Conversation Starters for the Adjudicators Symposium

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Theatre Ontario's Adjudicators Symposium is an opportunity for adjudicators to benefit from professional development and networking.

The Symposium is a forum to share experiences, compare techniques and practices, and discuss training needs and opportunities.

This year, some of the adjudication techniques we’re going to explore in a round-table format include:

• Planning for an adjudication
• Making the most of intermission
• Effective note-taking and note-organizing
• Providing tangible information for participants’ future productions

The Symposium is also an opportunity for deeper conversation around issues in adjudication, programming, and philosophy.  Potential conversation starters this year include:

• In-service adjudications: How can we provide peer-to-peer feedback on adjudications for emerging and established adjudicators? How can we highlight and promote the work of adjudicators?
• The value of public adjudication: Why should public adjudication be part of the adjudication process?
• Consistency vs. individuality: Adjudicators all have their own individual techniques. But where is there an expectation of consistency? When can varying techniques cause problems?
• The philosophy, practicality, and ethics of award distribution: Part of the adjudicator’s job in competitive festivals is allocating awards and honourable mentions. Beyond the context of a specific Festival’s award rules, what principles guide adjudicators regarding such recognition?
• Artistic citizenship: What does it mean? How does it apply to the work of adjudicators?

We invite Ontario’s adjudicators to join us at the Theatre Ontario Adjudicators Symposium on October 1 from 10am to 3:30pm in Toronto.

Register for the Theatre Ontario Adjudicators Symposium