TICKETS ON SALE
2023 Wisconsin AACTFest
Wisconsin’s Community Theatre Festival & Competition
Theater Festival
January 20–22
Competition Sessions
Saturday | Jan. 21
BDACT Fine Arts Center – Kamps Auditorium
See five of Wisconsin’s best Community Theater companies
compete for a spot at Regionals—all in one weekend!
Tickets
SESSION 1 $15
Saturday | January 21 | 12:15 pm–5:30 pm
Includes the following performances:
- A Kid Like Jake
Central Wisconsin Area Community Theater - Family Affair
Village Playhouse - The Children’s Hour
The Verona Area Community Theater
SESSION 2 $15
Saturday | January 21 | 7 pm–10:30 pm
Includes the following performances:
- For the Love of…Camping!
Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre - Three Viewings
Kettle Moraine Players, Inc.
NOTE: By purchasing tickets, you and members of your party agree to adhere to BDACT’s 2022 COVID-19 Policies.
BUY TICKETS IN PERSON AT:
- BDACT Box Office
117 W. Maple Ave., Beaver Dam (920-885-6891)
Tuesday & Thursday 10 am–4 pm
What is AACTFest?
Mark your calendar to join your AACT theatre family for a great time—and great theatre.
AACTFest, the festival process that culminates in a national theatre festival, is sponsored by the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) and is held in odd-numbered years. AACTFest presents a forum for community theatres from AACT’s 10 regions to enter productions for adjudication at the national level.
The first step in this process is the state-level competition. Theatre companies present a one-act play or cutting of a play not to exceed one hour in length. All shows will be adjudicated and a winner or winners will be chosen to advance to the regional competition for a chance to compete at the national level.
Wisconsin’s AACTFest (WACTFest) will be held the weekend of January 20 – 22, 2023 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin at their newly renovated facility. This promises to be a great weekend of learning and magnificent theatre presented by your fellow community theatres in Wisconsin. Each theatre presents some of the best they have to offer.
How does the competition work?
The goal of the festival weekend is to pick a Wisconsin Community Theatre Company to represent the state at the regional AACTFest competition held in Hartford, WI on April 13.
It all starts with a 10′ x 10′ box taped on the stage floor. All costumes, set pieces, props, and actors must start—and fit— inside the box. Each entry is allowed 10 minutes to set the stage, 60 minutes to perform, and 10 minutes to strike. A panel of adjudicators review each performance.
SESSION 1
Saturday | January 21 | 12:15 pm–5:30 pm
Includes the following performances:
Central Wisconsin Area Community Theater
A Kid Like Jake
A Kid Like Jake is a “dramedy” that is set on the eve of admissions for Manhattan’s private schools. Alex and Greg are working on getting their son Jake, a four-year-old who prefers Cinderella to G.I. Joe into a great school. However, Jake’s behavior becomes irregular and volatile. This causes other adults in his life to wonder if his fondness of dress-up might be cause for concern.
Village Playhouse
Family Affair
The Verona Area Community Theater
The Children’s Hour
Longtime friends Martha and Karen run a boarding school for girls. After a malicious student at the school starts a rumor about the two women the rumor soon turns to scandal. As the young girl comes to understand the power she wields, she sticks by her story, which precipitates tragedy for the women and the school. While it is later discovered that the gossip was pure invention it is too late – irreparable damage has been done. This powerful story shows us that long before social media existed the “rumor mill” could still drastically and permanently affect people’s lives.
SESSION 2
Saturday | January 21 | 7 pm–10:30 pm
Includes the following performances:
Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre
For the Love of…Camping!
This original play by BDACT veteran, Rick Ramirez, will have you in stitches! While two old friends attempt to catch up in the “great outdoors,” the original residents of the campground have a different idea. This one-act comedy will make you consider (or reconsider) that camping trip this summer!
Kettle Moraine Players, Inc.
Three Viewings
A small Pennsylvania funeral parlor is the setting for three darkly humorous and touching monologues. Three Viewings weaves three poignant tales into a clever and quirky show, connected by common threads of characters, surprising plot twists and extraordinary storytelling. We think you’re going to love it.