The mission of OCTA is "To Promote Excellence in Community Theatre". Its goals are:
- To unite and support all community theatres, organizations and participants, in Oklahoma; and to further connect them with other community theatres in the region and nation.
- To foster communication and dissemination of ideas among OCTA members and other theatre participants in Oklahoma
- To encourage high standards of excellence in community theatre production and management
- To celebrate and promote the achievements of community theatre in Oklahoma
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Suzanne Boles, President
OCTA Board of Directors |
As the representative organization for community theatres in Oklahoma, OCTA has a membership of approximately 68 theatres (amateur and professional), 8 college and university theatre departments, and 200+ individuals (adults and youth). It is estimated that there are 75 community theatre groups, both urban and rural, which are producing plays, either full-time or intermittently, throughout Oklahoma.
OCTA was the first statewide association of community theatres to be incorporated in the United States, and was the first such organization to hire a full-time director. The organization was founded in 1969 by the Lawton Community Theater, with assistance from 14 other theatre groups (13 of which are still actively producing plays each season). Founding theatres were located in Ardmore, Bartlesville, Claremore, Clinton, Duncan, Elk City, Enid, Lawton, Miami, Oklahoma City, Ponca City, Stillwater, Tahlequah, Tulsa, and Woodward. Founding individuals involved in establishing the organization were Bill Crawford (Lawton), Jeanne Adams Wray (Stillwater), Curt Schwartz (Oklahoma City), and Lil Williams (Ardmore).
OCTA is governed by an elected Board of Directors and an appointed Advisory Council.
Since incorporation, membership has grown from 16 founding theatres and 30 individual members to approximately 50 theatres and over 110 individual members. During the time of greatest membership expansion in the '80's, O.C.T.A.'s membership involved almost 80 theatres over 400 individual members. At that time O.C.T.A. established 11 regions and a system of Regional Representatives for better communication and support.Amended by-laws in 1982 provided that the O.C.T.A. board of directors would appoint these representatives, who would then become advisorsand sitting members on the O.C.T.A. board.The by-laws were again amended in 1993 to omit the regional representative process to streamline the board structure.
In its role of supporting theatre arts at the state, regional and national levels, O.C.T.A. is a dues paying member of the American Association of Community Theatres. In addition, O.C.T.A. is an adjunct agency of the Oklahoma Arts Council.
Since 1977, when O.C.T.A. first opened its centralized office, operations have been housed in four locations. Mona Poehling, the first executive director, operated the O.C.T.A office at 400 W. Sheridan in the Oklahoma Theatre Center (currently known as Stage Center). Since that time, the office has located at Park Harvey Center, 200 N. Harvey ('86-'92), 4501 N. Classen Blvd. ('92-'95), First National Tower, Robinson Ave. (November '95- August '05) and from August '05 to the present in the City Place Building, 204 N. Robinson Ave., Ste. 1950. During the 1993 financial crisis, due to a "disastrous" fund-raising event and an "over-spent" series of workshops, O.C.T.A. operated without a full time staff person or Administrative Assistant as it was known at the time and survived with a move to smaller office space and dedicated volunteers conducting office business. The Executive Director position was re-established in May 1994, with the hiring of Kay Armstrong. In April of 2003, Michael Jones was hired as Executive Director.
O.C.T.A.'s PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, AND ACTIVITIES
FESTIVALS AND CONFERENCES
From its inception OCTA has conducted festivals and conferences to encourage its members in communication ( artistic excellence ). The site for both has been determined through a bid process, with decision on a host theatre site made by the O.C.T.A. Board of Directors. In 1997, the O.C.T.A. board established an Events Policy, designating a Steering Committee process for the planning of festivals, conferences, and special events. In 2004, due to waning participation in OCTAFest (O.C.T.A.'s biennial statewide play festival) the festival was moved to the early summer of the year before the subsequent AACT Regional and National Festivals. This was done in an effort to find a time of year when it would be easier for participants to arrange time off from work and other commitments, and to give both 0.C.T.A. and the theatre organization that represents Oklahoma at the AACT Region VI Festival more time to raise funds to cover the costs of participation in the subsequent AACT Festival cycle. It was also decided that OCTAFest would be centrally in the state, to make travel to OCTAFest as equitable as possible for all theatres in the state. OCTAFest 2005 and 2006-2007 were both held on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman.
OCTAFest (known originally as FACT and then as AACTFEST-Oklahoma) is a four-day, statewide play festival, conducted in even-numbered years to select the Oklahoma representative productions for the MCT Region VI pi festival (SW AACTFEST), the winner of which then represents the five-state region at the national play festival, MCTFEST. Oklahoma theatres have been participating in this national festival cycle process since 1970 and ha achieved an outstanding reputation for quality, both regionally and nationally. This is reflected in Oklahoma's sel representative theatres having received more 1st place awards and more 2nd place awards at the national and reg festival levels than any other state. OCT AFest was traditionally held in March, but in 2004 changed to the early summer time frame.
In the past even-numbered years, a three-day statewide adult conference of workshops and performance was conducted. Nationally recognized performers, producers, and playwrights have been special guests, providing workshops and/or performances. Featured guests have included Tony-winning playwright Mark Medoff ("Childrer Lesser God"), Tony-winning producer Max Weitzenhoffer ("Will Rogers Follies"), Tony-nominee Lara Teeter ("On' Toes"), and television award-winning actress Candace Earley ("All My Children"), whose parents were amongst ( founding members from Lawton Community Theatre. This event was traditionally held in March also. The site of I conference was selected by the OCT A Board of Directors through a bid process. OCT A hosted the Southwest Th Association's (now Southwest Theatre and Film Association) annual regional conference in Oklahoma City in November 2002. Red Carpet Community Theatre hosted the March 2004 Conference in Elk City. These conferences were discontinued after the 2004 conference so the Board and Staff of OCTA could concentrate on organizing the newly-chaged OCTAFest. Theatre professionals with national and international reputations provided workshops that we added to those traditionally presented by the festival adjudicators to enhance the educational value to participants encourage attendance at OCTAFest by members who were not involved in productions at the festival.
In March of 1998, OCTA sponsored the state's first Youth Conference on Theatre Arts in Ponca City. This one-day, two evening event featured workshops and performances for Oklahoma youths, grades 6-12. The first conference was held in conjunction with the adult conference hosted by Ponca Playhouse in Ponca City. The conference featured Oklahoma award-winning theatre professionals and educators, including AI Bostick, Jr. (Oklahoma City) and Laurette Willis (Tahlequah) The event was held in conjunction with the Adult Conferences in '98 and 2000. In 1999, 2001, and 2002 it was held at the end pf the first full week of June at the Jewel Box Theatre in Oklahoma City. In 2003, the Conference was held at St. Gregory's university in Shawnee, ok on June 5-7. The 2004 Conference was expanded to a week long conference with a specific theme of instruction on Commedia theatre. That Conference was also held at St. Gregory's University. Due to the fact that constituent organizations were starting to implement their own summer youth programs, these conferences were discontinued after the 2005 conference.
WORKSHOPS
Throughout the '70's, OCTA conducted a Summer Workshop weekend each year. These were eventually discontinued when the annual spring conference grew in size and content in the '80's. OCTA sponsored a Touring Workshop ~ in the fall of 1987, with local theatres hosting on a local or regional level. This program was offered throughout the established regions. In 1992-93, OCTA sponsored a series of weekend, one-day workshops in Oklahoma and Tulsa in fall and spring (Fall Fling and Spring Fling). A series of Outreach grants were issued to theatres in the early '90's to encourage workshops on specific topics on a local and regional basis. In 1995, OCTA provided $500 in seed money theatres for the same purpose. These outreach workshops were conducted by 4 theatres, with the theatres individually contracting with presenters and organizing the event. OCTA established a program of Board Development Workshops in 1997. These facilitated workshops are offered at no-charge to organizational members. This program was re-named and revised in 2000 to broaden the workshop's concepts and offerings. It is now known as BEEP (Boards Enriching Everyone Program).
PUBLICATIONS
A newsletter is published for the membership. This newsletter began monthly publication in 1987, became bi-monthly in 1993, and in 1995 became a quarterly issue.
A membership directory was published on a yearly basis, but in 2006 the membership directory was placed online at the OCTA website.
CONSULTATIONS
The OCTA Board of directors and staff are available for consultations and visits throughout the year on subjects production, promotion, advocacy, fundraising, and/or administrative management. The Executive Director is available to make presentations on formation and organization of new theatre groups. In 1997, the OCTA Board of Directors established a "Board Development Workshop", offered free-of-charge to its theatres upon request. This one-day facilitated workshop addresses a variety of topics involving management, boards, goal-setting, planning, and sell assessment. These workshops are conducted by members of the OCTA board on a volunteer basis.
LIBRARY AND RESOURCE CENTER
Scripts, technical and management resources, and workshop videos are available to members and theatre representatives through a simple checkout system. The library was begun through a large donation of scripts an theatre books from well-known educator and director, Clyde Rader, and became known as the Clyde Rader Merr Library in 1970. Through the years, individual and theatre members have donated scripts and books to bring the number of titles to 1,800+ in 2000. 100 titles were donated in memory of Bill LaRue of Clinton's Southwest Playhouse and posthumous recipient of OCTA's 1997 Hall of Honor. The largest donation in recent years was a donation made by the Charles' Hair Estate. Charles was the Hall of Honor recipient in 1992.
Technical resources were added to the library 'catalog' in 1997 with books and periodicals on stagecraft techniqu design and construction, stage management and forms, lighting, costume design and construction, directing and techniques, etc. Videos on set construction and stage makeup were created by OCTA in 1988 and are available library. Other videos in subsequent years have been added, including workshops conducted at AACTFESTs.
MARKETING ASSISTANCE
To encourage the development of quality in marketing techniques and products, OCTA initiated an annual Marketing Contest in 1991. This contest was originally held in conjunction with the festival or conference in the spring, with products on display throughout the event. Originally, this contest was conducted in ballot form with festival or conference registrants voting. Since 1995, judging takes place with a 3-person anonymous panel (persons with no connection to the participating theatres) during the festival. Winners are announced at the Awards Ceremony for the event. Initially the contest involved six categories: poster, program, season brochure, specialty item. tee or sweatshirt, and newsletter. In 1995, an additional category was added: Unique Promotional idea (for productions, the theatre, volunteer recn fund-raising, etc.)
A website was developed for OCTA in 1997 by Connect Oklahoma and provided free-of-charge through that program conducted by OPUBCO (The Daily Oklahoman). In 1998 an independent website was developed by Information Exchange Network (OKC) with OCTA's registered domain - www.oktheatre.orq. The Worx Company of Oklahoma was hired in the winter of 2001-2002 to re-design and manage a new website. The site offers calendar information, newsletter, membership information and forms, information and registration forms for OCTA's upcoming events, downloadable information, and the membership directory. Management of the site was taken over by Anthony Batchelder (www.albcentral.com) in February of 2005.
NEW PLAY COMPETITIONS
In a move to encourage and develop new material for use by oklahoma communuity theatres, OCTA conducted a New Play Contest in 1970, with intent to produce the winner at the '71 Conference. However, no entries were considered
suitable. In 1997, OCTA re-established the New Play Contest with the intent of producing the winning play as a reading for the 1998 Conference in Ponca City. The play was produced as a "work in progress" with director, cast, and crew chosen from theatres in the region. The playwright was encouraged to participate in the rehearsal process resulting in re-writes and further development of the play. The playwright was presented with a cash award at the Conference Sunday Brunch. Scripts from the three finalists were placed in the OCTA library. OCTA continued the process in 2000 with a true staged reading in Broken Arrow. The three finalists of that competition were also retained for the library and a cash award was presented to the winning playwright at the conference.
A grant from Sarkeys Foundation in 1999-2000 provided for a Young Playwrights' Competition for high school students A series of one-day playwriting workshops was presented in six locations around the state (Duncan, Elk City, Enid, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and McAlester). The winning entry was presented as a staged reading at the combined youth conferences in Broken Arrow in March, 2000. The first and second place winners were presented with conference scholarships and cash awards.
Both of these programs were discontinued in 2004, as it was felt that dissemination of information on playwriting contests and opportunities was more in keeping with OCTA's mission.
AWARDS
A series of awards were established in '86, '88, '90, and '95 to recognize outstanding contributions to Oklahoma community theatre. Some awards were designated for conference (even-numbered) years and others for special occasions only, to be designated when worthy recipients are identified. The nomination process is determined by appointed awards committee. It was established, in 1998, that nominations not passed upon in a given year will be on file for consideration in future years. In 2004 these awards were given as part of the newly changed OCTAFest
HALL OF HONOR ('86) is awarded when there is deemed a worthy recipient. Criteria include the nominee's contributions to state and local community theatre, involvement in all aspects of theatre work, and OCT A member This award is a plaque form with the design on file at Midwest Trophy Company, Midwest City, OK.
JEANNE ADAMS WRAY SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD ('88) is given to those selected people who are not working with community theatre in Oklahoma, but have or are making contributions to its progress. This award was, previously in medallion form on a wooden stand, but was re-designed as a medallion in a shadowbox frame in 19!
The design is on file at Midwest Trophy Company, Midwest City, OK.
BILL CRAWFORD MEMORIAL AWARD ('88) is given on very special occasions to a person or member organizations in recognition of services and devotion to OCTA and its theatres. This award is in medallion form on a ribbon for wearing and is on file at Midwest Trophy Company, Midwest City, OK.
OCTAVISION ('90) is given to an OCTA member theatre which has established and successfully accomplished a substantial long-range goal. This award is in plaque form with the design on file at Midwest Trophy Company, Mid City, OK.
THEATRE OF THE YEAR ('90) is given in to an OCTA member theatre, operating within a Board of Directors structure, which has accomplished at least 10 continuous seasons with at least two productions each. This is the most prestigious award a theatre can receive in Oklahoma and is the equivalent to the Governors Arts Award. This award is in plaque form with the design on file at Midwest Trophy Company, Midwest City, Ok.
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