Acting Irish Competition May 18 -24, 2015
The Acting Irish International Theatre Festival (AIITF) is an annual festival of full-length Irish plays performed by Irish community theatre companies from Canada, US and Ireland. The festival was started in 1994 and is hosted by a different member group each year. The festival is being hosted in 2015 by the Irish Heritage Center of Cincinnati. Ten different theater companies from Ireland, Canada and the United States will visit Cincinnati’s Irish Heritage Center for a week of fun Irish theater and antics.
The IHC needs a number of fun, energetic, creative and responsible volunteers to form a team to run a first-class Theater Festival here in Cincinnati. Some positions require expertise in carpentry, stage lighting or administration, while other positions simply require a willingness to help out.
Volunteers are needed immediately to initiate promotional, hospitality, business and marketing plans. More volunteers will be needed as we get closer to the May 18-24 week of the festival.
Be a part of the first-ever Cincinnati Irish Theater Festival and show off our city to the participants from Ireland, Canada and other states of our own USA.
Please call 513.533.0100, email info@irishcenterofcincinnati.com or visit us at 3905 Eastern Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226 to let us know if you have any of the requested skills; are willing to learn new skills; or if you have contacts with groups that can donate services, supplies or money for the festival.
Gratefully,
Kent Covey
AIITF President
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Please note all these committees will work closely together. A collaborative attitude is a must!
Volunteer coordinator
Time commitment required, Present running through May
- Recruit volunteers
- Determine skills
- Assign to tasks (if volunteer does not specify a committee)
- Provide direction and follow up for volunteers
- Create log and process to track all volunteer hours
- Schedule volunteer shifts
- Provide direction to volunteers
Scheduling Committee (Chair [Jeanette Murray] plus 2)
Time commitment required; Present running through May
- Create master schedule of activities which will include
- Play selection
- Verifying rights to perform
- Submission of scripts (electronic submission allowed)
- Payment of fees
- Submission of various listings such as:
- Participants
- Program data
- Performance dates
- Keep schedule up-to-date
- Notify festival chairman of all pending and/or missed scheduling requirements
Finance (Chair [Kent Covey] plus 3 or 4)
Time commitment required, Present through May
- Solicit donations
- Solicit advertising for the Festival Program
- Apply for Grants
- Obtain donated printing/collating services; paper/ink products
In addition, grant writing a plus and direct sales experience a plus
Publicity (Chair plus 4 or 5)
Time commitment required, Present through May
- Write press releases and send out with photos beginning January 2015
- Work with Festival theater companies
- Have contacts with media (other than on-line DIY calendar pages)
- Radio
- Television
- Newspapers
- Magazine
- Websites
- Establish and maintain Twitter feed, blog, website and Facebook page
- Organize and supervise Paint the Town with Poster Parties
- Organize and supervise stuffing and sending publicity packets
Marketing Materials (Chair plus 2 or 3)
Time commitment required, Present through May
- Design print materials; posters, programs, flyers to be handed out at St. Patrick Day parade and Arts Wave Weekend events
- Layout and publish overview schedule and detailed daily schedules for volunteers, performers and crews.
- Layout and publish programs for audiences
- Handouts for performers and crews will include providing information on the individual shows, lunch options, hotels, downtown area, options for night-time activities, IHC Pub schedule.
- Schedule and direct photo and video shoots
- Develop and advertise promotional deal (buy tickets for all performances be able to attend opening night cocktail party) for IHC members
In addition, GRAPHIC DESIGN A HUGE PLUS!
Hospitality Committee (Chair plus 4)
Time Commitment Late February through end of festival
- Get bags with logo for the event for actors and crew
- Arrange donations for welcome bags for each actor and crew member coming to the Acting Irish Festival
- Items could include certificates for Graeter’s, cheese coneys, other local options; golf shirts with IHC logo
- Contact Kroger, Panera, Starbucks, etc. for provisions for lunches; snacks; non-alcoholic drinks for the actors and crew during festival week.
- Contact caterers about providing dinners at IHC and /or snacks, light bites, soups, salads and sandwiches
- Contact Eli’s Terry’s Turf Club, Sky Galley, and Green Dog café about potentially offering specials to festival participants
- Week of festival
- Staff a hospitality room at host hotel each morning. Room should be stocked with coffee, tea, soft drinks, fruit, yogurt, baked goods, etc.
- Help make and/or serve lunches at the IHC
- Help to stock Green Room at IHC with coffee, tea, water
- Set-up and clean-up of hospitality/serving rooms daily
- Staff an information area at hotel and IHC regarding places to go, events taking place, things to do in Cincinnati during Festival week. This task will require coordination with Marketing to ensure correct handouts and flyers are used
Awards Brunch Committee (Chair plus 1)
Time Commitment: January through end of festival
- Research brunch options for large group,( B&B Riverboats, downtown locations, etc.) and recommend venue to Festival Chairman
- Arrange to have certificates printed
- Provide trophy engraving details to AIITF President for ordering of trophies
- Ensure trophies are delivered in time for Awards Brunch Sunday, May 24
Transportation Committee (Chair plus 8)
Time Commitment:
Chair February through May
Drivers Week of festival
- Welcome and pick up performers and/or crew from airport(s)
- Take performers and/or crew to airport(s)
- Bring actors and crew to IHC from hotel, take actors and crew from ICH to hotel
- Possibly provide a driving tour of Greater Cincinnati area
Ticket Sales
Time Commitment: January through May
- Refine ticketing procedure
- Have tickets printed
- Run ticket office
- Handle distribution of tickets
- Handle distribution of credentials to theater groups
- Track sales and Report sales to Finance Chair
Ushers/Greeters (4 per show)
MUST BE PLEASANT AND ENJOY SPEAKING TO AUDIENCES
Time Commitment: Week of competition plus one training session prior to festival
- Collect tickets
- Pass out Programs
- Help people find seats
- Pick up any programs/trash in the seats after the show
- Leave area ready for the next show
House Manager (plus 2) *
Time Commitment: Every performance week of festival
- House Manger is one who oversees all public areas of the theater ensuring an enjoyable and safe festival
- Overseeing that Lobby, Theater and Public Bathroom areas are clean and properly maintained
- Training of house volunteers and ushers
- Resolving any patron complaints or other issues
- House Manager works with Ticket Sales ensuring all requests for tickets or information are handled in a timely manner
- House Manager oversees cleanup crew. Ensures Theater, Tea Room, Pub and Green Room are cleaned each night.
Stage Manager (plus 2) *
Time Commitment: Every performance week of festival
* Needs to work with individual theater company’s stage manager coordinating lights and sound.
* Responsible for the appropriate Theater Company’s Stage Manger to call the show, ensuring actors and crew are ready to perform their duties.
- Calls the show with cues i.e., standby, prompt and warning cues.
- Organizes rehearsals & keeps rehearsals on schedule and on time within the IHC spaces.
- Coordinates communications between the director and the backstage crew.
- Coordinates with the Props crew to ensure props are ready and on hand for every show.
- Uses the assistant Stage Manger to aide on all of the above including mopping of the stage between shows
- Works with hospitality crew to provide coffee and tea for the actors and crew.
- Works with hospitality crew in keeping the green room ready for each theater company.
*These positions work together overseeing all house happenings before, during and after the performances
Theater seating set up/Theater seating take down (Chair plus 4)
Time Commitment:
Week prior to competition for set up
Week after competition for tear down
Set Design Crew (Team of 2-3)
Time Commitment: March** through Week of competition
- Working with information from different theater groups, create plans for sets
Set Construction Crew (Team of 4-5)
Time Commitment: March** through Week of competition
- Set up construction space
- Build sets based on the designs
- Obtain donations for set pieces; lumber; wallboard; fixtures etc.
- Paint sets
- Make general flats of two various colors for stage walls
- Week of Festival
Set up and take down sets before and after each show (This will require at least four ‘host’ group volunteers, plus assistants from presenting groups of 2 or more. The sets must be struck and reconfigured in a period of approximately two hours (for afternoon to evening transitions)!!! Host volunteers must be available to move onto the stage at 4:30 PM in the afternoon, and again at 10:30 PM (to strike the evening set, then be on hand at 10:00 AM to reset for the next afternoon’s show.)
** May start earlier as information is received from theater companies
Will have to provide own tools at each session
Props Crew (Chair plus 3)
Time Commitment Present through Week of competition
- Obtain necessary props required by theater groups
- Organize/store props in containers labeled for each show
- Work with stage manager to set up props on prop table 2 hours prior to each show
- Take down and store after each show
- Have list of props for each show. Post list for all to see and check off items as pieces are obtained
- Search local prop room for props, shop thrift stores for needed props and any required small set pieces
Lighting Crew (Chair plus 2)
Time Commitment: Present through May
Chair should be qualified electrician for connecting electrical for lighting
- Hang electrical lights
- Set lamps
- Prior to competition Trouble shoot electrical system at IHC; identify and resolve any problems (if found)
- Week of competition; experienced lighting person and assistant to run lights during each of the performances
Sound Crew (Chair plus 2)
Time Commitment: May through end of competition
- Prior to week of competition, ensure IHC system is fully functioning.
- Run sound for each show
Irish Heritage Center Liasons (5 needed)
Time Commitment: Week of festival
- Representatives of IHC to oversee use of 2 rehearsal rooms, 2 dressing rooms and Green Room.
- Provide information to theater groups.
If you are interested in directing 25-30 young people for our upcoming production of SLEEPING BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, we are interested in you! The play is a delightful comedy with plenty of characters from a wide variety of fairy and folk tales. Auditions are set for March 8-9; the play opens the weekend of April 24 and closes on May 3. There is a small stipend available for a contract of approximately 28 days, which includes auditions, three rehearsal days each week, a full tech week, 6 performances, and set strike. Because we open auditions to children ages 8-18, we prefer to end rehearsals by 8:30pm.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 