Festival co-chair Harriet Friedman (left) presents Anna Williams with a special award for her work in the Lexington Players’ The Good Times Are Killing Me.

Progressive creativity set the tone at the annual regional festival sponsored by the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters (EMACT), held May 25-28 at Brandeis University’s Springold Theater Arts Center in Waltham. Seventeen local theater companies entered productions in the competition, with a vibrant sense of innovation marking their interpretation of material, staging and performance techniques. “This year’s festival included some unusually high-risk projects,” says Jennifer Howard, a member of the festival board of directors. Featured were the works of such notable playwrights as Arthur Miller, Sam Shepard, Christopher Durang, Elaine May and Jon Robin Baitz.

First place prize went to the Concord Players for their production of Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris, a prime example of unconventional material done well. Director/choreographer Kristin Gould successfully staged this unique cabaret-style musical, as striking as ever with its non-traditional score, rich in its downbeat yet moving, lyrical imagery.

Another shining example of independent spirit was exemplified by the work of 14-year-old Anna Williams, leading lady of the Lexington Players’ thought-provoking production of Lynda Barry’s The Good Times Are Killing Me. The play examines race relations in the early 1960s through the friendship of two teenage girls, one black and one white, which prejudice eventually destroys. Reminiscent of hot young film star Reese Witherspoon, Williams possesses a fresh, polished presence.

A scene from the winner of the festival’s best production award, the Concord Players’ Jacques Brel Is Alive & Well And Living In Paris

Associating with the best has always been a hallmark of the festival. Now in its 47th year, the competition started when the Brainway Players of Braintree and Weymouth, Massachusetts, hosted three groups from the Little Theatre League. Since then, the festival has grown through its affiliations with the Community Theatre Division of the New England Theatre Conference (NETC) and EMACT, which is recognized by the American Association of Community Theatres (AACT). EMACT, having assumed full responsibility for the festival in 1993, is now one of the largest state organizations in the country. It also sponsors workshops, lectures, a consultation/critique program and various other theatrical events for its membership. An impressive 49 groups currently belong to EMACT.

Brandeis has been the event’s location since 1967, and Howard is appreciative of the advantages the university provides. “It’s wonderful to work at this facility,” says Howard of the world-renowned, three-theater educational complex that affords artists and technicians professional space and equipment experience. Her 30-year involvement with community theater has included theater education programs for students from first grade through adult, but the festival contributes to Howard’s own continuing education. “Working at the EMACT Festival is a tremendous learning experience,” says Howard, who acknowledges that working with the Winnmere Family Theatre and being president of the Burlington Players makes her a natural regular at the festival. “But you know, if I wasn’t, I would still go to the festival every year—especially for the adjudications.”

Acting as adjudicators and selecting the cream of the crop were Suzanne Ramczyk, professor of theater arts at Bridgewater State College, Rick Lombardo, producing artistic director at the New Rep Theatre and Roger Shoemaker, dean for arts and

A scene from the Needham Community Theater’s Richard Cory, a finalist for the festival’s top prize

associate head of the Walnut Hill School in the town of Natick. The adjudications are an especially cutting-edge aspect of the festival proceedings. Each production receives a 10-15 minute oral response from the festival judges, meant as a constructive critique following a completed performance. Audience members often mention how interesting and useful this component of the festival proves to be. The adjudicators’ extensive professional experience can prove invaluable for the participants in terms of re-thinking critical production points and ultimately in terms of future theatrical accomplishments.

All in all, the EMACT Festival is laying the groundwork for some bright futures in theater. In the coming years, Howard hopes for more growth. “Obviously, enhancement of the audience attendance is a goal. This year, attendance was very good,” she says, noting that box office numbers are encouraging. For more information on the EMACT festival call 781-229-2649, attn: Jennifer Howard or e-mail EMACT@mindspring.com.