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ABOUT THE ALL ENGLAND THEATRE FESTIVAL

Website: http://www.aetf.org.uk

The All England Theatre Festival organises the only country-wide eliminating contest for one-act plays in performance.

It exists to provide an opportunity for Amateurs to compete throughout England.

Contact is maintained with other leading bodies involved in Amateur Drama thoughout the UK.

It is also involved with the Geoffrey Whitworth Trophy Competition, inconjunction with the other ‘Hosts’ of the British Festival to judge Original, unpublished Scripts that are first produced within the relevant Festivals.

The organisation of the AETF is in the overall control of the English Committee. This is comprised of representatives from 4 Area Committees, who are responsible for running the Area Finals from which the winners progress to the English Final. Each Area is further divided into currently 13 Divisions and 39 first rounds - all of which has its own Committee. The winner of the English Final represents England at the British Finals, and there is a Rota so that it is held in England once every 4 years.

The organisation is totally independent and voluntary, united in the common purpose of allowing amateurs of any group to compete in a fair way. Taking part should be a social, educating experience which can be shared with an audience - the AETF is an inclusive not an exclusive organisation.

The AETF started life as the British Drama League in 1919 under the motivation of Geoffrey Whitworth and his desire to make “Theatre everybody’s business”. The early years focused on play writing and this is commemorated today by the Geoffrey Whitworth Trophy, awarded annually for the Best Original One Act Script. In 1926 an offer to take part in the New York Little Theatre Tournament resulted in a selection procedure to decide who should go and this lead to the setting up of an elimination competition in 1927.

The British Drama League later became the British Drama Association, which then progressed to the All-England Theatre Festival.

THE ALL ENGLAND THEATRE FESTIVAL RULES (November 2008)

WHO CAN ENTER?

1.    The Festival is open to any amateur group who gather together to present a performance.

2.    All players must be amateur i.e. those whose main income is not earned by acting.

3.    Dramatic Schools for the training of professional actors are not eligible.

4.    By entering the AETF Festival companies commit themselves to performance at each level if selected and are expected to appear.

HOW DO WE ENTER?

5. Entry into the National Festival must be via a Preliminary Festival, either a local festival organised by the AETF or an independent local festival affiliated to the AETF.

6. Any company: -
6/1. Who desires to enter the AETF competition must declare this on the Preliminary Round entry form.
6/2. Companies must provide a completed AETF Declaration immediately following their selection.

7. A company may: -
7/1. Enter and opt with any number of plays in a Preliminary Festival.
7/2. They may enter as many festivals as they like, but can only opt from one, preferably their local Preliminary (First Round) Festival.

WHAT CAN WE ENTER?

8. No play in copyright may be performed without production of its performance licence and written permission for any cuts or alterations. This to be presented to the Festival Stage Director.

9.    Any copyright recorded speech or projection of film or TV material can be used as long as proof of permission is produced.

10.    Scripts or written synopses in the case of improvisations must be submitted by the date requested to the organisers in advance of the festival.

11.    There must be a minimum of two speaking parts on stage.

12.    A company must offer a production, which meets the timing requirement, and is performed as per the script they provide for the adjudicator.

13.    Only hard copies of scripts are accepted. Photocopies are only acceptable with written permission of the publishers.

14.    Each entry must be at least twenty minutes in length and not exceed fifty-five minutes. This includes any time spent changing scenes or used to set mood by cast or music. Curtain calls are not permitted.

15.    Entries are allowed ten minutes to set and five to strike. This is not included in the playing time.

16.    Penalties for not keeping within times for performance, setting and striking are: -
Up to 1 minute    1 mark
Up to 2 minutes    3 marks
Up to 3 minutes    6 marks
Up to 4 minutes    10 marks
Up to 5 minutes    15 marks
Over 5 minutes    Disqualification

17.    The scenery must be free standing within the supplied ‘black box’. Individual theatres may provide additional facilities.

18.    Scenery, all properties and any special technical equipment required for their production must be provided by the companies and fireproofing of all materials and sets is their responsibility.

19.    Companies must give advance notice to the relevant organisers of special equipment or effects such as naked lights, pistol shots etc which must comply with the theatre’s requirements. Local regulations may differ especially with regard to items such as smoking on stage.

HOW WILL WE BE JUDGED?

20.    The adjudicator will give a public adjudication of each entry and at the end of the Festival select and announce the company/companies to go forward to the next round.

21.    The adjudicator will use the following marking system: -
Acting    40
Production    35
Stage Presentation    15
Dramatic Achievement    10

22.    The adjudicator’s decision is final.

23.    Written adjudications can be arranged for companies provided a written request is made to the organisers, together with necessary fee, before the festival.

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP TO THE ALL ENGLAND THEATRE FESTIVAL

ADVICE SERVICE

This is available at National and Area or Divisional/District levels, providing free expert advice and information on all issues relating to festival organisation and participation as well as information regarding drama production and participation in your own location.

NEWSLETTER

A newsletter is distributed twice yearly to keep all informed of what is going on both within the organisation and the festival scene in general. This is supported by a website which is regularly updated with current views, dates of events and results and an Annual Brochure giving a complete listing of members’ festivals and contacts. Finally, an Annual Report is available which consolidates the end product of the year’s efforts.

CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS

These are organised and participated in as and when required.

DRAMA FESTIVAL CONSORTIUM

The AETF are members of the Drama Festival Consortium which is chaired by GoDA and has representatives from the NDFA as well as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and the Central Council for Amateur Theatre and Voluntary Arts Network (England).

Representation is made to Government, local and national funding agencies as well as local authorities and other organisations that represent amateur arts within the UK.

Full Insurance Cover is undertaken for all festivals organised by the AETF and the extensive array of trophies, many of which have great historic value achieved over the last 75 years.

THE ALL ENGLAND THEATRE FESTIVAL GEOFFREY WHITWORTH TROPHY

Qualifying conditions are as follows:

* Only plays which are unpublished and have never been produced in any other Festival are eligible.

* Plays should conform to AETF rules regarding format and play length.

* There is no entry fee and plays are judged in manuscript form. A short written assessment of the play will be sent to each playwright at the conclusion of the festival. The responsibility for entering plays rests with the writers.

Entry forms are held by Festival secretaries. All plays are read “blind” (ie the identities of the authors are not known in advance by the judges) by a panel of three.