EMACT Drama Festival
One of the highlights of the EMACT theatre season is the Community Theatre Drama Festival, held every other year. The popular long weekend event, which can maximum accommodate 18 participating member companies, entertains as well as educates. It's an opportunity to witness a wide range of theatre and learn from professionals who adjudicate each production presented.
The Festival is highlighted by an exciting tension-filled closing awards ceremony, citing the productions and individuals for outstanding performance and theatre excellence. The crowd waits nervously as each award is announced and count down to the climax of the festival - which production will receive the coveted Best of Festival trophy and cash award.
Our Festival dates back to 1954 when the Brainwey Players of Braintree and Weymouth invited three companies of the Little Theatre League (LTL), a state association of community theatres, to participate in a one-act competition. From that beginning has grown the event we know today. Along the way, qualifying productions were added to include cuttings and scenes from full length plays and musicals.
In 1961, with the departure of LTL, the Festival was taken up by the Community Theatre Division of the New England Theatre Conference (NETC) a regional theatre arts organization. Until 1966 the Festival was held at various locations; but, in 1967, the hosting group, Hovey Players, arranged to have the event on the campus of Brandeis University. It remained there until 2004 when it moved to the campus of Babson College. In recent years, the festival has been at the Campbell Performing Arts Center at The Groton School followed by Tewksbury High School. In 1970, to make the Festival a better learning experience, the current practice of providing a collective 15 minute timed critique of each performance by festival adjudicators was adopted. These three also select all awards. including the Best of Festival production. In 1992, EMACT co-sponsored the Festival and in 1993, it became the EMACT Community Theatre Drama Festival, sponsored solely by EMACT and recognized by NETC and the American Association of Community Theatres (AACT) as the official Eastern Massachusetts State Community Theatre Festival.
Our festival ties into a biennial New England Regional Festival (NERF), which features the winning productions of community theatre festivals held in several of the New England states. The winner of the Regional Festival represents New England in a National Festival of Community Theatres, also held biennially, sponsored by AACT.
Theatre Festivals have become a popular spectator event. Highly structured state, regional and national competitions have evolved using ours, the oldest festival in the nation, as their model. EMACT is proud of that contribution to the festival movement and our continued support of its goals.
The Festival is highlighted by an exciting tension-filled closing awards ceremony, citing the productions and individuals for outstanding performance and theatre excellence. The crowd waits nervously as each award is announced and count down to the climax of the festival - which production will receive the coveted Best of Festival trophy and cash award.
Our Festival dates back to 1954 when the Brainwey Players of Braintree and Weymouth invited three companies of the Little Theatre League (LTL), a state association of community theatres, to participate in a one-act competition. From that beginning has grown the event we know today. Along the way, qualifying productions were added to include cuttings and scenes from full length plays and musicals.
In 1961, with the departure of LTL, the Festival was taken up by the Community Theatre Division of the New England Theatre Conference (NETC) a regional theatre arts organization. Until 1966 the Festival was held at various locations; but, in 1967, the hosting group, Hovey Players, arranged to have the event on the campus of Brandeis University. It remained there until 2004 when it moved to the campus of Babson College. In recent years, the festival has been at the Campbell Performing Arts Center at The Groton School followed by Tewksbury High School. In 1970, to make the Festival a better learning experience, the current practice of providing a collective 15 minute timed critique of each performance by festival adjudicators was adopted. These three also select all awards. including the Best of Festival production. In 1992, EMACT co-sponsored the Festival and in 1993, it became the EMACT Community Theatre Drama Festival, sponsored solely by EMACT and recognized by NETC and the American Association of Community Theatres (AACT) as the official Eastern Massachusetts State Community Theatre Festival.
Our festival ties into a biennial New England Regional Festival (NERF), which features the winning productions of community theatre festivals held in several of the New England states. The winner of the Regional Festival represents New England in a National Festival of Community Theatres, also held biennially, sponsored by AACT.
Theatre Festivals have become a popular spectator event. Highly structured state, regional and national competitions have evolved using ours, the oldest festival in the nation, as their model. EMACT is proud of that contribution to the festival movement and our continued support of its goals.