Drama Festival 2016
Ultimo Public Schools
Attention: Principals and Drama Coordinators
Nominations for school items to feature in the 2016 Drama Festival Ultimo Public Schools
are currently being sought. The Drama Festival will be held at NIDA Parade Theatres,
Kensington on Wednesday 10 August and Thursday 11 August 2016.
Students and staff involved in the festival will experience a wide variety of activities that
will enhance their knowledge and skills in Drama K - 12.
The following documentation is included with this letter:
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2.
General Information and Guidelines
Item Nomination Form
All nominations must be endorsed by the school principal. Please complete the
nomination form carefully and fax or email to Elderslie High School before the closing date.
Closing date for Item Nominations:
Wednesday 25 May 2016
Late nominations, DVDs or YouTube submissions will not be considered for inclusion in the
festival.
AUDITIONS
High Schools & Primary Schools wishing to participate in the festival are required to prepare
an audition DVD or provide an unlisted YouTube link of their piece and complete and return
the attached Nomination Form by Wednesday 25 May 2016. All applications must be approved
and signed by supervising staff and school principals.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW - ULTIMO
DRAMA FESTIVAL 2016
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Questions about the Drama Festival Ultimo Public Schools?
Contact:
Samantha Dennis
Elderslie High School
Hilder Street Narellan NSW 2567
Telephone: 4658 1110
Fax:
4658 0219
Mobile:
0418 0164 705
Email:
[email protected]
Thank you for your support of the 2016 Drama Festival Ultimo Public Schools. I look forward to
receiving your nominations and seeing the fine Drama performances that your school has
produced.
Yours sincerely
Samantha Dennis
Elderslie High School
Drama Festival Coordinator
Ultimo Public Schools
24 March 2016
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DRAMA FESTIVAL 2016
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General Information
Venue
Address
NIDA Parade Theatres
215 Anzac Parade
Kensington NSW 2033
Time
Technical Rehearsals
Date
Wednesday 10 August 2016
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Time
Workshops
Thursday 11 August 2016
Date
Wednesday 10 August 2016
9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 11 August 2016
Session 1 – Primary Schools 90 minutes
Session 2 – High Schools 120 minutes
Time
Evening Performance
Wednesday 10 August 2016
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW - ULTIMO
Date
Thursday 11 August 2016
DRAMA FESTIVAL 2016
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Drama Festival 2016
Ultimo Public Schools
Festival Guidelines
1.
Any Government School in New South Wales may enter. Only three items from each
school may nominate for selection for Drama Festival Ultimo Public Schools.
2.
The item can be drawn from any genre; circus, comedy, commedia dell’ arte, puppetry,
scripted drama, play built piece, movement, mime, documentary drama, musical theatre,
mask theatre, etc…
3.
Time Duration
 Primary Schools – up to 10 minutes duration (recommended 5 – 6 minutes).
 Secondary Schools – up to 12 minutes duration (recommended 8 – 10 minutes).
 Items should not be HSC major works.
 Exception: Script interpretation/adaptation can be up to 15 minutes duration. The Arts
Coordination Officer in consultation with the Drama Festival Coordinator and Audition
Panel must approve any scripted work that is longer.
Performance time includes set up and dismantling of the item.
Short and dynamic performance items are encouraged to audition.
4.
Number of performers in each item
 Primary Schools – up to 30 performers (or the size of one class)
 Secondary Schools – up to 26 performers (or the size of one drama class)
5.
Minimal stage properties may be used and must be set up and taken down within the time
allotted for the performance. Unlimited hand properties may be used. The Festival
Committee will supply 8 stage blocks for use during the festival.
6.
If selected for the Drama Festival Ultimo Public Schools, no variation to your performance,
including cast size, timing, stage properties, etc may be undertaken without approval of the
Drama Festival Coordinator. An accurate script must be supplied upon acceptance to the
festival.
7.
Inappropriate language and controversial themes such as violence, sex, drugs and alcohol
or political themes (including racism and sexism) should not be explored and are not covered
under the Education Copyright Agreement. Sensitivity should be displayed in the treatment
of themes such as romantic relationships, depression or suicide. These themes are not
suitable for primary or junior secondary students. If you are concerned about the content of
your item please contact the Festival Coordinator.
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8.
Music and song lyrics can help communicate the intent of an item. Care should be taken to
ensure that music and lyrics utilised are appropriate to the theme of the work. All music must
be legally purchased on behalf of the school. Songs with inappropriate lyrics or intent will not
be accepted. Please attach a copy of all song lyrics used in your item to your application.
Projections are able to be supported at the Parade Theatres, NIDA. Specific formatting will
be required. Please contact the Drama Festival Coordinator for more details.
9.
Co p yr i g ht
The Drama Festival Committee adheres to all copyright laws. When a school requires
additional copyright permission, copies of permission need to be attached to the application
for inclusion. To support the Drama Festival Committee, please abide by the following
general copyright guidelines.
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Schools should choose sound recordings from commercially available CD’s or through
itunes. Once the sound recording has been legally purchased, the school is not
automatically covered for copyright under the educational copyright agreement. Some
sound recordings may fall under the category of ‘Grand Right Works’ or ‘Dramatic Context’
and additional licence/s may need to be obtained. To seek advice or clarification, please
refer to the APRA AMCOS website http://www.apra-amcos.com.au.
Schools wishing to use sound recordings from an unsigned artist (artist who is not with a
record label and the music is not available to purchase), YouTube or a composer with an
original music piece not commercially available, then permission needs to be sought.
Schools are required to directly contact the original composer and gain written permission
to use the sound recording.
Once schools have permission to use the sound recording and purchased additional
licences (if required) the school is still not automatically covered for copyright under the
educational copyright agreement. It is what the school does with the original sound
recording that may require additional permission and payment. These fees are called
Arrangement Fees.
If the school changes an original sound recording in any way such as changing lyrics,
deleting lyrics, changing the tempo, looping instrumental sections, changing the order of
the song or merging multiple sound recordings together so they overlap etc then
permission needs to be sort. This includes using programs such as Garage Band or having
a professional edit the sound recording.
To seek permission, the school needs to contact the record label directly e.g. Sony BMG
and seek information on the approval process. The school will need to explain the context
of how the music will be used, changes the school intends to make, the number of
performances the school will use this music for and the number of copies of the music that
the school will need to make.
Information about the record label is usually on the CD cover. If the sound recording was
purchased from itunes, the information can be found in the album details. If schools are
unsure of the record label to contact or the record label contact details, please contact
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
ARIA www.aria.com.au.
Schools will need to seek permission for the arrangement of each sound recording and the
school needs to pay the appropriate fees for the arrangement of each song.
Before including any aspect of a scripted drama piece or text, visual images or
graphics, please ensure you have secured the right to perform the piece or use the
visual images and graphics for a public audience. You must contact APRA
(www.apra-amcos.com.au) and/or the publisher directly to seek approval. This may involve
having to purchase additional licenses to perform the dramatic work in public.
A copy of all copyright permission/approval to perform obtained that falls outside
of the Educational Copyright Agreement must be attached to the application form.
To avoid disappointment, it is best to establish that your chosen material meets copyright
guidelines before you commence.
For detailed copyright information, please visit the following websites:
o Smartcopying – The official guide to Copyright Issues for Australian Schools and
TAFE
www.smartcopying.edu.au
o APRA/AMCO
http://www.apra-amcos.com.au
o ARIA
www.aria.com.au
10. Costs
All successful drama item/s will be required to pay a participation fee of $150.00. This fee will
partially contribute to paying for:
o Venue hire;
o Venue on costs such as venue staff, venue set up, security, first aid officer, fire
warden, electricity and cleaning; and
o Lighting and audio production elements and audio-lighting engineers for the duration
of the festival.
The $150.00 participation fee will be automatically deducted from school bank accounts
upon return of the School Acceptance Fax. Schools are responsible for advising the School
Administrative Manager.
The following considerations will become the responsibility of your school:
o Participation fees for multiple items;
o Teacher relief during the week of the festival;
o Travelling expenses;
o Costuming and makeup;
o Supply and transport of props; and
o Fees for additional cleaning/damage to holding rooms and or venue property.
The following considerations will become the responsibility of students:
 Festival T-Shirt (optional)
 Student workshop (optional)
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11. Audition DVD/YouTube Link
Schools applying to participate the Drama Festival may submit their audition via YouTube
link or DVD. The following points should be considered when preparing the audition
submission of your item:
o Film the whole group from a fixed camera angle, not individual performers. Replay
your item to ensure that the camera angle is appropriate and all students can be
seen; and
o It is recommended that schools use a tripod, particularly if panning to ensure a steady
image.
Instructions for DVD
1. Save your footage in DVD Format and burn onto a good quality DVD.
2. Check that your DVD works on a DVD player and a computer.
3. DVDs must be labeled with the name of the school and item. Please make sure that the
name of the school and item is the same as the Nomination Form.
Instructions to upload footage to YouTube
1. Visit
www.youtube.com and create an account:
2. ‘Sign In’ to www.youtube.com:
3. Select ‘Upload’
4. Follow the instructions onscreen to upload your video.
5. Once uploaded, on the privacy settings select ‘unlisted (anyone with the link can view)’.
This is important. Selecting this setting means that the general public cannot view the link.
Once you have done this, ensure you select ‘Save Changes’.
6. When this is finished, you will be given a URL for your video. Copy this URL into
an email.
In this email, include the following:
School Name:
Item Name:
Coordinating Teacher Name:
Coordinating Teacher Mobile Number:
YouTube URL:
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7. Send this email to: [email protected] before the due date.
8. You will receive email confirmation that your YouTube submission has been successfully
submitted and can be viewed.
Nominations Forms and DVD/YouTube link must be received by the due date (Wednesday
25 May 2016). Late submissions will not be accepted.
12. All items will be assessed by the Audition Panel, based on the following criteria:
o Relative excellence and exemplary performance skills;
o Consideration of the elements of drama and the presentation of an overall dramatic
meaning;
o Entertainment value;
o Variety of genres; and
o Adherence to Festival Guidelines.
13. If selected for the Drama Festival Ultimo Public Schools for 2016, teachers will receive a
package containing further information about the Festival, including Venue, Parking, Ticket
Order Forms, T-Shirt information and order form, Student Workshop information and
booking form etc. Please inform students and parents of all anticipated costs as early as
possible to elevate financial burden.
14. Transport of students and staff, teacher relief and student supervision is the responsibility of
the nominating school. The Drama Festival Committee reserves the right to disallow any
performer, group or school from participating in the Drama Festival at any time if the
Committee deems the conduct or behaviour of that person, group or school to be
unsatisfactory. Your attention is drawn particularly to conduct in the holding areas. Teachers
must actively supervise their students at all times. The Code of Behaviour for students
participating in arts-based activities conducted by the NSW Department of Education and will
apply for this event. A DoE teacher or executive staff member must be on duty with the
students from their item at all times. Items with a large number of students may require more
than one teacher to provide adequate supervision. Schools need to provide adequate
supervision as per the DoE excursion policy.
15. Schools auditioning for the State Drama Festival should also take into account State
Guidelines when planning items. Please note that auditions for the State Drama Festival are
via participation in Operational Directorate Festivals.
For guidelines contact:
Jane Simmons, Student Drama Officer, The Arts Unit
Telephone: 8512 1175
Fax:
9569 6878
Email:
[email protected]
PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW - ULTIMO
DRAMA FESTIVAL 2016
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Drama Festival 2016
Ultimo Public Schools
Nomination Form
Nominations Close on Wednesday 25 May 2016
PLEASE RETURN TO:
Samantha Dennis
ELDERSLIE HIGH SCHOOL
Hilder Street Narellan NSW 2567
Telephone: 4658 1110
Fax:
4658 0219
Email:
[email protected]
School:
Address:
Post Code:
Telephone:
Mobile:
Fax:
Email Address:
@det.nsw.edu.au
Coordinating Teacher:
Name of item:
Type of Item:
Description of Item for Program:
Timing of item:
Maximum of ten minutes for primary and twelve minutes for secondary.
Item Nomination – Page 1 of 3
PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW - ULTIMO
DRAMA FESTIVAL 2016
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GENERAL
Boys
Girls
Total
Number of Students: (maximum 30)
Year/s:
EQUITY
Yes/No
Number of
students
Will you require assistance
at the Festival?
Students with disabilities:
Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islanders:
English as an Additional Language or Dialect:
Type of group: (e.g. interest, class, ensemble etc.)
Please indicate special needs of students, if applicable: (Wheelchair access, Vision/Hearing support
on stage etc.)
For schools submitting more than one item:
Number of students
Number of students involved in this item and another item
Name of the second item the students are involved in
Please indicate (cross X) below any rehearsal or performance dates that clash with your school’s
calendar:
Dates
X
Reason Given (attach if needed)
Wednesday 10 August 2016
Thursday 11 August 2016
Item Nomination – Page 2 of 3
PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW - ULTIMO
DRAMA FESTIVAL 2016
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COPYRIGHT
Please ensure that you have consulted the APRA and ARIA websites before completing the
following section. If your item involves the use of a sound recording, sound effects, script,
visual images or graphics please ensure you have secured the right to perform the piece for a
public audience and attach the approval to perform and song lyrics to this Nomination Form.
Does your item involve the use of Copyright music, texts, visual imagery or other material?
Please Tick:
Yes
No
Please give details:
Name of Piece:
Author/Composer:
Performer:
Publisher:
Music Certification (Please only complete if music is used in your item)
Contains Lyrics
Lyrics Attached
Instrumental
I certify that the music used in this item has been legally purchased on behalf of the school.
The school principal has read a printed copy of the lyrics and approved that they are suitable to the age
of the performers, acceptable to the school community and support the values of Public Education.
COORDINATING TEACHER’S DECLARATION
I declare that I have read the Drama Festival Ultimo Public Schools Guidelines. I have completed all
sections of the Nomination Form and attached all necessary paperwork.
Coordinating Teacher’s Name
Date:
Signature:
APPROVAL FOR SCHOOL PARTICIPATION IN THE EVENT
I declare I have viewed the audition drama item in full and can confirm that the item will be acceptable to
the school community and will support the values of Public Education. I approve and endorse the above
mentioned student drama group and teacher participation in the Drama Festival Ultimo Public Schools. I
authorise the Educational Services Team to direct debit the school bank account for the $150.00
participation fee payable only if this nomination is successful. I acknowledge the Drama Festival will take
place on Wednesday 10 August 2016 and Thursday 11 August 2016 inclusive and that costs involved
with this event will be at the expense of the individual participating school.
Principal’s Name
Date:
Signature:
Item Nomination – Page 3 of 3
PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW - ULTIMO
DRAMA FESTIVAL 2016
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