Several students from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film received recognition at the Region V Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), held in January in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center's founding chairman, the KCACTF is a national theater program involving 20,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide annually.
In January and February of each year, eight regional festivals showcase the finest of each region's entered productions and offer a wide range of activities, including workshops, symposia, and regional-level scholarship and award programs.
Thirty-nine students from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film attended the Region V Festival. Region V includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Missouri.
Carson School students given special recognition, honors or who moved passed preliminary rounds included:
• Ten Minute Plays: Michelle Ingle's play, "Boxed Wine," was selected to be performed. Stephanie Kahler was selected to stage manage. In addition, Tatianna Hizar was selected for the cast in another Ten-Minute Play, "The Mysterious Neighbor."
• Musical Theatre Intensive Finals: Nick Prior made it to the final round.
• SDC Directing Semi-Finals: Jessica Debolt made it to the semi-final round with her production of "On the Verge."
• Irene Ryan Acting Competition: Michael Barth, nominated for his role in "Mary's Wedding," and Trey Martinez, nominated for his role in "Dancing at Lughnasa," made it to the semi-final round.
• Certificates of Merit: Kayla Klammer (choreography on "Medea"); Michelle Ingle (10-Minute Play "Boxed Wine"); Nolan Sullivan (10-Minute Play honorable mention "Love at Lightspeed"); The cast/crew/musicians of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" for achievement in Ensemble Work, as well as having an invited scene; Prof. Jeff McCray from the Glenn Korff School of Music (musical direction in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"); Maxx Finn (lighting design on "Medea"); Kaitlyn Peterson (scenic design on "Dancing at Lughnasa"); and the cast of "The Skin of Our Teeth" for achievement in Ensemble Performance.
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.