For those who appreciate video walkthroughs, we have posted one at the bottom of this page (following all the step-by-step instructions here).
Log into SpeechWire #
Visit speechwire.com/wisdaaoneact. Directors who have used the site before may log in to an existing account; otherwise, click “No, I need to create an account” and complete steps to do so; if you have done everything correctly, SpeechWire will create your account and, within a few minutes, email your account password. Once you have created your school’s account, visit: speechwire.com/login Take care entering your password – capitalization matters! Click “Log in.” You will be prompted to confirm information, after which, you will see the home page. You can immediately click the logo/theatre masks button, “WISDAA One-Act registration.” The Theatre Registration home page prompts you in a checklist format, to complete information.
You must have an accurate roster of students. If you’re still determining students, you will have until the end of the registration period to log back in and make changes. Once students have been added, you will see them listed in the “Current team members” list, and you can click a name to correct spelling.
School and main advisor contact information is self-explanatory. We do ask for contact information for your principal, superintendent (or head of school), and board chair, so we can send letters supporting your school’s participation in this contest. If you do not have this information handy, you may return to enter it later, but you must enter address information.
Please carefully complete your performance time preferences for each festival level, to help contest managers plan.
Enter Each Play #
Play Information #
At the top of the screen is a blue area that prompts to create a new play. Upon clicking that button, the Play Information screen appears to enter key information. Once you have created a show, the blue area at the top of the screen changes to allow you to create additional shows and to switch between them. Upon selection, the checklist links in the “Your play’s registration progress” section change to adapt to that particular show.
Elementary and middle level students may be watching one-acts; please appraise whether your production would be appropriate for younger children. Click “Save entry” before moving on to the next step or if you step away from your computer. Once you complete all the information on this page, including any accessibility requests, and save, click “Return to theatre home page,” to return to the checklist.
Cast Information #
In the section, “Your play’s registration progress,” click Cast list. Use the drop-down to select a student from your roster (see above) and click Add student to cast. You will see a green success message. Next, type the role/character and click the Add role button; select main cast or chorus/ensemble and click the Add role button. You will then see a list of roles for that student. To add additional roles, please type separate roles and add those. After you are finished with each student, click the Return to cast list button, and add additional students to the cast, with their respective roles. Once you are finished with the cast, you can click the “Return to theatre home page button, and continue the entry process. You may re-order your cast list by role on the cast list screen. Please enter a character description for each character, to contextualize for adjudicators. Adding students to crew positions works the same way.
Enter Adults #
The “Adults” page is to note faculty/staff (non-high school student) individuals involved in the production.
For virtual entries, enter an adjudicator who will asynchronously evaluate three other entries; the same person may be entered for other shows, up to three total (commitment of up to 9 shows to adjudicate). Uncovered virtual entries will be assessed a $100 uncovered adjudicator fee. NOTE: One-act entries participating at in-person contests do not need to enter an adjudicator, although contest managers may ask for directors to volunteer to adjudicate other schools.
Technical Elements #
The “Technical Elements” page asks for required information, including weaponry, atmospherics, and other safety issues (see rules, §4 + §5).
A school may opt-in to having lighting and/or sound evaluated as a technical element. Since resources vary among participating schools, answering “no” protects schools who do not have sound/light systems, while answering “yes” gives schools who do an opportunity to be evaluated on how those choices enhance the production.
Agree & Submit #
2023 addition: I understand WISDAA’s supervision and youth protection requirements for UW System campuses, and will ensure our school meets those.
Once you are satisfied that your registration is complete (please double-check each page), you can click the link to “Agree to terms and submit entry,” where you will be presented with a checkbox (which you must click). Once you do this, the State Office will be notified of your registration, and it will be shared with the district contest manager.
Entry Status #
Toward the bottom of the Theatre home page, you will see information displaying how many students have been entered in the cast and crew, along with “approval progress” from the State Office. Please allow about 3 business days from when you enter for your membership/dues to be confirmed; the entry will be approved once it is dispatched to the district festival. Email questions to: office@wisdaa.org.
Festival Information #
Once your one-act entry has been dispatched to the district festival — and the district contest host/manager has enabled information, you will see a new section on the One-Act Theatre registration page entitled “Contest information.” This information may include a general Contest information page if populated by the host/manager; a Playbill page that shows synopsis/cast/crew information for each school; an invoice; and a schedule (once entered into the SpeechWire manager interface by the host).
