About AACTFest
What Is AACT and What Is AACTFest?
The American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) exists to foster and encourage the development of, and commitment to, the highest standards by community theatres, including standards of excellence for production, management, governance, community relations and service.
A nonprofit organization, AACT offers a wide range of opportunities to share experiences, problems, successes and love of theatre. Founded in 1986, AACT’s history has its roots in earlier theatre organizations. Like them, it serves both individuals and organizations by providing expertise, assistance and support so that community theatres can provide the best possible theatrical experience for participants and audience alike.
AACT holds a national festival every two years. This national festival is the destination for productions adjudicated and advanced from state and regional levels. Each production and host theatre must adhere to strict guidelines. Representatives from AACT's ten regions perform before three experienced adjudicators, with the possible results of awards of excellence and often invitations to perform at theatre festivals in other parts of the world.
AACTFest Goals
- To provide an optimum learning experience through festival entry at state, regional and national levels, which affirm, support and nurture community theatre companies as they strive toward excellence in theatrical productions.
- To stimulate and inspire community theatre companies to strive for the best work possible and to recognize them for their achievement through an appropriate adjudication process.
- To provide learning experience in artistic, technical and management areas for people in attendance through performances, adjudication and workshops.
- To develop enlightened and discerning audiences for community theatre.
Participation in AACTFest
The AACT National Festival is the culmination of a two-year process of performance and adjudication of community theatre productions at the state and regional level. If your theatre company has not been selected to advance to AACTFest '09, it is not eligible to enter a production. You and all of your friends are, however, invited and encouraged to attend. Join the Fun!
AACT sponsors a series of festivals to highlight and recognize outstanding community theatre.
- Participating theatres typically perform first at state festivals.
- Selected productions go on to participate in one of ten regional festivals.
- Most regions select one production to participate in AACTFest '09 in Tacoma. Region IV will select two because it is a large region, And, for the second time, the region with the most combined state festival entries will also select two, for a total of twelve productions.
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» Download Opportunities Brochure » Download Participant Agreement Form |
To be eligible, theatre companies must:
- be organized for at least one year prior to its state festival entry
- be governed by a board from the community
- have produced at least two shows prior to its state festival.
For additional information and complete festival details, see the AACTFest Handbook - 2009 Cycle. You can find this at the AACT Web site (www.aact.org), on the AACTFest Documents page. You can also find information about past festivals and other useful information.
Do you want to contact the AACT representative for your region? Please see our list of regional representatives.
Why AACT?
- The American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) is the national voice of and for community theatre.
- AACT represents the interests of more than 7,000 theatres across the United States and its territories, as well as theatre companies with the armed services overseas. This includes:
- Nearly 1 million volunteers
- A combined annual budget of more than $650 million
- More than 46,000 productions per year
- More than 375,000 performances per year
- Entertaining a total audience of 83 million people
- Providing educational and community outreach programs for children, seniors and underserved populations.
Join AACT
AACT membership is open to individuals and commercial organizations as well as amateur theatre companies. To join, or get more information:
- Visit the AACT Web site for more information and an online application
- This site's Memberships Page also includes a downloadable membership form.
