Each school is limited to only one team of no fewer than two and no more than four members. Team members need not be full-time techs; actors who help during load-in and strike also qualify.
Please note: this is a friendly competition and schools with small or no tech crews should not feel discouraged to participate.
Competition tasks occur in the order listed below, so teams should arrange their lineup to match individual members' strengths.
ROUND 1 - Tech Relay Race (heats of two teams each) - Each participant in each challenge will carry the torch from the back of the house to the front (and back again between each of the events).
The winner of this timed event will receive 100 points, second 90 points and so on.
Individual Relay Events:
Challenge 1 - Box Frame Construction
Assemble a box frame. Each team will be provided a 2x4 framed box assembly consisting of four equal 2x4s, a box of screws and a screw gun. Once approved by the referee, return the torch to the back of the house.
Challenge 2 - Lighting, Gelling and Focusing
A team member will power and focus a light with a gobo and gel. The participant must plug a lighting instrument in with a provided adapter, then gel and gobo, focus and shutter its beam into a spike-taped pattern on the cyc wall until the referee calls done; then the participant must restore the instrument to its original state. Return the torch to the back of the house.
Challenge 3 - Cabling
A team member will properly coil an XLR cable to be unrolled by a toss by the referee until deemed a pass. Return the torch to the back of the house.
Challenge 4 - Knot Tying
A team member will tie a bowline, a clove hitch and a regular square knot with the three lines provided; all must be approved by the referee. Return the torch to the back of the house to complete the round.
ROUND 2 - Tape Measure Competition - One contestant who competed in Round 1 from the top four teams must feed out a tape measure into the air as far as possible. The total length (in inches) reached before collapse is tallied and points are awarded as follows:
50 points for 1st place
45 points for 2nd place
40 points for 3rd place
35 points for 4th place
Tie Breaker - Drop Cloth Folding
Each team stands on a drop cloth in a line. They must flip the drop cloth over without touching the floor themselves. First team done wins.
GOLDEN WRENCH WINNERS
2012 - Sumner Memorial High School
2013 - Washington Academy
2014 - Mount Desert Island High School
2015 - Mount Desert Island High School
2016 - Mount Desert Island High School
2017 - Washington Academy
2018 - Deer Isle-Stonington High School
2019 - Deer Isle-Stonington High School
2020 - Hampden Academy
2021 - REMOTE FESTIVAL
2022 - Mount Desert Island High School
2023 - Mount Desert Island High School
2024 - DID NOT HOST
2025 - ???
Mount Desert Island High School - 2022 Winner
Deer Isle-Stonington High School - 2022 Runner-up
Thank you to Liz Graves and The Mount Desert Islander for their coverage of MDI Drama