Hey there, sponsors,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get this sent out, it has been quite the summer filled with random adventures and lots of trips between Panama City Beach and Ft Walton Beach as I transition into this new position and life. I hope the summer has been treating you all well and you've snatched some moments of peace, reflection, relaxation, and whatever else you need to be able to armor up for the next school year.
The dates for the District One thespian festival this year will be Thursday, November 7th to Saturday, November 9th. This is a change from the dates originally announced at last year's festival. I take full responsibility for this change and apologize if it has upset anyone's calendar or plans but I discovered that those dates coincided with the Florida Theatre Conference (FTC).
I tried to change the dates when I first discovered the potential problem but was told that the Mattie Kelly was booked from the beginning of October all the way to the end of the year. A few weeks later when I got a call that a spot suddenly opened up, I jumped at the chance - now students and sponsors won't be faced with the difficult choice of which of these amazing festivals to attend or focus on and troupes who help make sure that these festivals succeed won't have to compromise their commitment to either festival.
So, to repeat, the District One festival will be held at the NWFL College's Mattie Kelly Center from November 7th to November 9th. FTC will be held at Santa Fe College from November 13th to November 16th (www.flatheatre.org for more information on that festival). Thank you all for your patience and understanding in this matter and hopefully that's the end of any scheduling snafus.
Screening dates for those of you entering a Mainstage are between September 26th and November 24th.
I realize that the festival is much earlier this year than it's been in the past but we have a lot of control over how our student's view and experience this. Let's do our best to maintain a positive outlook and generate excitement about the festival and how much MORE time we'll have to fundraise for State.
My student reps have been reaching out behind the scenes to your leadership kids to get a rough headcount on how many (if any) thespians would be interested in meeting up for a leadership conference. It seems like we have quite a few interested folks so the Student Leadership conference for District One will be held at Ft Walton Beach high school on Saturday August 3rd from 12-3 CST. This is mostly geared towards students but sponsors are welcome and invited! I will speak with the kids and lead some exercises and then the kids will engage in some leadership and theatre games, discussions, and general community bonding about their roles, duties, and expectations as student leaders for our troupes. Please forward that information on to your student leaders if they haven't heard. I trust your judgment in deciding which of your students should attend but I would prefer that you not send more than four from your troupe.
Please find attached a copy of the Moratorium List for this year. These are the one acts that were performed and taken to competition last year, please don't plan on taking any of these titles to competition this year.
2020 Mainstage & One Act Moratorium - CORRECTED...
Christa had an arrangement with Murray for our FATE rooms so things may happen differently this year. I will maintain Christa's arrangements for reimbursement of gas and rental fees for carpool/vans and will cover the cost of any rooms for folks who are doubling up/rooming with another teacher (if you get your own room or drive your own car then I think this offer isn't valid). FATE will be October 10th to October 12th (www.fatefirst.com) - I'd like to get a rough head count on how many of you are planning on attending. Please let me know if you're planning on going, carpooling, and sharing a room! We will discuss this in more detail at the District meeting.
The District Meeting for all sponsors in District One will be on Saturday, September 7th from 11am to 2pm at Niceville High School. Ritchie Jackson and his students at NHS will be helping out my students from Ft Walton Beach high school to put together and run our annual taco lunch and information session. At that time I'll go over registration for Districts and State, any changes made to IEs or competition, and anything else we want to discuss. Please bring your leadership students with you as they will all gather together while we talk to help reach a decision about this year's festival theme will be.
Our D1 website is getting a face lift and overhaul, I will be back in touch with new information about the website as it develops.
I know that we have some new sponsors at some schools but I have included everyone that I have record of - please check with the sponsors at schools near you to make sure they have received a copy of this message. You can also feel free to contact me at any time on my cell at 850-441-0447. It is probably easier to get a text response from me than it is to catch me near my phone and able to talk but I promise to respond ASAP.
Thank you guys again for your patience and understanding with me as I attempt to squeeze my size 12 feet into Whit's dainty little size 6.5 heels and pick up where she left off. It is my hope that you will see very little difference in the way the festival is run but, rest assured, I will goof up and make some mistakes but the most I can do is to promise to not make the same mistake the same way again.
Thank you for all being amazing,
-Jason Blanks