MACT Logo. Upper portion is comedy/drama masks with comedy mask in yellow and drama mask in blue. Lower portion has the acronym "MACT" and below it the description MN Association of Community Theatres.MACT

MACT

Minnesota Association of Community Theatres

We are Minnesota’s Community Theatres

MACT*Fest ’25 – Workshop Session 4

MACT*Fest 2025 logo

MACT*Fest ’25 workshop session 4 will start at 10:00 am on Saturday morning. It will give attendees a choice of 3 topics: Communicating Through Character, Using a Combat Director & Plays to End Gun Violence.

Communicating Through Character
presented by Kelly Florence

Approaching character analysis through science and the skills of communication arts. Author, teacher and director Kelly Florence will explore how artists can use tool in psychology, science and communications to better understand characters and bring them to life.

Kelly Florence is one of the adjudicators at this festival and is on the faculty at Lake Superior Community College.
She has been involved with theatre all her life being an enthusiastic audience member, actor, choreographer, director, stage manager, playwright, and everything in between.
Kelly received her BA in theatre at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and her MA in communicating arts with an emphasis in theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. She has directed theatre programs at the high school since 1996 and have taught and directed theatre at the college level since 2004. Kelly was a member of the Duluth Playhouse Company and a board member for the Wise Fool Theatre. As a published author, Kelly has also researched and written about numerous productions for her non-fiction books and continue to support local and national theatre.
As a speech coach, Kelly served as a judge for dozens of meets and served as an adjudicator for the MN State High School league one act festival at the regional level.

Working with a Fight Director
presented by Mike Speck

How to make best use of a stage combat choreographer, and why you should have one.

Mike Speck is a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors. He teaches and choreographs stage combat regularly for Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI. Favorite projects include a six-man small sword fight choreographed as a theme-and-variations; a full-cast bar brawl incorporating thrown drinks, tipped furniture, and Latin Dance; a 6’2″ Tybalt vs a 4’10” Mercutio; and a case of rapiers fight where Phrase IV’s choreography was “Phrase II, only backwards.”

Enough! Plays to End Gun Violence
presented by Debbie Schneider

Last fall Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a landmark Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence, declaring firearm violence in America to be a public health crisis. This program creates space for teens to confront gun violence by creating new works of theatre that will spark critical conversations and inspire meaningful action in communities across the country.
This workshop will help your organization understand what you will need to do to host a staged reading of ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence. The workshop will focus on answering the following questions:

  • What is the ENOUGH! Nationwide Reading?
  • Can I preview the plays?
  • What fees are associated with the reading?
  • How much rehearsal is needed?
  • What does casting look like?
  • What resources are provided?
  • Can we charge admission?
  • How long is the reading?
  • How do I engage a community partner?

You will get all the information you need to formulate a plan in this workshop. Thank you for being willing to say ENOUGH!

About MACT*Fest

MACT*Fest will be March 7-9 at the Depot Theatre in Duluth. It will feature 4 performance sessions, with 2 shows Friday afternoon, Friday night and Saturday night and 3 shows Saturday afternoon. Following each show’s performance there will be comments by each of the three adjudicators. There will also be 4 workshop sessions, 2 Friday morning and 2 Saturday morning, with a choice of 3 options in each session. Saturday, after the final adjudication, there will be an “afterglow” social at Incline Station, located across the street from the Radison Hotel. Sunday morning there will be an awards brunch at the Holiday Inn.

Full packages are available at a discounted price until February 28. After that they will cost a little more. Most of the events are also available al a carte. Visit the MACT*Fest 25 page on our website for more information. Full packages and al a carte items can be purchased on-line here.