PRESIDENT: Simon Williams
PATRON: Robert Duncan
Contact Us
The CDA Theatre Festival season runs from 1st September to 31st August each year and has three sections: Plays, Musicals and Pantomimes, and Musical Revues. Member groups of the CDA are invited to submit their productions for entry to the festival and these are seen by two of an adjudicating team who will allocate a specified range of marking based on the guidelines followed by the Guild of Drama Adjudicators (GODA). Following the performance the director will be sent written adjudication notes in which we do our best to be as constructive as possible. At no time are marks revealed to anyone other than the Moderating Adjudicators when they meet to determine the awards for the year.The current adjudication team consists of experienced directors and performers who have been involved with groups of various sizes. Most of us have experienced the difficulties of performing in halls with pocket handkerchief size stages to halls so large and high that projection problems loom large. It is fair to say that ‘we have seen it all’. So what is involved in adjudication? The adjudicators receive the script in good time to allow them to become familiar with the piece. During the performance we consider the stage presentation – does it fit the piece – does it work in the space – has lighting, sound, costume, makeup,
props, been given the attention required? Stage direction – has the cast and director understood the author’s intention and faithfully represented it? Does the cast understand what they are saying or have they merely learned the lines? Can we hear them? Can we see their faces or do we see more backs of heads than fronts? Are we admiring the actors, or the furniture behind which they seem to be hiding? In the Musicals sections we look for a good balance in the singing and the instrumental accompaniment; is the choreography repetitive; does the text make sense? And in Revues we also have to consider the content – is it balanced and appropriate? In plays and musical productions is there evidence of teamwork, or is there a star upon whom the rest is happy to rely for a good result? Has each actor taken the script and brought their character off the page? The report, is sent to the director to whom the majority of our remarks are directed.We know that not all of you will agree with what we say, but we hope that - as we ourselves have experienced - after a few weeks have gone by you will read it again and just maybe decide that ‘they might have a point’.So if your society has not yet put a production into the Festival why not give it a try? You only have to do it once – if you don’t enter again no one will be sent to the Tower! Coral Pepper
With our members entering more plays every year we have a need for more adjudicators. If you have some years of drama experience and would like to try your hand please contact Coral Pepper on 01872 501670 cpepper@globalnet.co.uk or Sally Robinson on 01326 211639 sally.robinson13@btinternet.com. Adjudicators are paid a fee and expenses and you get to see a lot of fine plays for nothing. A day’s training and assessment is given. Give it a go.