managing/Artistic Director of La Crosse (WI) Community Theatre), and L. Ross Rowland (President of the American Center of the International Amateur Theatre Association). Serving as alternate adjudicator was Dennis Gilmore (Executive Director, Henderson County Performing Arts Center in Athens, TX). Garnering first place honors was Scooter Thomas Makes It to the Top of the World, presented by the Chino Community Theatre from Chino, CA. In second place was South Bend [IN] Civic Theatre for its production of Intimate Apparel. Third place winner, was the Poteet Theatre from Oklahoma City, OK, and its performance of Jon & Jen.
2010-2019
2011 saw AACTFest journey to the state of New York for “A Celebration of Community Theatre,” hosted by the Theatre Association of New York State at the historic Geva Theatre in downtown Rochester. Festival chairs were Ruth Legg and Joan Luther, assisted by AACTFest veteran Shirley Cockrell, an Honorary Festival Chair. Taking home top honors was the Ohlook Performing Arts Center (Grapevine, TX) for its production of Dog Sees God. Second place went to the performance of Urinetown: The Musical from Midland, MI’s Center Stage. Third place went to the Manatee Players from Bradenton, FL, for its production of Sunday in the Park with George. Festival adjudicators were Scott Richard Klein (Chair of the Theatre Arts Department at Cameron University in Lawton, OK), Larry Nielsen (Village Manager, Paw Paw, MI), and Annette Procunier (Co-founder, The New Act Theatre, Bala, Canada). Alternate adjudicator was Allen Ebert (Co-Director, Wisconsin Film Festival).
There were “Stories to Tell” when AACTFest 2013 was held int Carmel, IN, making it the first National AACTFest held in Indiana. The Carmel Repertory Theatre served as the festival host under its chair, June Clair, who took over for Larry Creviston. Festival performances took place in the Booth Tarkington Theatre, part of the newly constructed Carmel Center for the Performing Arts. Adjudicators were Tim Jebsen (Executive Director of the Midland Community Theatre in Midland, TX), Paul Nelson (Mental Health Registered Nurse from Olean, NY), and Kathy Pingel (Director of Education and Youth Programming at the Des Moines [IA] Com-munity Playhouse). Alternate adjudicator was Keith Martin (Distinguished Professor of Theatre at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC). After making their deliberations, Radium Girls from Burlington (MA) Players was chosen as the first-place production. Second place was God of Carnage, performed by the Baytown (TX) Little Theatre, and third place was Wisconsin Rapids (WI) Community Theatre, with its production of Cradle and All.
Michigan’s Grand Rapids Civic Theatre and School of Theatre Arts hosted AACTFest 2015, June 23-27. Festival Co-Coordinators Jill Patchin and Mary Jo DeNolf oversaw a successful festival that included Dan Goggin (Playwright, Lyricist, and Composer of the Nunsense series of musicals) as its special guest and workshop presenter. Adjudicators were Genevieve Aichele (Co-founder and Artistic Director of the New Hampshire Theatre Project in Portsmouth, NH), James Sohre (retired civilian Command Entertainment Director for U.S. Army Entertainment), and John W. Viars (Executive Director of the Des Moines [IA] Playhouse). Kokomo Civic Theatre (Kokomo, IN) was awarded first place for Freud’s Last Session, with The New Group West (Cardiff, CA) receiving second place for I Am My Own Wife, and Platte Valley Players (Brighton, CO) third place, for The Nina Variations.
AACTFest 2017 traveled north to Minnesota and was hosted by The Rochester Civic Theatre Company. Several new elements were added to the festival events, including: YouthFest, Youth Leadership Conference, Monologue Competition, multiple category Design Exhibition and Competition, and AACTFest’s first-ever mobile app. Headliners Barry Hughson (Executive Director of the National Ballet of Canada), Michael John LaChiusa (composer, lyricist, librettist), and David Stewart (Director of Production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN) provided engaging and challenging presentations. YouthFest adjudicator were Bill Anderson, Jr. (Midland, MI), Ron Cameron-Lewis (Ontario, Canada), and Penelope Notter (Grand Rapids, MI). Cameron-Lewis also adjudicated the Monologue Competition. AACTFest adjudicators were Benny Sato Ambush (Boston, MA), Morrie Enders (Executive Director of Lincoln [NE] Community Playhouse), and Kristi Quinn (Dakota City, NE). The award for Outstanding Production was awarded to Tacoma Musical Playhouse (Tacoma, WA) for its production of The Addams Family, Act 1.
AACTFest 2019 attendees were immersed in history during their week in Gettysburg, PA. Productions and some workshops were held at the historic Majestic Theater, with the bulk of workshops held next door at the historic Gettysburg Hotel. Other workshops and the Youth Arts Leadership Conference took place nearby at the home of festival hosts, the Gettysburg Community Theatre. In addition to 12 festival productions and over 30 workshops, the festival again included YouthFest (six productions), Youth Arts Leadership Conference, Monologue Competition, multiple category Design Competition, and Adjudication Training Seminar. Playwright James Sherman, who also facilitated a workshop, was the keynote speaker. YouthFest adjudicators were Kristy Meanor (Artistic Director, Wetumpka (AL) Depot Players], Kathy Pingel (North Port, FL), and Dennis Yslas [Executive Director, Texas Nonprofit Theatres, Inc. (Fort Worth, TX)]. Ron Cameron-Lewis (Ontario, Canada) once again adjudicated the Monologue Competition. AACTFest adjudicators were Murray Chase [Producing Executive Director, Venice (FL) Theatre], Joel Jahnke [Professor Emeritus, Montana State University (Bozeman, MT)], and Sara Phoenix [Artistic Director, Theatre Tulsa (OK)]. Alternate adjudicator was Bernard DiCasimirro (Morrisville, PA). The award for Overall Outstanding Production was presented to The Lexington (MA) Players for its production of Who Will Sing for Lena?
2020-Present
The Covid pandemic struck with force in the U.S. and around the world in 2021. Following the advice of government health officials and the recommendation of AACT’s Festival and Executive Committees, AACTFest 2021 became the organization's first virtual festival. Initially, there were doubts about going virtual, but it proved to offer advantages many had not considered before—virtual meetups, intimate chat features during workshops and presentations, a vibrant online community where virtual topics were discussed, and the ability to view workshops and presentations after they had streamed live. In addition, there were no travel costs to attend. Instead of the traditional state-to-regional-to-national festival route, theatres notified AACTD of their interest in performing. Eventually, a slate of productions were invited to take part, with AACT providing a professional video recording of each. The virtual setting encouraged a broad variety of instructors, adjudicators, guests, and keynote speakers. A highlight was Broadway legend Rob McClure, explaining how community theatre gave him his start. National Adjudicators were Allen Ebert, Amy Wratchford, Jeff Calhoun, with Richard St. Peter as alternate. The honor of Best Overall Production went to The Mountaintop, presented by the Lexington Players of Lexington, MA.
Two years later, the pandemic had lessened its grip on the country, and AACTFest returned to an in-person format in Louisville, KY. “Although the virtual festival was groundbreaking and memorable,” said AACT Executive Director Quiana Clark-Roland, “nothing could compare to the synergy created when we gather in person—in a theatre, boardroom, workshop, or at the bar, exchanging stories and reminiscing.” Preceded by the Community Theatre Management Conference (CTMC), AACTFest 2023 included not only the National Company and Youth Theatre productions, but also the Belle of Louisville Sunset Cruise and Monologue Competition, as well as the keynote address by Broadway veteran Ben Cameron. Adjudicators for the National Company productions were Gary Anderson, Jeff Calhoun ,and Faye M. Price, with Rick St. Peter as Alternate. The honor of Overall Outstanding Production was awarded to Pass Over, presented by Stage Left Theatre of Spokane, WA.