Participation Guidelines
Parker Arts presents our first annual Shakespeare Festival, a theatrical competition for Parker
Middle Schools and High Schools. Students from Parker schools will perform a scene or portion
of a scene from a Shakespeare play or soliloquy of their choosing and be evaluated by a team of
judges. The highest scoring performances will perform on the PACE Center Main Stage and the
top performances will win the Bard’s Prize for the 2017 Parker Arts Shakespeare Festival!
Rules
Student participants must attend a Parker middle school or high school.
Student groups will perform a scene or part of a scene from one of William Shakespeare’s plays.
Group scenes should be between two to five minutes.
The number of actors in a group is determined by the number of roles in the scene being
performed.
Soliloquies (monologues) are allowed. A soliloquy includes one actor performing two contrasting
Shakespeare monologues (one comic; one tragic).
The soliloquy should be one to two minutes.
Groups and soliloquies will perform the same scene twice. Each performance will be judged.
Up to ten groups/soliloquies may audition at each school. Three to five groups auditioning will be
selected to perform at the festival.
Shakespeare’s exact written words must be used. No paraphrasing or adaptations are allowed.
Cuts or condensed formats are permitted, as long as the language is maintained. (Example:
combine two sets of lines for an actor by eliminating a character’s lines that are not necessary in
order to fit the time line.) Please do not attempt English accents.
Costumes may be “period,” similar to those of Shakespeare’s time, or other historical time
period, or conceptual, as long as they are cohesive, appropriate and enhance performance.
Costumes may be simple and need not be rented or expensive. All student props should fit
within a 12 gallon tub (22”x15”x12”).
Parker’s Arts, Culture & Events Center | 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker CO 80138 | 303.805.6800 | www.parkerarts.org
Creative Interpretations are allowed, i.e. Romeo and Juliet set in the 1950’s or Macbeth in Star
Wars garb, as long as the concept is consistent, cohesive, and enhances the performance.
Performances will be evaluated on: Shakespearean English, costumes, character development,
volume/projection, enunciation/diction, blocking, staging, stage presence/energy, and creative
interpretation/understanding of text.
Procedures
School Coordinator
The School Coordinator oversees the selection of groups, scenes to be performed, rehearsals,
and costuming. These activities should be student-directed as much as possible, depending on
student experience and skill level. The School Coordinator is responsible for coordinating an
audition date, time and location for their school groups, as well as in-school communication,
parent communication and permission forms, and overall supervision and coordination of the
school’s participating groups at the Festival. Additional chaperones are encouraged. Parker Arts
is not responsible for student supervision or held liable for their actions.
Auditions
Each school may have up to ten groups audition (including soliloquies). Three to five groups will
be chosen to perform at the Festival. All group auditions will be conducted by a Parker Arts judge
at your school on the same day determined by the School Coordinator and Festival Coordinator.
Each group must provide an Evaluation Form with page one completed and a copy of the excerpt
from Shakespeare’s play to the judge. Scenes should be between two to five minutes. Soliloquies
should be one to two minutes. Students should be in costume, but pictures or sketches of
costumes are allowed at this time. Audition results will be emailed to the School Coordinator
within ten days of the audition.
Busing
Schools are responsible for the cost of buses and arranging for Extended Day Buses to get
students to the Festival by 9:00 a.m. and back to school by 2:15 p.m. Charter schools may not
have access to buses until 9:30 a.m. and are encouraged to notify Shakespeare Festival
Coordinator of arrival time for performance scheduling.
Festival Arrival and Attendance
School groups should arrive at the PACE Center at least 30 minutes prior to their first scheduled
performance. Individual and bus parking is available in the PACE Center parking lot. School
Coordinators should check in, locate stages, and follow schedule of group performances.
Students and guests are encouraged to attend the entirety of the festival in order to take
advantage of the festival activities including watching buskers (street performers) and other
school groups perform, as well as pickup pre-ordered souvenirs.
PACE Center Stages
Parker’s Arts, Culture & Events Center | 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker CO 80138 | 303.805.6800 | www.parkerarts.org
Performances will take place at pre-scheduled intervals throughout the PACE Center in the
following spaces: Main Stage Theater, Discovery Labs, Creative Studio East, Creative Studio West,
Event Room, and the Outdoor Amphitheater. Stages will be approximately 15’x10’. Stage
equipment will include: 1 table, and four chairs.
Performance
Performance schedules listing performance times and stage locations will be released in April
2017 for accepted groups. Groups will perform their scene twice during the Festival. Groups will
be provided 10 minutes to set up, perform and strike. Scenes should be between two to five
minutes. Soliloquies should be between one to two minutes. Group performances will take place
in various stage locations throughout the PACE Center and evaluated by Parker Arts judges. Each
group must provide an Evaluation Form with page one completed and a copy of the excerpt from
Shakespeare’s play to the judge. Top performance groups will perform in the closing ceremony
at 12:30 p.m. Performance results will also be emailed to the School Coordinator within ten days
of the Festival for post-performance review and discussion.
Top Performances and Closing Ceremony
Top performance results will be announced at 12:15 p.m. The two highest scoring middle school
groups and two highest scoring high school groups, and two highest scoring soliloquies will
perform on the PACE Center Main Stage at 12:30 p.m. These top performances will be followed
by a Shakespeare scene performed by Denver Center for Performing Arts Shakespeare Teaching
Artists, and awards ceremony. The festival will conclude at 1:30 p.m.
Awards and Prizes
Participating student groups will receive a ribbon. The top scoring performances will receive the
Bard’s Prize trophy. Participating schools will automatically be entered to win an in-school
workshop with a professional actor. Individuals may enter to win a $200 Parker Arts enrichment
scholarship.
Souvenirs
Pre-ordered T-shirts and pins can be picked up at the souvenir table located near the check-in
table throughout the day. Please use the souvenir Order Form and order in advance. Very few
additional souvenirs will be available for purchase at the Festival.
Lunch
Students should bring a sack lunch and are encouraged to stay on campus. Snack concession
items and drinks will be available for purchase.
Judges
Parker Arts Shakespeare Festival judges are comprised of several local theater actors and
directors, trained theater professionals, performing arts teachers, and community members with
an extensive background in theater and/or Shakespeare.
Parker’s Arts, Culture & Events Center | 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker CO 80138 | 303.805.6800 | www.parkerarts.org
Questions
Direct all questions to Festival Coordinator Carmella Gates at 720.272.5317 or
[email protected].
Timeline
October 2016 – Festival packet sent to each School Coordinator
October 2016 – Request Extended Day Buses
December 15, 2016 – Submit Entry Form
January 2017 - Schedule auditions
February - March 2017 – Hold auditions at schools
April 2017 – Release performance schedule
March 17, 2017 – Submit Souvenir Order Forms with payment and Busker Audition Form
May 10, 2017 – Attend Parker Arts Shakespeare Festival at PACE Center
Parker’s Arts, Culture & Events Center | 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker CO 80138 | 303.805.6800 | www.parkerarts.org