Tech Expo

The Tech Expo is an exhibition and competition of the artistic work of high school student designers and technicians from around the state! Students submit a project, a project book to display and showcase their design work for adjudication in the many different areas of technical theatre. The main areas of the Tech Expo include (click on an tech area to learn more about the specifications involved):

The Tech Expo is open to all high schools of West Virginia, despite Thespian status. All secondary (9-12) students in West Virginia are eligible to submit a tech project to Area and State Festivals.

(Governing Area and State Thespian Festivals

Revised September 2008 by State Thespian Board)

STUDENT AND SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY

The Tech Expo is open to all high school students of West Virginia, despite Thespian status. All secondary students in West Virginia (grades 9-12) are eligible to submit a tech project to Area and State Festivals. However, only students who are Thespians in good standing can take tech projects in certain tech categories to the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska. In addition, if a project comes from a school production, the school production MUST be performed PRIOR to the school’s Area Festival and during the same school year as the Area Festival for the project to be included. And finally, the project must be taken to the festival to be adjudicated.

Although Middle School Students (grades 7 & 8; aka Junior Thespians) may not enter a tech project in competition, an Area Rep may, upon the positive adjudication from an Area Festival Judge, recommend 3 Middle School tech project for showcase at the State Festival. These Middle School level projects can be of any category, but will not be in competition with the high school level entries. They will receive adjudications and ratings just like all the tech projects but only the two, highest rated projects will be recognized with awards from all Middle School level tech projects.

NUMBER OF PROJECTS

There is no limit to the number of technical theatre projects a school or student may enter. However, the teacher is asked to consider carefully the quality of the projects before recommending them for Area judging.

IDENTIFYING YOUR PROJECT

When you setup your technical theatre project at the Area or State Festival, you must use the Project Identification Form in Appendix B at the end of the handbook to identify your project to the judge. Please make sure you clearly indicate on this form the exact technical theatre category the project is entered in. (For example: If Johnny brings puppets to the festival to be judged, he must write “hand puppet” or “marionette” on the Project Identification Form and not just “puppetry”.)

At the state level Tech Expo, please make sure that only the student’s name is on the form. DO NOT put the name of the school or the name of the director anywhere on the project unless the project is from an actual school production. You will be assigned a project number when you arrive to set up at the state festival and this number must also be written on the Project Identification Form. The form must also be signed by the student to certify the originality of the project. The form must then be included with the student’s Project BOOK that accompanies the project.

PROJECT DISPLAYS

Technical entries must be in and set up for display by the deadline designated by the Host on the opening day of the festival. Only tables and electricity (if needed) will be provided to the students. Students must provide their own extension cords if their project uses electricity.

To be sure judging has been complete, the project and its display should not be dismantled nor removed until after all projects have been adjudicated and verbal critiques given. However, anything of value (electronic devices, etc.) can be removed from the project for security reasons at the end of the day with prior notification to the Tech Expo Coordinator. No costumes that are created for competition in the Tech Expo may be worn to the Friday Night dance.

If a great deal of space is needed for the display, prior notification needs to be communicated to the Tech Expo Coordinator before the festival.

A nice and creative display is highly recommended to showcase the student’s work and it will be considered in the overall presentation of the project. However, it will be the student’s work on the actual project and not its display that will be judged for quality.

PROJECT BOOKS

A Project Book must accompany every competing tech project in the Tech Expo. This 3-ring binder is the proof that the design of the tech project actually belongs to the student and the student is the actual person who created the project design and concept. The very first page of each Project Book is the student’s Project ID Form (page 72). Following pages are to include research materials, pictures of the project construction, design sketches, play synopsis and any other items under the project design specifications below. Failure to have a project book will lead to a reduction in the ranking of your project and/or a disqualification of your project altogether.

JUDGING OF PROJECTS

Because a project is seen as an individual’s achievement, no two or more students may work on the same project. Although it is understood that a student may seek advice from experts, family or friends to make their project better, the student whose name is on the project must do the core of the work and, more importantly, its design. Students must certify that they themselves did the actual work on the project. If a project is found to be the work of someone other than the student, the State Director can disqualify it.

Tech Judges, chosen by the festival coordinator(s) and/or host, must give a verbal critique to all entrants in each category as a group as well as individual written critiques. During the group verbal critique, the judge may ask questions of the student and use their answers in the judging and ranking of their project. Students must communicate to the judge if they cannot be present at a verbal critique because of a conflict with another event at the festival.

All projects will be judged based upon the creative completion of the specifications detailed in each tech category as well as the artistic value of the completed work.

AWARDS

With the exception of the Stage Manger and Tech Rodeo categories that have specific award rules, Tech Judges will determine the top three entries in each of the project categories.

At the Area level, these top three projects in each category will qualify to go to states, if the judges feel that they are of sufficient quality.

At the State Level, the top two High School projects will be recognized with 1^st and 2^nd Place Tech Project trophies. The third place project will be recognized as an Honorable Mention. Middle School level projects, of any category, will receive adjudications and ratings just like the High School tech projects but only the two, highest rated projects will be recognized with awards from all the Middle School level tech projects.

If a category has only one, two or three entries, this does not mean they will automatically receive the right to win an award in that category or to go to states. Judges reserve the right to disqualify any entry based upon quality and artistic value.

Judges may not move any entry from one category to another.

The top two (2) students in costume design (costume renderings), advanced publicity, advanced scenic design, stage management, costume construction and advanced lighting design are qualified to enter their projects at the International Thespian Festival National Individual Events Showcase (NIES) in June. For more information on these events please visit:

http://www.edta.org/educational_events/festival/nies.aspx

At the State Festival, tech awards will also be given for:

· Outstanding Student Stage Manager

· 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Place Tech Rodeo Teams

· 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Place Outstanding Technical Student

· 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Place Outstanding Technical School

HELPFUL MATERIALS & HINTS

Copies of scripts and resource books can be usually found in the public library system or can be purchased through a local bookstore or on line. Please talk to your Local Librarian, Area Rep or State Director if you cannot find a script or if you need a resource book to assist you and your students with tech projects.

Faculty Senates can provide money to buy classroom sets of educational material. If you teach a theatre class, ask your faculty senate to purchase a class set of one play from each play list to use in your class(es).

PROJECT PLAY LISTS

The selected playlist for this year’s tech projects is indicated in RED. All technical theatre projects must be selected from the appropriate play list below with the following exceptions:

Any project can come from an Actual School Production IF the production is performed before the school’s Area Festival and during the same school year.
Novice Publicity Projects must ONLY come from this year’s playlist. Advanced Publicity Projects must ONLY come from an Actual School Production.
Puppetry projects may also come from children stories, fairy tales and other literary works.
Stage Manager Entries use the school’s actual one-act play performance at the State Festival.
Tech Rodeo is not based on an actual play.

2011 PLAY LIST: PLAY LIST A

Fences

Animal Farm

Glass Managerie

Pirates of Penzance

Medea

Faustus

Hamlet

Lion, the Witch, & Wardrobe, The

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Click here to download a copy of Tech Expo Registration and Project ID Form

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