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Rochester, N.Y. —
In the world of theatrical productions, not everyone has the resources to pay for professional special effects or costumes — so why not learn to do it yourself?
That’s the idea behind this year’s technical workshops at the annual American Association of Community Theatre festival, called AACTFest11, an event in which community theater productions from across the country and even Europe come to perform while participants attend educational workshops.
The conference is split into two parts — the Community Theater Management Conference, hosted at Geva Theater; and the Technical Theater Conference at Roberts Wesleyan College in Chili.
As co-chairs of the festival, Mike and Mary Krickmire of Fairport will be overseeing the latter, slated for June 20-22 in the middle of the week-long festival.
This year marks the first time the festival has been held in New York state, and after failed attempts to book it in the past, Rochester won the coveted host spot.
“It was like bidding for the Olympics,” said Mike Krickmire.
Featured presenters at the technical conference will include Arnold Levine of New York City, best known for designing costumes used in the Broadway musical “The Lion King.”
Other topics will range from stage lighting to puppetry to flying.
Yes, flying.
Presenters will include ZFX, a company that has provided special flying effects for major productions such as “Peter Pan” and “Wicked.” Those who sign up will have the chance to learn more about flying techniques on their home stage.
The Krickmires are no strangers to the stage. The husband and wife first met at State University College at Brockport, where both were theater majors.
Since then, they’ve both been received training in New York City, acted and directed on a number of local stages while making their living doing what they love. She teaches theater at Aquinas Institute and he is currently a theater professor at SUNY-Brockport and is a former president of the Theater Association of New York State.
They hope the upcoming festival will be a big draw for anyone from community theater members, college students and faculty to high school theater teachers and students in search of knowledge and techniques from those in the industry, as Mary Krickmire explained.
“It’s about learning from the pros so community or high school theaters can ratchet it up a little.”
In the world of theatrical productions, not everyone has the resources to pay for professional special effects or costumes — so why not learn to do it yourself?
That’s the idea behind this year’s technical workshops at the annual American Association of Community Theatre festival, called AACTFest11, an event in which community theater productions from across the country and even Europe come to perform while participants attend educational workshops.
The conference is split into two parts — the Community Theater Management Conference, hosted at Geva Theater; and the Technical Theater Conference at Roberts Wesleyan College in Chili.
As co-chairs of the festival, Mike and Mary Krickmire of Fairport will be overseeing the latter, slated for June 20-22 in the middle of the week-long festival.
This year marks the first time the festival has been held in New York state, and after failed attempts to book it in the past, Rochester won the coveted host spot.
“It was like bidding for the Olympics,” said Mike Krickmire.
Featured presenters at the technical conference will include Arnold Levine of New York City, best known for designing costumes used in the Broadway musical “The Lion King.”
Other topics will range from stage lighting to puppetry to flying.
Yes, flying.
Presenters will include ZFX, a company that has provided special flying effects for major productions such as “Peter Pan” and “Wicked.” Those who sign up will have the chance to learn more about flying techniques on their home stage.
The Krickmires are no strangers to the stage. The husband and wife first met at State University College at Brockport, where both were theater majors.
Since then, they’ve both been received training in New York City, acted and directed on a number of local stages while making their living doing what they love. She teaches theater at Aquinas Institute and he is currently a theater professor at SUNY-Brockport and is a former president of the Theater Association of New York State.
They hope the upcoming festival will be a big draw for anyone from community theater members, college students and faculty to high school theater teachers and students in search of knowledge and techniques from those in the industry, as Mary Krickmire explained.
“It’s about learning from the pros so community or high school theaters can ratchet it up a little.”
