February 2011: Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival at HSU

Some 1100 registered participants made the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival at HSU the largest Region 7 festival in its history. Photos and information below and on Facebook. Complete list of 2011 awards at the KCACTF Region VII site.

Congratulations, HSU Winners!

Among the award-winners announced at the conclusion of the KCACTF Region 7 festival at Humboldt State University were two current HSU students and one HSU alum.


April "Kitty" Grenot won first place in hair and makeup design, and will represent Region 7 at the national festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington.










Jonny Barrett won a California State University Summer Arts scholarship for acting. He was awarded $1302 to attend Steppenwolf Classes West.








HSU Theatre, Film & Dance alumnus Kato Buss was the graduate student winner in the New West Drama Conference Scholarly Paper Competition. He is now engaged in graduate studies at the University of Oregon.


Media: Humboldt State Now, Arcata Eye, North Coast Journal, Tri-City Weekly

KCACTF: The Awards

The 43rd region 7 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival concluded on Friday night with the 16 Irene Ryan acting scholarships finalists and their partners presenting their acting scenes for an all-festival audience in the Van Duzer theatre, followed by the regional festival awards.

The festival also included the New West Drama Conference, which sponsored some of the awards. The following is an unofficial summary of some of the awards presented. (Some of the awards had already been announced.)

One of the four productions featured during the festival was selected to be considered for performance at the Kennedy Center finals in April. This year's selection was Up from the University of Idaho.

In playwriting, the festival received 131 entries, consisting of 24 full length plays (5 of which had been produced), 43 one act plays and 64 ten minute plays. The full length play winners were Mattie Roquel Rydalch for Strange Attractors, produced by the University of Idaho, and Sera by Angela Santillo, produced by St. Mary's College of California.

The short play winners were Jesse Mu-En Shao and Nathaniel Patterson, both of Washinton State University. The winners for ten minute plays were Nicholas Pappas of San Francisco State and Lojo Simon of the U. of Idaho. The Northwest Playwrights Alliance award went to Adam Harrell.

In the Irene Ryan scholarship competition for actors, the top awards went to Olivia Hughes and Luke Peckinpaugh. First alternate was Justin Shepherd, second alternate was Liam Callister, and the best classical performer was Adam Syron.

The directing winner was James Twerdale of Western Washington University. Runner-up was Erin Lucas of the University of Portland.

Design awards winners included Jamie Tait for scenery, Clare Parker for costume, Meghan Gray for lighting, and HSU's Kitty Grenot for hair and makeup.

For scholarly papers, the graduate winner was Kato Buss, and the undergraduate winner was Grace Beckett. The critics award went to Kiki Penoyer, with Austin Bridges the runner-up. The top award in dramaturgy went to Paul Adolfson of Seattle Pacific.

Among the technical awards were several in the Tech Olympics won by Boise State, Diablo Valley College and Santa Rosa Junior College. St. Mary's College won the coveted Golden Hand Truck for the most efficient load-in and load-out of the productions, for Angels in America: Millennium Approaches. Technical Supervisor for the festival--and HSU professor--Jody Sekas made the presentation, noting that Humboldt is famous for two things: environmental awareness and--"something I enjoy partaking in--great theatre." Since the host school designs the actual award, HSU used that first theme to construct the hand truck out of recycled cans and bottles.

KCACTF Today: Keynote Event & Awards

The Festival's Keynote Performance by Dell'Arte International is at 1:30 pm in the Van Duzer Theatre. It is a sampling created especially for the Festival of several past productions . At 7:30 in the Van Duzer: the Irene Ryan Scholarship Audition Finals and Festival Awards Presentation, with the Closing Night party afterwards. It's Fateful Friday for 10 Minute Plays (9:30 am) and Dramaturgy projects, as well as just about everybody else at the Awards. Region 7 chair Leigh Selting announced that with some 1100 registered participants, this Festival has been the biggest in region history!

KCACTF Tonight: Up

Tonight's invited production is Up by Bridget Carpenter, directed by Christopher Duval and presented by the University of Idaho at 7:30 pm in the Van Duzer theatre.

The Tech Olympics begin at 10 pm or a half-hour after the play in the Kate Buchanan Room.

KCACTF Today: Keynote Address

Today at 3 pm in Gist Hall Theatre, Jay Duckworth presents the keynote address, "Ripping Apart the Body," the process and techniques of making a mutilated dead body for the stage. Jay Duckworth is Props Master and properties designer for the Public Theater in New York. It's thorny Thursday, as the Irene Ryans enter semi-finals and the musical theatre scholarship auditions begin the final round. And check out Wednesday's stories on the festival in the North Coast Journal and the HSU Lumberjack.

KCACTF Tonight: The Time Machine

Tonight's invited production is The Time Machine: Love Among the Eloi by Edward Mast, directed by Tom Blank, presented by Ohlone College at 7:30 pm in the Van Duzer theatre. It's wacky Wednesday as acting auditions and responses to design and tech and to directing continue, with round 1 of musical theatre scholarship auditions, and the first session of the John Cauble play readings. Anybody slept yet?

HSU Students Among KCACTF Competitors Featured

A story in this week's Tri-City Weekly and Humboldt Beacon about KCACTF highlights the contributions of HSU 's festival coordinator Rae Robison, Technical Supervisor Jody Sekas, acting auditions supervisor Bernadette Cheyne, and the HSU students who are participating.

The story by Beti Trauth names HSU students competing in the acting category for Irene Ryan Scholarships as Brandon McDaniel, Brittany Williams and Denise Truong. Competing in multiple design/technology categories are Laura Rhinehart, April Grenot, Amy Echererria, Christina Focht, Elizabeth Sheffer, Calder Johnson, David Kenworthy and Kevin Landesman.

HSU student Kristen Mack is noted for being the author of one of six 10 minute plays chosen for readings and competition in that category.

KCACTF Tonight: Xtigone

Tuesday's invited production is Xtigone by Nambi E. Kelley, directed by Darryl Jones, from California State University--East Bay. It's at 7:30 in the Van Duzer theatre. After the show it's Improv Night at the Gist Hall Theatre. It's tense Tuesday, with Irene Ryan Scholarship Audition preliminary rounds, SDC Directing Scenes first round, and the Design, Tech, Management Expo responses.

Welcome Back, Kato!

Congratulations to Kato Buss, a graduate student in theatre here at Humboldt State who is now pursuing his studies at the University of Oregon. He's back for KCACTF as one of three winners in the New West Drama Conference Scholarly Papers Competition, along with Grace Beckett of Linfield College and honorable mention Lauren Simon of the University of Idaho.

That's Kato in a pensive mood--actually, clowning around with fellow student playwrights in the 2006 HSU Ten Minute Play Festival. He was a playwright again as well as a director in the 2007 Fest. Welcome back, Kato!

KCACTF Tonight: Angels in America

The first invited production of the KCACTF regional is Angels in America—Millennium Approaches by Tony Kushner, directed by Reid Davis, from St. Mary’s College of California, at 7:30 in the John Van Duzer theatre, followed by the opening reception in the Kate Buchanan Room. So welcome to manic Monday: Get registered! Get organized! Get going!

Welcome KCACTF!

Welcome to Humboldt State University! Your Festival schedule is posted here. An outline of events and attractions is here. Follow schedule changes via Twitter at HSU Region 7 ACTF. The Festival Facebook page is here. You can read a preview of the Festival at HSU Now, the Eureka Times Standard, or pick up a copy of the Arcata Eye. There's lots of information and photos down the page right here, with more to come.

Have A Great Festival!

"It is a pleasure for Humboldt to host the Region VII Kennedy Center American College
Theatre Festival... We have a number of academic strengths at HSU but our performing and visual arts are among the strongest. For a university and community of our size, we are
fortunate to have both community and university groups that provide a range of theatre performances.

The university has a wonderful marine laboratory (570 Ewing Street, Trinidad) that welcomes guests. Take a walk in the wonderful redwood forest behind (East) of the university campus or go to the top of our Social and Behavioral Sciences building and walk to the West end and find one of the balconies for a great view of Humboldt Bay. Also take advantage of the many good restaurants and shopping that we have in Arcata. My colleagues and I wish you a wonderful festival and thank you for bringing such good theatre presentations to our area. "
President Rollin Richmond
Humboldt State University

"On behalf of the students, staff and faculty of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Humboldt State University, I would like to welcome you to our campus... There is an exciting line up of plays, workshops and speakers, including a performance by our local treasure, Dell’ Arte International. I hope you enjoy your stay at Humboldt State and our surrounding beautiful natural environment."
Dr. Kenneth P. Ayoob, Interim Dean
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences



"Hundreds of people have traveled thousands of miles to celebrate the magic of live theatre. Even in this age of 3D movies and cell phone video, KCACTF is committed to mentoring new artists to continue making theatre an integral part of being human, of being alive. We hope your experience here at Humboldt will be inspiring, enlightening and memorable. The HSU Department of Theatre, Film & Dance is excited to be your host, and we're eager to help you make the most of this week's adventure."
Margaret Kelso, Chair, HSU Department of Theatre, Film & Dance


"I hope that you all will have some time, in addition to the fantastic line-up of invited productions, tremendous workshop offerings, and festival events to enjoy the natural beauty that the North Coast has to offer. Take a lunch time stroll a few blocks east and walk through the campus Redwood forest, browse through the local shops and eateries on the plaza just down the hill, and find a few moments to visit our beautiful beaches. Enjoy Humboldt – it’s a unique place and we are happy to share our home with you! "
Rae Robison, Festival Coordinator
Vice-Chair of Design, Technology & Management

Theater Festival Schedule Highlights

The four plays selected for full production at HSU will be presented on the following dates: Angels in America—Millennium Approaches from St. Mary’s College of California on Monday (February 14), Xtigone from CSU East Bay on Tuesday, The Time Machine, or Love Among the Eloi from Ohlone College of California on Wednesday, and UP from the University of Idaho on on Thursday, Feb. 17. All of these shows are at 7:30 pm in the Van Duzer Theatre.

The Keynote Event will be a special performance by Dell’Arte International on Friday (Feb. 18) at 1:30 pm in the Van Duzer. Festival Awards are presented in the Van Duzer on Friday at 7:30 pm.

Jay Duckworth, Props Master and properties designer for the Public Theater in New York, is the Keynote Speaker at 3 pm on Thursday in Gist Hall Theatre.

The public (including students not registered for the Festival) can attend events including performances by purchasing a day pass for $20 at the JVD Box Office, which will also admit them to other Festival events that day. For information on day passes and festival registration, call the Department of Theatre, Film & Dance office at 826-3566. There will be continually updated information before and during the Festival here at HSU Stage & Screen.

From February 14 through 18, college students drawn from more than 100 campuses in 9 states converge on Humboldt State University for performances, workshops and competitions in all aspects of theater, in the region 7 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

Update: The week's schedule has now been posted at the KCACTF Region VII site.

Theater Fest Registration Tops 1000

Registration for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival topped 1050, which exceeded expectations with two weeks of registration left.

"This event is a wonderful opportunity for theatre, dance, film, music and students of the arts, and I hope everyone gets involved while the festival is here," said HSU Theatre, Film & Dance festival coordinator Rae Robison. "The energizing impact it will have on the department is tremendous, the amount of local revenue from all of the hotel bookings and restaurants and shopping will be enormous, and the positive image that Humboldt State University will make on the students and faculty from across the region will be beyond measure!"

Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Comes to Humboldt

The CSU East Bay production of Xtigone, one of four invited productions for the KCACTF regional festival at HSU. The other three, also selected in a year-long process from productions in the nine-state Region VII are: The Time Machine, or Love Among the Eloi from Ohlone College in California, Angels in America—Millennium Approaches from St. Mary’s College in California and UP from the University of Idaho. Photo courtesy CSU East Bay. Click photos to enlarge.

From February 14 through the 18th, over a thousand students and faculty drawn from 121 college and university campuses in nine states will converge on Humboldt State University for the regional Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

This is the first time HSU has hosted a festival for Region VII, which includes Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming as well as northern Nevada and 19 campuses in northern California. HSU last hosted a Festival in 1999, when it was in Region VIII.

HSU theatre student Katie Dawson works on the color-coded festival schedule.

For student participants it is an exciting crowded week of art, learning and competition. Some will unload and set up sets for their school’s production in the Van Duzer Theatre on a tight schedule, observed and evaluated every moment. Actors begin several rounds of auditions to compete for scholarships, or audition for the winning ten minute plays and one act plays that will be presented in Gist Hall Theatre. They stretch and sing for the Musical Theater Showcase in the Native American Forum.

They direct scenes or write reviews. They attend worshops in all aspects of theater—more than 70 are scheduled--from stage swashbuckling to interpreting Shakespeare, creating prop food and “reproductive padding,” to working with LED lighting and fiber rope rigging, or learning how to nail that singing audition and when to join Actors Equity. And they go to the plays and readings to see the best from other schools, or to root for their friends. “It was one of the busiest weeks of my life,” recalls HSU graduate student Calder Johnson of an earlier festival, “and one of the most exciting.”

Dell'Arte players in their recent production of Inverted Alba. Dell'Arte International will perform excerpts from several productions as the Keynote Event of the KCACTF regional at HSU: 1:30 pm Thursday in the Van Duzer Theatre.

Festival participants will also have the opportunity to see a special performance by the Dell’Arte Company and Dell’Arte International School as the festival keynote event.

Keynote speaker is Jay Duckworth, Props Master and properties designer for the Public Theater in New York. He's speaking at 3 pm on Thursday in the Gist Hall Theatre.

In addition to serving as the host, the HSU Department of Theatre, Film and Dance is represented among the six finalists in the Ten Minute Play competition. Sweet Mother of God by HSU student Kristin Mack will receive a staged reading at the Festival. Two of these Finalists will be considered for performance at the Kennedy Center during the national KCACTF convention. This play was first presented in the HSU 2009 Ten Minute Play Festival. (Kristin is pictured among the HSU 10 Minute Play Festival playwrights in 2009.) Update for HSU Kristin fans and others interested in 10 minute plays--set your alarm clocks! The Ten Minute Play Festival begins at 9:30 a.m. on Friday.

KCACTF: Getting Ready

Festival Technical Supervisor (and HSU Dept. of Theatre, Film & Dance professor) Jody Sekas and Festival Master Electrician (and HSU theatre MFA student) Calder Johnson review the status of facilities to be used during the Festival.

The Festival will involve more than the HSU campus. Visitors will stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants, visit local tourist attractions. HSU will provide shuttles to and from 6 hotels, with Festival discounts at another 8 hotels in Arcata and Eureka. Other local businesses will provide discounts to festival attendees.

Preparations at HSU have been underway since last semester. HSU coordinator Rae Robison has been working to create a “green festival,” with Festival updates on Twitter and other digital systems to replace paper messages.

Facilities are being readied—mainly the Van Duzer Theatre, Gist Hall Theatre, the Studio Theatre and the Native American Forum. Since the visiting productions will be in the Van Duzer, Technical Supervisor Jody Sekas, Master Electrician Calder Johnson and others prepared an 18 page document of technical specifications called a tech rider with information down to the details of wiring and wing space.