Frequently Asked Questions

  1. On the left side of the screen on the Home page click on the word
    ‘Festivals’.
  2. On the left side of the screen click on the word ‘Regional’.
  3. On the left side of the screen click ‘Intent To Enter’.
  4. OR skip #1, #2 and #3 and click on’Forms’ and then on ‘Regional Intent
    to Enter Festival’.
  5. Fill out form and press Submit.
  6. An invoice will be sent via E-mail to the address indicated on the ‘Intent to
    Enter’ form.

* NOTE: You are required to complete the Registration (playbill) form when you have chosen your play. As well, you must submit a completed SDA Student Participant form for each student attending the Middle Years Drama Festival. The Registration Form must be received in SDA’s Provincial office 4 weeks prior to performing at Middle Years Drama Festival.

  1. On the left side of the screen on the Home page click on the word ‘Festivals
  2. On the left side of the screen click on the word ‘Middle Years’.
  3. On the left side of the screen click on ‘Intent To Enter’.
  4. OR skip #1, #2, and #3 and click on ‘Forms’ and then on ‘Middle Years Intent to Enter’.
  5. Fill out form and press Submit.
  6. An invoice will be sent via E-mail to the address indicated on the ‘Intent to Enter’ form.

* NOTE: You are required to complete the Registration (playbill) form when you have chosen your play. As well, you must submit a completed SDA Student Participant form for each student attending the Middle Years Drama Festival. The Registration Form must be received in SDA’s Provincial office 4 weeks prior to performing at Middle Years Drama Festival.

  • Performing and observing group*:
      • go to the website: http://www.saskdrama.com.
      • On the left side of the screen click on ‘Festivals’.
      • On the left side of the screen click on ‘Provincial’.
      • On the left side of the screen click on either ‘Performers Reg’ or ‘Observers Reg’.
      • Fill in the form and press Submit.
      • An invoice will be sent via E-mail to the address indicated on the ‘Intent to Enter’ form.
  • If you would like to attend one or two performances, you are not required to register at all. However, if you are a group of students attending one or two performances, complete the Provincial Festival Registration form indicating which performances you are attending.

As well, check with the Provincial Office regarding student drama  workshops available at Provincial Festival.  Rush seating is available at the door prior to each play session.

* All performing and observing groups must complete a SDA Student Participant form for each student attending Provincial Festival. If you have already completed a form for your Regional Festival, you are not required to complete a new form. These forms are available on the website.

  • In the menu under the word ‘Festivals’ click on the word ‘Regional’ or ‘Middle Years’.
  • You will find a button with the form.
  • Fill out form and press Submit.

When the “Intent to Enter Festival” form is received in the Office, one of the following will occur:

      • Regional Festival – * SDA will invoice you for the following fees: Your adult membership fee ($50.00 plus G.S.T.) and the $110 Intent to Enter fee ($35 non-refundable; $75 credit toward play fees). Payment is due upon receipt of your invoice. Please complete and submit a membership form (on the website).

      • Middle Years Festival – * SDA will invoice you for the following fees: Your*adult membership fee($50.00 + GST) plus the Middle Years Registration. Payment is due upon receipt of your invoice. Please complete and submit the membership form (on the website).

*You must submit an adult membership for each adult who will be directing the play or designated as the supervising teacher.

When the ‘Intent to Enter Festival’ form is received in the Office, one of the following will occur:

All Fees and memberships are due when they are billed.

Regional Festival – SDA will invoice you for the following fees: Your *adult membership fee ($50.00 plus GST) and the Intent to Enter fee and Upfront Registration Fee. An information package will be sent to your school/group that includes copies of SDA’s Festivals Organization Handbook and Festivals Performance Handbook.

Middle Years Festival – SDA will invoice you for the following fees: Your *adult membership fee ($50.00 plus GST) plus the Middle Years Registration fee. An information pack will be sent to your school/group that includes a copy of the Middle Years Handbook.

*You must submit an adult membership for each adult who will be directing or is a teacher supervisor for a student director.

Note: All Fees and memberships are due when they are billed.

However, deadlines for receiving payment in SDA’s Provincial Office are as follows:

  • All Intent to Enter Fees for Regional Festival are due by December 1st each year.
  • All Fees for Middle Years Festival are due by March 31st each year.
  • All Adult membership Fees are due October 31st each year.
  • All other fees and last minute memberships are due two weeks prior to performance in your Regional or Middle Years Festival.

See Non-Compliance Rules in the Festivals Organization Handbook Page 16.

It states:

  • Your entry will fail to qualify for adjudication and major awards if your production has failed to pay registration fees prior to Regional Festival.
  • If you do not pay your membership fees or intent to enter fees you will not have a spot reserved for you in your chosen region. Many regions have waiting lists of potential participants.

See Question 7 below for more details on Non-Compliance Rules.

The Festivals Organization Handbook Page 16, Non Compliance Rules states:

Non-Compliance will result in your failure to qualify for either performance or major awards.

Your entry will fail to qualify for adjudication and major awards if your production has failed to pay registration fees prior to Regional and Provincial Festival.

Your entry will fail to qualify for adjudication and major awards if your production has failed to submit all your Student Participant Forms prior to Regional Festival. Note: You must contact the Festivals Committee if you require special consideration regarding these forms.

You entry will fail to qualify for major awards if:

  • proof of royalty and performance rights (or correspondence requesting performance rights) arenot forwarded to the Provincial Office prior to Regional and Provincial Festival.
  • changes and/or cuts are made to the script and performed without written authorization from the licensing agent or playwright.
  • your performance uses a strobe light, loud noises (gunshots,explosions, etc.) smoke machine, dryice without previously informing the audience by posting and/or inclusion in the printed program. An announcement must be made immediately prior to the performance if it is not included in the printed program.
  • your group uses an open flame or any sharp implement such as knives, swords, broken glass, etc.in the theatre/school, before, during, or after your performance, on stage or off stage (backstage),regardless of local school/house rules or prior permission received from any source.

Note: SDA’s ‘Open Flame’ includes but is not limited to:

  • the use of lighters, incense burners, oil lamps, lanterns, cigarettes (including starter pistols, cap guns, and any kind of fuel. Check with the Provincial Office if you are unsure if you are in compliance with this rule.The performance will be stopped to ensure the safety of students, audience, and SDA personnel.
  • your production does not attend your Production Workshop unless permission has been grantedby the Festivals Committee.
  • your production has recruited students that contravenes SDA’s Regulations in that regard.

Note: These policies vary slightly for Middle Years Participants. See Section 2 of the Middle Years Drama Festival Handbook.

Fill out all necessary forms (intent to enter and Adult membership) and submit to the Saskatchewan Drama Association. We will do our best to find a regional festival for you to attend although it might not be your preferred region. Certain regions fill up quickly. Those wishing to participate in the Middle Years Festival will be accommodated if space allows. Always check with your Host Coordinator if you would like to enter more than one play in a Regional Festival.

Deadline for submission of Regional Intent to Enter Form is October 15th and MiddleYears Intent to Enter is January 31st each year.

Scripts meeting all the requirements noted in the Festivals Organization Handbook, Page 21, must be received in SDA’s Provincial Office four weeks prior to Regional or Middle Years Festival, with the exception of original works and collectives (See Section 2H #1-Regional Festivals Organization Handbook and Section 2 – Middle Years’ Festival Handbook).

On Page 29, Section F in the Festivals Organization Handbook you will find a Regional Festival Timeline. Also, on Page 28 you will find the Regional Host Coordinator – Terms of Reference. You will also receive a Host Action Plan with your Regional Host Binder. All this information is reviewed during the Host Workshop provided to you by the Provincial Board of Directors each Fall.

  1. Go to the Saskatchewan Drama Association website main page.
  2. In the menu click on the word ‘Library’.
  3. If you are an Adult Member or your school has an Associate Membership you can access the Mary Ellen Burgess Library. You are able to borrow any scripts we have.
  4. We also have publisher links which can be found under links on the main page located on the left side of the screen. Here you are able to directly link up to any the publishing companies and find appropriate plays.
  5. Phone the Provincial Office and we will attempt to provide you with a selection of plays to consider.
  1. On the Home page click on the word “links” which is located on the left side of the screen.
  2. On the left side of the screen click on the word ‘misc. links’.
  3. Here you will find places you can apply for funding.
  4. Check with your local Community/Arts Group and/or School Division Cultural/Arts Committee.

Once you have paid your Intent to Enter fees you are guaranteed one spot in a Regional Festival. Your Regional Host will determine whether you can enter more than one play. Additional fees will apply to each play that is entered.

To find out who will be hosting the region of your choice, go to the Saskatchewan Drama Association web page:

  1. On the left side of the screen on the Home page click on the word ‘Festivals’.
  2. On the left side of the screen click on the word ‘Regional’.
  3. On the left side of the screen click on the word ‘Dates & Locations’.

If you wish to enter more than one play in the Middle Years Drama Festival, check with the Provincial Office for availability.

The plays must fit the time frame allotted. For instance you can choose to do a full length but only present one act in order to fit into the time allotted.

See the Festivals Organization Handbook, Page 16, Section 2 B- Guidelines OR the Middle Years Festival Handbook, Section 2 for the types of dramatic work that may be presented at festival. These include: one-act plays, adaptations of a longer play,musicals, collectives, devised theatre, student or adult written play (original works not published), radio plays, monologues forming a complete work.

Regional and Middle Years Festival Play Registration (Playbill), one for each play, must be submitted at least four weeks Prior to Regional or Middle Years Festival.

Royalties are the performance rights purchased from the publishing house and/or playwright. All performance rights must be obtained by the participating group. Scripts must be performed as authorized in the license, a copy of which must be forwarded to the Provincial Office. You either contact the publisher or the author to pay the royalties in order to obtain permission to perform. This includes unpublished works as well. You must inform the provincial office if your play is royalty free.

See page 19 of the Festivals Organization Handbook for more detailed information on how to obtain performance rights.

Before you make changes to a script you must obtain approval from the author/licensing agent unless your script already indicates that changes can be made. However, all changes, minimal or extensive must be sent to the Provincial Office to ensure that the adjudicators/clinicians are aware of the changes. See Page 20 of the Festivals Organization Handbook or Section 2 of the Middle Years Handbook.

All participants in SDA sponsored programs should be aware of, and willing to comply with the following (See Page 22 in the Festivals Organization Handbook and Section 2 in the Middle Years Festival Handbook):

  1. Students be adequately supervised at all times.
  2. Under no circumstances will SDA tolerate anything but courtesy and professionalism from all participants at all times – backstage, on stage, in the audience, or during production workshops.
  3. Students are responsible to their teacher/adult director/teacher supervisor/chaperonefor their actions and behaviour.
  4. Adult leadership is valuable. Exhibiting respect for and cooperation with all Festival participants, adjudicators, directors, and support staff, as well as the property of others, will encourage similar student responses.
  5. Common sense prevails at all times.
  6. The ’cause’ of the arts comes before the ‘whim’ of the individual.
  7. Generally accepted theatre etiquette should be promoted and encouraged.
  8. The possession and/or consumption of alcohol, banned substances, and smoking is strictly prohibited on the Festival site.
  9. Abusive language and/or physical violence will not be tolerated on the Festival site.
  10. Participants must comply with the rules of the facility.
  11. Damage to or destruction of property will not be tolerated on the Festival site.
  12. Spike tape will remain in place until the completion of your play. Removal of the spike tape will not be included as part of the strike time. The Stage Coordinator is responsible for the removal of the spike tape at the end of each session.
  13. Adhere to SDA’s Participant Code of Conduct.

Always check with the Host Coordinator to see if they have the equipment you require. SDA only guarantees a general wash for lighting. The Host Coordinator is not responsible for buying extra equipment for regional or provincial festivals. You may rent or bring your own equipment for your play if you choose. However, any cost incurred is your responsibility and must not come out of your Regional Festival budget. It is generally accepted practice that any equipment brought to Regional Festival also must be made available to all other performing groups in your region.

You will be invited to tour the facilities provided at your Region. You are encouraged to attend a Participant workshop provided by the Provincial Office each Fall.

Information regarding the stage, lighting, sound, accommodations, meal plans, etc. are made available to you by clicking on ‘Festivals’ – ‘Regional Festival’ – ‘Participant Info’ on SDA’s website.

Yes!
Complete all the necessary forms for ‘New Imitative Grant’ available on SDA’s website. Check with the Provincial Office (306-525-0151) for availability.

Regional – The minimum playing time is 20 minutes. The maximum playing time is 60 minutes — this includes the curtain call. The 60 minutes does not include Set and Strike.

Middle Years – The maximum playing time is 30 minutes. There is no minimum playing time for Middle Years.

For other General Regulations and Guidelines see Section 2 in the Festivals Organization Handbook or Middle Years Handbook.

Under no circumstances may you at any time during the performance take pictures or video for the following reasons:

  1. Unauthorized recording of any kind of copyrighted work is strictly prohibited by law.
  2. Taking pictures/videos is distracting to the performers and adjudicators/ clinicians as well as to the audience.

If you withdraw more than 30 days prior to your Regional Festival, you will receive the upfront registration fee and student and student director memberships (if paid). However, you will not be refunded the Intent to Enter fee or adult membership fees.

If you withdraw after the 30 days, you are responsible to the region to pay the entire registration fee. As well, you are responsible to pay your adult membership(s). You will not receive a refund of any fees.

NOTE: You must complete the Withdrawal Form obtained from the Provincial Office to be officially withdrawn from Festival and receive any refund.

Yes, you need to purchase an Adult membership.
Membership forms are available on the website by clicking on ‘Forms’ – ‘Membership’.

Yes, your students must buy a student membership, which is $8.00 per person. If your student is in more than one play they only pay one membership. Student directors must have a teacher/adult supervisor registered for their play.

You have the opportunity to perform your play before an audience and adjudicators. There is a Front of House Adjudicator and a Back Stage Adjudicator, which will determine the awards. The adjudicators will also conduct a production workshop for each play, which is usually open to all registered participants to observe. Some regions provide other drama workshops for participants. As well, many regions provide a social evening for participants and a closing awards banquet. If your play is the recipient of the Best Overall Production, you will continue on to compete in Provincial Festival representing your Region.

You will receive information as soon as your form has been submitted to the Provincial Office. If you do not hear from the Provincial Office within 4 working days, contact us immediately. See the Festivals Handbook Pages 8-9, C and D, regarding information you will receive regarding festival.

The Festivals Organization Handbook states in Section 2, Page 18,#14: Groups presenting more than one play at Regional Festival must ensure the leads in each play are different students.

The Festivals Organization Handbook states in Section 2, Page 18, #16: Groups may present in more than one Region, but can only be considered for major awards in one (1) Region. Adult Directors/Teacher Supervisors must choose and inform the Provincial Office which festival they will compete in for major awards prior to performing at festival. (Major awards are listed in the Festivals Performance Handbook.)

Yes.

The Festivals Organization Handbook states in Section 2, Page 15, #3: Each Regional Production should designate one student as the Stage Manager for their play. In some productions, the designated Stage Manager may have other duties.

$50.00 (plus GST) per annum Adult Membership provides:

  1. Access to all SDA programs. Note: You must have an adult membership in order to participate in SDA Festivals.
  2. Unlimited borrowing from the Mary Ellen Burgess Library (plays and resources).
  3. Annual publications.
  4. Voting privileges at SDA’s Annual General Meeting.

An Associate membership is for Schools or Groups (Not School Divisions).

$100.00 per annum Associate Membership provides:

  1. Up to 5 teachers at a school or in a group can be designated as Associate Members.
  2. Access to Mary Ellen Burgess Library.
  3. Access to SDA Workshop Grants.
  4. Associate members do not have voting privileges.

Yes.
In the Festivals Organization Handbook, Page 7you will find a monthly timeline. As well, you will be forwarded a ‘Festivals Action Plan’ to follow.

To obtain a copy of either Handbook please contact the provincial office in Regina
by email, phone or fax. Email: sda@sasktel.net, Phone: (306) 525-0151,
Fax: (306) 525-6277. If you are entering a Festival, the appropriate Handbook(s) will be sent to you free of charge. Otherwise, you will be billed $15.00 per Handbook.

The Festivals Performance Handbook provides descriptions of Provincial awards and certificates presented at Provincial Festival in Section 2. The criteria for all awards and certificates (parameters) presented at Regional and Provincial Festival is available in Section 3.

Yes.
The Festivals Performance Handbook has example of Adjudicator Marking Forms used by SDA Front of House and Backstage Adjudicators. See Section 4.

The Regional Front of House and Backstage Adjudicators duties can be found in the Festivals Performance Handbook, Section 1. Provincial Festival Personnel (including the Stage Coordinator) duties can be found in the Festivals Performance Handbook in Section 2.

All Regional and Provincial Festivals follow the format below:

  1. All workshops will be one hour in length unless otherwise arranged by the Region.
  2. The workshops are open to all participants, but not to the public. Some regions have had to limit the number of people attending due to the lack of space.
  3. Each workshop shall be divided up into 4 components:
    • Introduction and Overview – (approximately 5 minutes in length)
    • The ‘Body’ of the workshop: Working with the cast (approximately 30 minutes in length);
    • Backstage Adjudicator comments (approximately 10 minutes in length);
    • Summary of workshop (approximately 5 minutes);
    • Private meeting with the directors (approximately 10 minutes).

Note: An appropriate time for the Back Stage Adjudicator to speak with the students during the Production Workshop is determined by the Front of House Adjudicator and Backstage Adjudicator prior to the beginning of the workshops.

More detailed information is in Section 5 of the Festivals Performance Handbook.

 

Examples of Rubrics that are used for festival can be found in Section 6 of the Festivals Performance Handbook.

  1. The purpose of the rubric is to provide directors with information they can use for growth.
  2. Rubric descriptors are not equated to scores, but categories correspond to the elements adjudicators consider in competition. Keep in mind that the various elements are weighted differently.
  3. Adjudication Rubrics are contained in the Festivals Performance Handbook, Section 6. Copies are also available when groups arrive at their Regional Festival.

The HIP Grant (Host Incentive Program) is intended to help a community that is hosting a Regional Festival to gain access and/or upgrade current facilities and equipment. Thus it is providing capital funds that will be used towards the purchase of fixed assets such as lighting equipment, sound equipment, computer software, curtains, drama blocks, headphones, and so on. Note: Other partnerships and/or funds may be needed to complete a project.

Other grants are available through SDA. Go to SDA’s websitewww.saskdrama.com and click on grants.

Yes.

$10.00 Post-Secondary/Graduate Membership per annum provides:

  1. Access to SDA Programs.
  2. Access to the Mary Ellen Burgess Library.
  3. Post-Secondary/Graduate members do not have voting Privileges.