FEATS

No. Entry is by a rota system, in which groups having taken part in one year go to the end of the “queue” in the following year.

FEATS now uses the NDFA marking system, although in past years there was one addition specific to FEATS. The standard NDFA marking system is:

• 40 points for acting
• 35 points for production
• 15 points for stage presentation
• 10 points for O, E & A (originality, endeavour and achievement)

Total: 100 marks

To these, FEATS has for many years added 10 points for Innovation, making a total of 110 points. From 2009, however, these additional points were dropped.

The running order is determined by the organising committee of the current festival, taking into account the following criteria:

• length of productions – to control, as far as possible, the length of each evening’s entertainment
• technical requirements
• type of piece – with the aim of ensuring a varied evening’s entertainment
• the groups’ expressed preferences.

Any impression that certain groups are favoured in the running order by getting their requested “slots” as a matter of course is mistaken.

Yes, in the sense that the rules state that “No member of a participating group may be paid for taking part in FEATS”. However, groups composed wholly or partly of professional performers are not excluded under competition rules.

Nine different trophies are awarded at the end of each festival. They include first, second and third place, best actor and best actress. See the full list of FEATS awards.

From the FEATS rules:

It shall be written by a member of the participating group.

Its original production shall have had its first public performance within the previous two years or at the current FEATS; and it shall have the same director, set and interpretation that it had when first performed in public, although individual cast members can have changed since that first performance.

A longer discussion on the notion of original script is published here, with the approval of the FEATS steering committee.

Participating groups must ensure that performing rights for plays are paid where required. Within the EU, copyright protection is applicable until seventy years after the author’s death; so even if you are performing a play written long ago, you need to check whether rights have to be paid, especially in the case of a translation.

One of the first things to do when choosing a play is to acquire the performing rights from the author or publisher. In addition, you must secure written authorisation for any cuts or changes made to the script.

Proof that rights have been granted must reach the organising committee within the time constraints allowed in the technical package. The absence of performing rights means that you will not be permitted to perform at the festival.

The rules stipulate a length of “not less than twenty minutes or more than fifty-five”. However, they add that the organising committee may set different minimum and maximum times within these bounds. In practice the maximum is very often set at 50 minutes or under in order to manage the evening timetable.