About the Rocky Mountain Theatre AssociationWhat is RMTA?RMTA stands for the Rocky Mountain Theatre Association and includes the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming in the Rocky Mountain Region. RMTA is an organization of theatre practitioners in secondary education, colleges and universities, community theatres, and professional venues. Formerly named, Festivention, RMTA’s annual convention is now called the Rocky Mountain Theatre Festival and is designed to celebrate theatre as well as bring together regional practitioners. For four full days, conference attendees participate in hands-on workshops covering all aspects of production including directing acting, design, stage management, criticism, playwriting and other areas of theatre, and also attend Regional Showcases that feature performances by theatre companies from throughout the Rocky Mountain Region. In addition, this convention serves as a forum for auditioning, competing, sharing ideas and networking. All of these experiences are designed to help theatre artists in our region grow and develop in their skills and careers. Our MissionRocky Mountain Theatre Association (RMTA) is a non-profit, 501c3 organization dedicated to fostering the growth and development of performing arts throughout the Rocky Mountain States of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah. A Brief History of the Rocky Mountain Theatre AssociationThe Rocky Mountain Theatre Association (RMTA) is a non-profit, 501c3 organization dedicated to fostering the growth and development of performing arts throughout the Rocky Mountain States of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah. Originally established in 1951, it emerged out of a discussion at a meeting of the Board of Directors for the Western Speech Association, and thus became the Rocky Mountain Theatre Conference (RMTC). In 1974, the Organization changed its name to the Rocky Mountain Theatre Association after its national umbrella affiliate, the American Theatre Association (ATA) dissolved in 1973. RMTA is governed by a regional Board of Directors consisting of 14 individuals from academic institutions, private training academies, community theatres, and professional theatres from the Rocky Mountain States. Since 1951, RMTA has continually produced an annual convention for its membership, businesses and communities within the Rocky Mountain region. (There was one exception in 1975 when no conference was held. The Organization had decided to move its annual conference from the traditional fall time slot to spring.) The first convention was held at Colorado Women’s College in Denver in 1951, hosted by Campten Bell, Homer Grout and Vita Mae Powell. (Colorado Women’s College eventually was transformed into Denver University.) In 1976, RMTA created the term, “Festivention” to more accurately describe the diverse and festive nature of its convention which combines features of a performing arts festival with educational workshops, discussions, critiques, competitions, demonstrations, employment opportunities and auditions, vendor displays, and social events that foster networking among the performing arts communities within the Rocky Mountain region. In 1968, a new, national association was created: the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF) which focused solely on theatre programs in higher education. ACTF members approached RMTA’s Board of Directors and offered to co-host future, annual conventions in order to provide RMTA members with added benefits that come from association with a national organization. The RMTA archives at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, contain documents discussing this potential relationship. Numerous letters written in 1970 and 1971 outlined conversations that expressed reluctance to join the two, since ACTF’s emphasis was on competition and RMTA members preferred a forum for sharing ideas and getting together with colleagues and theatre arts friends from the region. It is interesting to note that RMTA did not offer competitions as a part of their activities at this time. The governing Board of ACTF was persistent, however, and because of the lack of regional interest in ACTF’s festival in the Rocky Mountain States in 1969, ’70 and ’71, they continued to pressure the RMTA Board and membership. Finally, in 1971, ACTF reorganized part of their Region IV to match the States represented by RMTA and after a few more years of politicking, the first joint festival was offered in 1976 at Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado. This relationship continued until 1991 when ACTF reorganized their regions again and then assigned the original five Rocky Mountain States of RMTA into three separate, far-flung groupings. Realizing that RMTA still had its own identity and unique mission to fulfill within the Rocky Mountain region, the RMTA Board of Directors decided to continue offering Festivention every year on their own. Recently, in 2008, the membership decided to change the name of the conference from Festivention to the Rocky Mountain Theatre Festival. RMTA’s membership has expanded over the past few decades to include a number of professional and community performing arts organizations and educational institutions. RMTA’s Theatre Festivals are attended by theatre arts and dance professionals including college and university faculty, students ranging from high school through graduate school, community theatre artists, and other members of the performing arts community. RMTA has become unique in serving the needs of such a diverse membership,
and is considered to be the oldest, continuously functioning organization
of its kind in the United Since 1951, thousands of illustrious theatre artists, educators and interested members of the community have donated their time, resources, talents and expertise to participate in the creation of RMTA’s annual conference, Festivention. Because of their dedication, Festivention is able to provide an invaluable forum to share with and learn from those engaged in the performing arts in the far flung regions of the Rocky Mountain West. At the same time, one can reunite with old friends as well as form new relationships. For more information, contact your RMTA state representative. |
