The Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film hosted the Region V Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival from Jan. 19-25. More than 1,500 faculty and students from colleges and universities in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri attended productions, participated in workshops and competed for awards and the opportunity to represent Region V at the national Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Washington, D.C., in April.
The following students will represent the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the national festival the week of April 14:
A.J. Orth, Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Prairie Village, Kan., first place in the Theatre Management Challenge
Clayton Van Winkle, Master of Fine Arts in Theatre from Garland, Texas, first place in the Lighting Design competition for designs for “Candide”
Other UNL students recognized at the festival included:
Desiree Bartels, Bachelor of Arts in theatre from Tobias, Neb., second place in the Theatre Management Challenge
Clare Carl, Bachelor of Arts in theatre from Craig, Neb., first runner-up in the Stage Directors and Choreographers competition
Jessica Debolt, Bachelor of Arts in theatre from Mahomet, Ill., honorable mention for directing a concert reading of the play “Quorum” in the Ten-Minute Play Festival
Michaela Lynne Stein, Master of Fine Arts in theatre from Lincoln, honorable mention in the Scenic Design competition for designs for “Candide”
Sylvia Zhang, graduate student in sociology from Wuhan, China, first place in the Regional Costume Design competition for designs for “Twelfth Night”
University Theatre’s fall 2013 semester production of “Silence” by Moira Buffini, directed by graduate student Dennis Henry, was one of only five productions invited to perform at the Region V Festival. Invited productions are not eligible to attend the national festival.
KCACTF is a year-round program in eight geographic regions in the United States. In January and February of each year, regional festivals [like that held at UNL] showcase the finest of each region’s entered productions and offer a variety of activities, including workshops, symposia, and regional-level award programs Since its inception, KCACTF has given more than 400,000 college theater students the opportunity to have their work critiqued, improve their dramatic skills and receive national recognition for excellence. More than 16 million theatergoers have attended approximately 10,000 festival productions nationwide.
