USU Theater Design Students Qualify for National Festival

Two Utah State University theater students received national finalist awards at the 43rd Annual Region VIII Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) held in mid-February in Los Angeles, Calif.

Molly Hill, a junior in theater design at Utah State, and theater design graduate student Brandee Jenks will advance to the national KCACTF conference in Washington, D.C., in April. Hill is a national finalist for makeup for USU’s production of Seussical the Musical, while Jenks is a national finalist for her set design work on Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico, a USU/Fusion Theatre project production that was invited to perform at last month’s KCACTF regional festival.

“Utah State’s theater design program is top-notch, and the professors want us to do well,” said Hill. “The KCACTF provides an amazing opportunity to network and be recognized for what we can accomplish.”

Both Jenks and Hill will compete against other regional finalists at the national festival and participate in week-long workshops alongside professionals in their field. This is the second trip to the national festival for Jenks and Hill.

“The main reason I’m excited to go back to the national festival is not necessarily for the competition, but for the exciting learning environment it offers,” Jenks said. “At the end of the day, the award doesn’t mean much, but the learning opportunity is priceless.”

“Being repeatedly invited to the national KCACTF and holding up against national competition demonstrates Utah State’s credibility in its theater design program,” said Colin Johnson, interim department head for USU’s department of theatre arts.

USU’s Theatre Arts Department is a part of the Caine College of the Arts, led by Dean Craig Jessop.

“It is a tremendous success for our students to be able to complete at a regional festival and be recognized for the knowledge and talents they possess,” Jessop said.

In addition to USU’s national honors, regional awards were also given to USU theater graduate students Andrea Lyman for set design and Milinda Weeks for lighting design of Seussical the Musical. A regional costume design award was given to Caroline Kennedy, an undergraduate theater student, for Cripple of Inishmaaan and theater graduate student Lindsay Beardall was a regional costume design finalist for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“Including these awards, we have earned 13 national KCACTF awards in our last five years of participation, which is more than any other program in our region,” said Shawn Fisher, assistant professor of theater design at USU. “I think that proves something.”

Fisher is also project coordinator and the main playwright for Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico, which was also presented at the regional conference.

Multiple university theater programs are given the opportunity to enter performances to the KCACTF review board for evaluation and consideration for performance at the Region VIII KCACTF festival and further consideration for the national event. Region VIII includes universities in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii/Pacific Islands and southern California.

Related links:

• Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival
• USU Theatre Arts Department
• USU Caine College of the Arts

Writer: Rachelle Nielson, Caine College of the Arts Production Services, (435) 797-9203, rachelle.nielson@usu.edu

Contact: Denise Albiston, Caine College of the Arts Production Services, (435) 797-1500, denise.albiston@usu.edu