Occasionally, I manage to take a small step a few inches outside my self-imposed comfort zone to experience something new that might actually be good for me and my future creative endeavors. Rubbing elbows with up-and-coming college students actively involved in live theater certainly fits that category.
KCACTF stands for Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Region VII’s event takes place in Boise, Idaho, and God willing and the snow don’t fall, this week I’ll be schmoozing with America’s future Spielbergs and Scorseses, or perhaps a young Neil Simon, Arthur Miller or Tennessee Williams.
And yes, I’m selfishly hoping that I’ll be magically inspired to get my butt back to the keyboard to write another full-length play.
But during the festival I’ll also be immersed in some of the more technical aspects of producing highly successful, live, onstage events. For instance, I’ve previously not thought much about stage design or sound and lighting requirements while I’m sitting in my home office writing dialog and minimal stage directions. (And what the heck is a dramaturg, anyway?)
So it’s a “good for me” adventure, sure to add to my playwriting knowledge base, and I’ve been looking forward to it for months. I registered online in time to receive the Early Bird discount, and last week I had to figure out how to download the guidebook app on my iPad, as there are no printed programs this year.
Who knows what else I may inadvertently learn? Things I didn’t even know I didn’t know and needed to know!
Like how to edit that last sentence…