Upstage 2022

Guidelines

Dates/Venues

  1. Upstage 2022 is an intercollegiate theatre festival that will be held in hybrid mode on the 23rd , 24th, and 25th of June 2022. 
  2. The venue will be the St. Joseph’s College Auditorium, Langford Road Campus for the offline events, and via MS-Teams for online events. 
  3. A schedule for the festival will be announced after the receipt of confirmed entries

Categories

Offline events

  1. The festival welcomes offline productions from college/university teams under six categories: Stage, Shorts, Street, Scenematic, Silhouettes, and Still Moving.
  2. In addition, we will hold a play review contest titled Second Sight, and a play-writing contest titled Scriptor.
  3. Dramatic productions not exceeding 40 minutes may be entered under the Stage category
  4. Dramatic productions not exceeding 20 minutes may be entered under Shorts.
  5. Street theatre productions not exceeding 15 minutes may be entered under the Street category
  6. Productions that adapt a well-known dramatic scene into a musical/song-and-dance routine are welcome under the Scenematic category. The maximum duration allowed is 10 minutes.
  7. Mime productions are welcome under the Silhouettes category. The maximum duration allowed is 8 minutes.
  8. Still Moving is a team improv event where contestants must sustain a three-minute performance in response to a visual prompt. Teams of four must improvise a three-minute performance around a painting or a still image that will be given on the spot. The painting must be simulated at some point in the performance
  9. Productions entered in the festival may vary thus: original plays, abridged versions of full-length plays, one-act plays, or any other performance of a theatrical nature. 
  10. Productions may be in English, Kannada, or Hindi. Teams wishing to perform in another language must inform us in advance. 
  11. Submissions for Second Sight and Scriptor must be in English
  12. Each college can submit a maximum of three entries per category for those involving stage performances. There is no limit on entries in the writing categories.
  13. Those taking part in the play-review contest must base their reviews on any two of the plays staged during the Stage part of the festival and submit their entries by 24th June via email to metajosephs@gmail.com .
  14. Those submitting for Scriptor must send in an original play/original adaptation not exceeding 2500 words of spoken dialogue.by 21st June 2022 via email to metajosephs@gmail.com  

Online events

  1. The festival offers three online events which will be hosted on the MS TEAMS platform. These are Shows With Rose, StopScreen, and  Set Ups.
  2. Shows With Rose is a presentation event for solo contestants wherein they must showcase a tribute to a stage/screen actor built around iconic moments and memorable mannerisms within four minutes online.
  3. StopScreen is an online radio-drama event wherein a team of 7 performers must manage a dramatic performance without video, using only voices, music, sound effects and images. Performances can be based on original work or draw from existing dramatic works.
  4. Set Ups is a presentation event for teams of two where contestants design a stage set (actual or virtual) and mise-en-scene for the online performance of a scene from a dramatic work. The presentation must highlight the relevance of the set as an actual place or as a screen window to the action within 5 minutes.

Registrations

  1. Confirmations for the festival must be made by email by 12th June 2022 along with a copy of the script that is being presented to metajosephs@gmail.com .
  2. The registration fee is Rs.1500/- per College for the Stage category, covering all entries.
  3. The registration fee is Rs. 1000/- per college for the Shorts category, covering all entries.
  4. The registration fee is Rs. 500/- per college for the Street category, covering all entries.
  5. The registration fee is Rs. 500/- per college for the Scenematic category, covering all entries.
  6. The registration fee is Rs. 500/- per college for the Silhouettes category, covering all entries.
  7. The registration fee is Rs. 500/- per college for the Still Moving category, covering all entries
  8. The entry fee for Second Sight and Scriptor as also for online events will be Rs. 100/- per participant.
  9. The entry fee for all online events will be Rs. 150 per team.
  10. Institutions may pay a consolidated Registration Fee of Rs. 5000 covering both Offline and Online events.
  11. Teams must close their registration by paying the entry fee in cash at the English Department, SJC, on 12th June 2022.
  12. Teams are requested to have video recordings of their performances at hand keeping in mind the current situation.
  13. Participating teams must provide the following details: a) Name of the college, b) Names of the students taking part along with their email IDs and contact numbers, c) The year and course/combination that they belong to.

Prizes

  1. An eminent jury comprising theatre-persons from the city will judge the plays.
  2. Prizes and certificates will be given out to the top three teams in each category

Technical Specifications

  1. The teams can visit the venue for a tech rehearsal on 20th June 2022.
  2. No team may exceed a maximum of 12 students along with not more than 4 stagehands.
  3. The team for Still Moving should not exceed 4 members.
  4. Basic lighting, sound, and mikes will be provided by the organizers.
  5. Limited tables and chairs will be provided.
  6. The participants should assemble at the venue at least half an hour prior to the scheduled time of start.
  7. The total length of each individual production, including introduction and time-lapses between scenes may not exceed 40 minutes for Stage, 20 minutes for Shorts, 15 minutes for Street, 10 minutes for Scenematic, and 08 minutes for Mime.
  8. Each production is allowed a maximum of 5 minutes set-up time and 5 minutes of strike-time. However, if a set-up and or strike-time is intended to set mood, establish character or entertain the audience in any way, this time will be considered a part of the performance time.
  9. No props are allowed for the mime  and Still Moving categories.
  10. Scenematic productions must manage acting, song and dance within the team size mentioned above. Teams wishing to perform with instruments must bring their own.
  11. A warning bell shall be given 5 minutes before the allotted time and a final bell in the end after which the performance may be stopped.
  12. Vulgarity of any kind as well as anything hurtful directed at any particular group shall not be allowed on stage. 

For out-station colleges:

  1. Transport and accommodation will not be provided by organizers. However, if a team would like suggestions, help can be provided

For more information, please contact Prof. Anquna  (88841-19774), Prof. Philip Victor (82814-78117), Shwetha (95679-60025), Shona (85110-41169), Arya (94482-94928).