The Ripon Area Community Theatre is accepting submissions for directors interested in proposing a production for the 2026-27 season. Submissions need to be received by October 1st to be considered by the RACT board for the next theatre season.

Our Main Stage season includes:

A spring production - either a play or a musical with a small cast.

A summer production - typically a musical with a larger cast open to adults and youth.

We also often have Second Stage productions during the fall or winter months. These are smaller, less conventional productions; such as a Radio Play or a Murder Mystery Dinner. These shows are done in smaller venues, with opportunities to explore alternative formats.

You could even propose to direct a One Act you want us to enter into the WACTFest One Act competition!

The production schedule is also flexible and can be worked around the availability of the directors and what will work best for their vision.

How to Submit

The Production Committee will review all proposed productions and make recommendations to the board to decide on. Shows may be proposed without a director attached, in case it piques the interest of another member willing to take on the challenge. However, shows without a director committed to the production will not be forwarded to the RACT board for consideration.

Any member interested in directing will have the full support of the Ripon Area Community Theatre board and volunteers at large to see their vision brought to life.

First-time directors may be paired with a co-director to help navigate things, depending on their experience.

The RACT board will need a sample budget filled to out (linked below), including estimated costs for licensing, any rental materials (such as scripts or music); and an estimated budget for sets, props, costumes, etc.

Example figures have been plugged into the sample budget as a point of reference, but can be revised; the estimate is just that, a projected estimate to give the board an idea of the potential cost for a production.

A short write-up should also be included with the proposed budget, detailing the name and brief description of the show, cast size, content rating; and the dates of the production schedule (audition dates, preferred performance dates and roughly how frequent rehearsals would be).

Submissions or questions can be sent to:

The Technical Director works with our stage directors in the planning and construction of any sets, programming of lights and sound coordination. Lights and Sound may often be managed by additional crew members who over see the programming and operation of those technical aspects of the show, but the Technical Director would be hte primary supervisor to provide direction and coordination of those roles.

The Technical Director will be a team leader, working with volunteers on set building and supervising backstage crew with onstage scene changes and tech crew in the booth.

The stage director for any Ripon Area Community Theatre (RACT) productions provides the creative direction of the production. Any prospective director will be responsible for putting together a production proposal the play or musical they would like to pitch as a show they will direct as part of an RACT season. This proposal will be vetted by the production committee and, if deemed viable by the production committee, will be recommended to the RACT board for consideration and approval in order for a production to move forward.

The proposal would include a synopsis of the show and its themes, casting, broad rehearsal schedule and cost for licensing a general production budget

Production
All Stage Director approved by the board for a production will be responsible for setting the overaching production schedulel; including auditions and length of rehearsals. The Stage Director has the discretion to organize the audition process in the way they see fit, within reason. The Ripon Area Community Theatre prohibits precasting of any of its shows and no role can be promised to an actor prior to completion of the audition process. The stage director will be predominantly responsible for casting their show. At least one other person, typically the producer on the show, will sit in on auditions to provide the director with objective feedback, to help facilitate the casting process. For a musical production the vocal director will also be part of the casting process and will have an equitable say in casting in regards to the vocal needs of the production and viability of the musical ability of the actors that have auditioned.

Rehearsals
The Stage Director will be primarily responsible for setting the rehearsal schedule based on the need of the production and prioritization of what needs be rehearsed; balanced against the availability of the cast and the best use of the time of people involved in the production. The Stage Director will coordinate between the vocal director and/or choreographer to plan the best schedule that will suit the rehearsal needs of all production leads.

The Stage Director will determining the blocking of each scene, coordinating with the directors to bring their vision for the production to life.
The Stage Director should be open to input from actors, but not obligated to incorporate it, using best discretion.

Experience
Prior directing experience is preferred, but not mandatory. Prospective directors with no past experience directing may be asked to shadow another, experienced director for a production before taking the reigns on their own show; or could be paired as co-directors with an experienced director for the show of their choosing.

Directors must be at least 18 or partnered with an adult co-director.

Those interested in proposing a show to direct for the Ripon Area Community Theatre, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Responsibilities
For this production role, the Vocal Director would coordinate with the stage director and oversee the vocal direction of our musical production. The Vocal director will sit in on auditions with the stage director and assess the vocal abilities of those who are auditioning; and in coordination with the Stage Director, help cast the production with the actors that are most suitable for each role. The Producer on the production will also sit in on auditions and round out the adjudicators in the casting process.

The Vocal Director will be responsible for the instruction of vocal performances, working with the cast members on their songs; and will proactively set, communicate and coordinate a vocal rehearsal schedule, meeting with cast in groups and individually based on the needs as evaluated by the vocal director.
The primary vocal rehearsal schedule would predominantly take place over the first 2-3 weeks of the production, before production would begin sequing to choreography and blocking. The vocal director has the discretion to continue working with actors to prepare their vocal performances, working with the Stage Director to coordinate scheduling vocal rehearsals in conjunction with the rest of rehearsals.
The Vocal Director may attend subsequent stage rehearsals at their discretion; and fine-tune or help actors brush-up on their music as needed, particularly as production gets closer to the performances.

About the Role
The Ripon Area Community Theatre is predominantly a volunteer organization; so where possible we'd be looking for directors willing to volunteer, though a small stipend may be possible with the approval of our board.
RACT musical productions typically license virtual rehearsal and performance tracks from the publisher for each musicalwhich are available for playback during rehearsals. A vocal director or other volunteers who would be able to play parts for the actors are always a plus. The RACT have brought in an accompanist when needed for rehearsals.

We have previously worked with UW Stevens Point, where a student interned on a past summer musical as our co-technical director, for which they were able to put in sufficient hours to fulfill a requirement of their program.
This was a mutually beneficial arrangement that we would be open to explore for the vocal director role, if there is a student available and interested and such an opportunity can be arranged with the partnering university.

Production Dates
Auditions are typically held in late spring, with rehearsals starting early to mid June; with performances usually mid-August, for an average ten week production schedule. The vocal director would primarily work with the actors the first three weeks of rehearsal, but the vocal director may continue to work with actors at their discretion. 

Those interested in serving as Vocal Direct for an RACT musical production, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The Costumer is responsible for identifying the costume needs for the current RACT production; coordinating between the stage director and actor to procure the necessary costumes for each role. Some costume pieces may come from an actor’s own personal wardrobe, while other items may need to be borrowed or purchased. Beyond this the Costume Coordinator will round out the costumes by borrowing or renting costumes from area theatres or companies, with access to some existing costumes and a small budget to purchase pre-made costumes and clothes.
The Costume Coordinator will largely work independently, coordinating any purchases with the stage director and producer, while also working within a budget.

The Costume Coordinator will play an important role in the overall aesthetic of each character, contributing to the direction of each character’s makeup and hairstyles, in addition to their costumes.

A strong interest in crafting will be beneficial for this production role. The Costumer will not be expected to be able to make costumes from scratch (though a definite perk if able); the Costume Coordinate would ideally have at least a basic ability to sew and be able to mend or alter costumes to best fit each cast member if needed.

Those interested in serving as Costume Coordinator for an RACT production, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..