TTAO Summer Newsletter

Texas Theatre Adjudicators & Officials Family,

I am truly honored and excited to serve as your new President of TTAO. This organization has had a profound impact on my life and career, and I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to the very

community that shaped me over the past 24 years. I want to express my appreciation for our outgoing President, Yvonne Phillips-Dupree, for her passion, creativity, and work for TTAO over the past two years!

As we step into this new chapter together, I’m filled with optimism and enthusiasm. I look forward to working closely with the TTAO Board over the next two years to continue strengthening our organization and building upon the initiatives already in place. Our mission—to support theatre students, directors, adjudicators, and contest managers across the state—remains at the heart of all we do.

In the spirit of continued connection and transparency, I’m happy to announce that TTAO will be shifting from quarterly newsletters to monthly communications. These newsletters will offer regular updates, spotlight important news, and provide helpful reminders and resources for our members. I want you, as members, to feel informed, supported, and heard—every step of the way as we continue focusing on our core values of education, diversity, integrity, transparency, and service.

I am thrilled to officially announce that we have recently launched a refreshed website for TTAO. I hope that you will find it a little more user friendly and full of the news and information needed to be a more effective adjudicator and/or contest manager. If you haven’t visited, please do so today (www.ttao.org). You will note the Continuing Education tab, which offers different videos and resources for our membership. A special thank you to Kathy Harvey and her committee for their work on the continuing education events and videos and to Carla Schumann for her work with our website designer to get things organized on the new webpages. We continue to add and improve the content of the website!

As summer winds down and fall approaches, I hope you have time to rest, recharge, and perhaps even catch a great production or two. Please know that I—and the entire board—am here to help. Whether you’re an adjudicator and/or a contest manager, we’re committed to supporting you in the work. Let’s make this upcoming season one of growth, collaboration, and celebration of the power of theatre in students’ lives. Here’s to a great start—and to all that lies ahead.

Artistically yours,

Scott

R. Scott Allen, Ed.D.

TTAO President

The C. LEE TURNER REAL CHANGE GRANT APPLICATION

What is the Real Change Campaign?

The Real Change Campaign is TTAO’s initiative to provide essential funding to socio-economically disadvantaged schools and communities through grant opportunities.

GUIDELINES

The C. Lee Turner Grant can be used for any project that supports experiential theatre education activities. Eligible activities include attendance at the TxETA Theatrefest or Summerfest conventions, attendance in the Texas Thespians Festivals or Educator Conference, Summer Drama Camp tuition, clinic fees, and guest artist engagements.

Please Note: A Google account is required to complete the application form. You can sign in or create a Google Account using any non-Gmail email address. There are no associated costs.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible applicants are schools that qualify as Title 1 or socio-economically disadvantaged.

GRANT AMOUNTS

Grant requests may be submitted for any amount up to $2,000.

REVIEW PROCESS & SELECTION

Applications submitted electronically by the deadline will be reviewed by the TTAO Awards and Scholarships Committee. All selected applications will be forwarded to the TTAO Board for final approval.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

The application window is open from August 10 to September 10 and must be submitted electronically. Grant recipients will be announced at the TTAO Open Forum during the TxETA Theatrefest. Grantees may begin spending funds on October 1 of the grant year through December 31 of the following year. Returned or unused funds may be reallocated by TTAO as necessary.

ADMINISTRATOR AND/OR SUPERVISOR APPROVAL

Where applicable, approval from an administrator or supervisor is required. A letter of approval should be uploaded with the application.

GRANTEE OBLIGATIONS

Within thirty days after completing the grant activity, or no later than January 31 following the expiration of the grant year, the Grantee must submit a report of approximately 300 words detailing how the funds were utilized during the previous year.

USE OF GRANT FUNDS

Grant recipients are required to submit invoices for their activities, and TTAO will pay vendors and/or schools directly. Recipients should ensure timely submission of invoices for prompt payment. Grant funds may only be used as specified in the grant application, regardless of the final cost of the project.

The following information is taken from the TTAO manual of Operations. Please take a moment to

review our polices for the annual adjudicator renewal, which begins May 1 st of this year.

Section 4. Annual Renewal Process

A. TTAO Adjudicators

1. Annually, adjudicators are required to complete a renewal process that includes payment of dues, updating profile information, and providing contest availability. In addition, adjudicators may be required to acknowledge changes and/or reminders for One-Act Play policies and procedures through an online verification process.

2. The Board of Directors may require completion of an additional certification workshop for individuals adjudicating fewer than five contests in their first five years of certification.

3. May 1 through June 1 is the window for renewal to be considered for area, region, or state assignments each year.

4. If an adjudicator misses the renewal window, they may still pay dues and meet renewal requirements until December 31. If they have not renewed by December 31, they will be removed from the judging list and will have to reapply and re-certify.

5. If an adjudicator would like to remain on the list, but not judge during a contest season, they must still pay dues and meet renewal requirements for that season to stay current. If they are a lifetime member, they must still meet renewal requirements, including accepting renewal statements and marking availability.*

*If an adjudicator chooses not to judge for a contest season, they would mark all dates as “unavailable” in the Availability section of Connect when renewing.

Dear Adjudicators and Contest Managers,

As we wrap up another fantastic season of UIL One-Act Play, on behalf of the UIL, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your dedication to OAP this year. Your unwavering support is felt, and we are deeply grateful for your continued commitment to educational theatre.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to share a few important upcoming dates for the 2025-2026 UIL OAP season: All dates remain tentative.

Area Meets- April 6-11, 2026

Region Meet- April 22-25, 2026

State Meet- 1A-3A May 11-13 and 4A-6A May 18-20, 2026

We're also thrilled to announce our 2026 UIL OAP State Judges. Congratulations to

the following-

1A-*Lisa Hale, Mike Doggett, Rachel Harrah

2A-* Larry Balfe, Joi Hughes, Cade Butler

3A-*Yvonne Phillips Dupree, Shari Bellizi Davis, Charles “Gary” Cooper

4A-*Kelsey Kling, Jenae Glanton, Ray Newburg

5A-* Jim Mammarella, Cathy Huvar, Greg Arp

6A-* Carrie Klypchak, Eric Skiles, Ezekiel Morgan

*Acting awards judge

The UIL Student Activity Conference Schedule is set! If you are interested in presenting a workshop for students, please submit your proposal on this FORM. Dates and locations are on the form. We hope this summer you will find time for rest, relaxation, and perhaps even a little creativity of your own.

Warm regards,

Paula Rodriguez

Assistant Academic Director- Theatre

University Interscholastic League

TTAO is planning two fall and two to three trainings this spring, covering all four UIL Academic Regions.

Training #1 is at Manvel H.S., outside of Houston, on November 1, 2025.

Jr. High OAP Contest

19601 Hwy 6

Manvel, TX. 77578

Julio Morales, Host

Aquilla Aubrey, TTAO Trainer

Larry Carpenter, TTAO Trainer

Be on the lookout for more information on training #2 in Denver City on December 3, 2025.

Thank you to those interested in becoming TTAO Contest Managers and Adjudicators!

Complete the application and pay the training fee prior to the deadline (October 11th or until slots are filled) to be considered for participation in the certification workshop. This event is limited to 25 participants. You will be notified if your application is approved and you are eligible to participate by October 14th, and a more detailed schedule will be available at that time.

Adjudicators: November 1 8am-8pm (dependent on the contest schedule which may vary)

October 31st 5:00-6:00 pm Zoom Q&A with Adjudicators

Step 1: Adjudicator Application Link: Click Here

Step 2: Pay for Training

Contest Managers: November 1 7:30am-8pm (dependent on the contest schedule which may vary)

Step 1: TTAO Certified Contest Manager Application Link: Click Here

Step 2: Pay for Training