2024 Youth Conference

Save Spring Break March 2025 for the 2025 Youth Conference! More information to come!

2024 OCTA Youth Conference

Students who are age twelve through high school senior are eligible to partake in the Oklahoma Community Theatre Association’s Youth Conference. Youth Conference is a two day event in Stillwater, Oklahoma at Oklahoma State University. This conference is a two day intensive theatrical training workshop for performance and technical skills including auditioning, directing, acting, writing, and much more, which will culminate with a Saturday Showcase performance.

The participants will create and produce a showcase of 10-minute plays (from writing to performance); this is similar to a 24 hour play festival, except we make sure the youth get some sleep. We encourage youth at all levels of experience to attend the conference, so we begin the conference with workshops that will prepare the students for each facet needed for the showcase before holding auditions and working with the youth to write the plays. On the second day, the youth prepare the plays they wrote on the first day for the evening showcase. All production roles (actors, directors, stage managers, and tech crew) are filled by the youth with mentorship from the presenting artists.

This year’s OCTA conference is in Stillwater, Oklahoma at Oklahom State University. The youth conference is March 22 and 23, 2024. The cost of attendance is $100, and this does not include lodging. If you need financial assistance please contact, [email protected].

Conference Tuition – $100 (lodging not included)

2024 OCTA Youth Conference Tshirt
2 Tickets to the OCTA Youth Final Showcase
Either a Makeup Kit or Tool Kit

2024 Registration

After purchasing your “ticket” you’ll receive a link to a form to complete your registration.

Registration Deadline March 15, 2024

Schedule of Events

Classes

Classes will be held at the

121 Seretean Center for the Performing Arts
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078

Each student will attend all classes. All will participate in some form in the showcase.

FRIDAY, MARCH 22

8:00 AM – Registration Table Opens

8:45 AM – Orientation

9:00 AM – Workshops

10:20 AM – Break

10:30 AM – Workshops

11:50 AM – LUNCH (Provided)

12:20 PM – Workshops

1:40 PM – Break

1:50 PM – Workshops

3:10 PM – Break

3:20 PM – Group Work

4:20 PM – Break

4:30 PM – Group Work

6:00 PM – End of Day

6:30 PM – Fun Evening (Dinner provided) – More details to come

SATURDAY, MARCH 23

(Day will vary due to attendance of camp. Our goal is to produce 4 10-minute plays.)

8:00 AM – Doors Open

8:20 AM – Read Through #1

8:40 AM – Read Through #2

9:00 AM – Read Through #3

9:20 AM – Read Through #4

9:40 AM – Tour/Games

The rest is onstage time!

10:00 AM – Play 1

10:30 AM – Play 2

11:00 AM – Play 3

11:30 AM – Play 4

12:00 PM – LUNCH (Provided)

Tech Time Onstage with Lights!!!

12:30 PM – Play 1

1:00 PM – Play 2

1:30 PM – Play 3

2:00 PM – Play 4

2:30 PM – Tour/Game

3:00 PM – Full Tech

4:30 PM – House Opens for the OCTA Youth Camp Production

5:00 PM – OCTA Youth Camp Production

Camp photos to follow.

6:00 PM – End of Camp

Meet the Instructors

The Play's the Thing: An Introduction to Playwriting

Presented by Matthew T Smith

Join us for an introduction to playwriting. How to take your fun ideas and put them onto the page. Taught by Professor of Performance Matthew T Smith.

Matthew T Smith is an Actor, Fight choreographer, and Playwright, currently teaching Acting and Stage Combat at Oklahoma State University. He is the Fight Director of the educational outreach program Viking Encampment based in Minnesota, as well as an active Actor, Director, and Choreographer

The World of Props

Presented by Cadence Cloud

Learn how to analyze a script to pull props to enlighten a scene and help create the world

Cadence Cloud is an Oklahoma Actress and theather artist. Graduating from Oklahoma City University with a degree in Acting with a directing minor, she has continued her career with Jewelbox Theater, Lyric Theater, and Prairie Surf Studios.

Audition Skills for the Young Actor

Presented by David Weber

Come learn the tricks of the trade, what an audition is, and how to deliver with confidence.

David Weber is a member of the National Alliance of Acting Teachers and has an MFA in Acting from California State University Long Beach where he studied acting and acting pedagogy under the direction of Alexandra Billings, Hugh O’Gorman, Ezra LeBank, Dr. Shanti Pillai, and Andrea Caban. He has worked as an education artist since 2002 with many equity playhouses, but his longest relationships are with the Atlanta Shakespeare Company and Lookingglass Theater Company. He has been recognized by Bert Osborn, critic at AJC as one of the Top Ten Actors in Atlanta, for his work in Terrence McNally’sA Perfect Ganesh. David recently played Mark Rothko in John Logan’s Red with Moondog Theatre Company in Rockford Illinois and recently played Sir Toby Belch at Oklahoma Shakespeare Festival. Next up, he is performing his one-man Christmas Carol, “An Actor’s Carol: One clown’s Dickensian marathon towards redemption” on tour to Atlanta, Chicago, Rockford, Seattle, Dallas, and Los Angeles this December. David is currently pursuing MICHA’s certificate of completion in the Michael Chekhov technique and his research is in non-trauma based acting pedagogy, playing actions, and event/active analysis. He is currently at Oklahoma State University as Assistant Professor of Performance.

Do's and Don'ts of Directing and Stage Management

Presented by Marley Giggey

Learn how to be a great stage manager and create amazing pictures as a director. Use these new skills to help your actors excel.

Marley Giggey is a stage and production manager originally from Virginia. She worked in the DC theatre region for a decade including productions at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 1st Stage, Studio Theatre, and Signature Theatre. She was the resident stage manager of Synetic Theater, a physical theatre company based in Arlington, Virginia, working on over 30 productions with the company. Additionally, Marley has worked at the Cincinnati Ballet, Heritage Theatre Festival, The Conciliation Project, and New Harmony Theatre. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Stage and Production Management at Oklahoma State University.