Monmouth College - Department of Communication and Theater Arts

January 19, 2009

MC students attend theater festival, compete strongly against universities

MONMOUTH, Ill. �Thirteen Monmouth College students participated in the 41st Annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Saginaw, Mich., Jan. 5-10. Hosted by Saginaw Valley State University, the event was one of eight regional festivals involving 18,000 students from 600 colleges and universities.

Janeve West, assistant professor of theatre at Monmouth, said those attending the conference were either chosen to compete, nominated by faculty or earned their position for their exceptional support of MC theatre. She said the week was filled with productions, workshops and competitions, as well as �the synergies that come with being surrounded by thousands of students and faculty focused on theatre.�

West added, �Our students competed very professionally against the likes of Western Illinois University, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Ohio. Students had the opportunity to take workshops from area professionals and faculty including the co-founder of the Chicago Director�s Lab and the Chicago Tribune�s Chris Jones. They saw two or three full theatre productions a day and interacted with thousands of like-minded students.�

The highlight of the competitions for Monmouth was provided by sophomore Jenny Erbes of Warsaw, who reached the finals in sound deign for her work on �The Shape of Things.� West said was first time any MC student has reached the finals at the festival.

Competing in the Irene Ryan Acting Competition were Jess Boggie, Machesney Park, and her �The Shape of Things� scene partner Ken Yeater, Galesburg; Missy Metz, Chicago, and her �Lysistrata� scene partner Noelle Templeton, Galesburg; and Laurel Buckley, Sublette, and her �Lysistrata� scene partner Mark Woessner, Shannon.

Buckley also auditioned for and was cast in a student-written one-act play. She spent a large part of the week with an all-student director, playwright and acting team, rehearsing the 10-minute production that premiered on the last day of the conference.

�It was interesting to see all the schools coming together and the variety of students,� said Buckley. �You could see students from schools anywhere from our size to ones as big as Illinois State University and the University of Illinois. Students ranged from some, like me, who aren�t even theatre majors, to graduate students in theatre and tech design.�

Other non-acting competitors were Heather Hall of Bettendorf, Iowa, in stage management (�The Shape of Things�); Mike Diamond of Orland Park in dramaturgy for (�Urinetown); Metz in the critics competition; and Yeater in unrealized design. Also attending and participating in workshops were Abby Davis, Springfield; Kayt Drost, Naperville; Krissie Heinzman, Brimfield; and Nick Munson, Moline.

Monmouth faculty who participated included Doug Rankin, who displayed his scenic designs and model for �Lysistrata�; Bill Wallace, who served as a judge for the acting competitions; and West, who presented a workshop entitled �Throwing Language into Space: Staging the Spatial Metaphor.� She also served as a faculty mentor to student directors participating in the 10-minute play festival.

�I am exceedingly proud of our students,� said West. �They truly engaged in this conference and proved their ability to stand with the �heavy-hitting� universities in terms of quality and creative passion. In only one semester since a complete theatre major was established at Monmouth, our students have proven that they are driven, energized and ready to represent MC with professionalism. I have high expectations for next January, when we will return to Saginaw for next year�s ACTF conference. I�m sure the students will far exceed these expectations.�

The aims of the Kennedy Center�s education program are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative. Selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KCACTF programs involving scholarships, internships, grants and awards for actors, directors, dramaturges, playwrights, designers, stage managers and critics at both the regional and national levels. More information about ACTF is available at www.kcactf3.org.