Nelson to host three rounds of Community Theatre

Nelson to host three rounds of the New Zealand Theatre Federation Festival of Community Theatre

‘A decades old Theatre Tradition will mean Nelsonians are centre stage to enjoy some of the best Amateur Theatre presentations in New Zealand from July to early August.’

The New Zealand Theatre Federations (NZTF) annual ‘Festival of Community Theatre’ competition series starts early July with District heats around the country, followed by 4 Regional finals and culminates in The National Final at Nelson’s Theatre Royal in August.

The NZTF Festival series is open to all NZTF members and follows international one act play guidelines. Participants are judged on the presentation, script interpretation, technical and set aspects of the performance, with meeting the strict timing criteria around technical rehearsals, stage set and strike and performance also playing a part in the Adjudicators decision.

Nelson will host the Top of the South District, Upper South Regional and the Festival of Community Theatre National Final.

Round one (Top of the South District) will be held 4pm Saturday, 2 July, at the Playhouse Café and Restaurant, in Mapua, followed by an evening session from 6pm. Tickets for round one will be available at the door, $15 each, or call Tracey Gibbs on 541 9663. Dinner is available at an extra cost.

This round sees 6 plays competing with adjudication by Christchurch’s Dawn Somerville.
Dramatix and Dramatix Youth ( who also bring us Nelson’s Lest We Forget ANZAC event) will present between them 5 original works, written by Nelson’s TJ Ramsay and Scott Frater, and Marlborough Repertory’s entry, ‘Bar and Ger’ is by Irish playwright, Geraldine Aron.

‘In order to progress from one level to the next, plays are adjudicated by a different accredited adjudicator at each level, and all participants receive constructive feedback as part of the experience’ says Top of the South District and Festival co-ordinator Anne McAuley from Blenheim.

Nelson also hosts the Upper South Island Regional Final, again at the Playhouse, on 22nd and 23rd July, with Auckland adjudicator Lindsay Nash in the hot seat.
The Regional Final will pit the best plays from the ‘Top of the South’ against the best from the Canterbury District, with six plays over two nights. This round will be $15 per session or a 2 night ticket for $25.

Then the grand event - the Festival of Community Theatre National Final on August 5th and 6th will see the best in New Zealand battle it out at Nelson’s Theatre Royal.

‘Hosting this National event where actors young and old not only compete against each other, but take part in a variety of theatre craft workshops, networking and learning from skilled tutors, is a rare privilege, especially as it has been many, many years since the event was hosted here’ says Dramatix Trust member, Scott Frater.

Mr Frater’s work ‘Youthanasia’ was performed by Nelson’s Dramatix Youth in 2009 and won the Festival Book Of Honour – Overall Award for that year.
Ticketing information for the National Final is yet to be confirmed, but queries can be directed to oneactofmadness@gmail.com in the meantime.

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