All Committees participate in the biennial Handbook review. To provide an optimum learning experience through festival entry at state, regional, and national levels, which affirm, support, and nurture community theatre companies as they strive toward excellence in theatrical productions. To stimulate and inspire community theatre companies to strive for the best work possible and to recognize them for their achievement through an appropriate adjudication process. To provide a learning experience in artistic, technical, and management areas for people in attendance through performances, adjudication, and workshops. To develop enlightened and discerning audiences for community theatre.
Many criteria are in place to achieve the aforementioned goals.
Qualified and impartial adjudicators are essential to the success and fairness of the festival process. The festival must be held in a functioning theatre facility. A production must be performed in the same form at all festival levels. The house must be closed during each performance. Adjudicators must not discuss productions before the first ballot.