欧美视频

Theatre and Dance students and faculty at the 欧美视频 (UCM) attended the (KCACTF) Jan. 19-25 in Des Moines, Iowa. Twenty-two students and six faculty members attended and were recognized for excellence in multiple areas of theatre and dance. 

One of the week鈥檚 biggest awards went to Molly Blackburn, a senior Theatre Design/Technology major, who received the Region V Society of Directors and Choreographers Fellowship Award for her direction of 鈥淩x Machina.鈥� With this award comes an invitation for Blackburn to continue to the National Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in April at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Another significant recognition went to the 10-minute play 鈥淟esser,鈥� written by English major Lilyanne Mitchell. Out of 113 submissions, it won the Region V Gary Garrison National 10-Minute Play Award. The play is a National Semi-Finalist in consideration to be presented at the Kennedy Center in April. 

Nearly 270 students competed in the annual Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition. John Plasencio, a junior Theatre Performance major, and Alannah Trigg, a senior Musical Theatre major, advanced to the top 64 semi-finalists. Following the semi-final round, Plasencio and his acting partner, Hannah Vath, a junior Musical Theatre major, advanced to the final round for the top 16 collegiate performers in UCM鈥檚 region. 

Both Plasencio and Trigg, alongside Rosalyn Schuster, a senior Musical Theatre major, advanced to the semi-final round of the Musical Theatre Singing Intensive to be within the top 50 students. Plasencio then advanced to the top 20. Dmitry Crawford, a senior Musical Theatre major, was selected as one of the top 19 dancers for the Musical Theatre Dance Intensive. Students worked with a Broadway choreographer to learn and perform a dance piece for the Musical Theatre Intensive Showcase.

Plasencio also had success on the playwriting side with his one-act play, 鈥淭he Devil Came to Arkansas,鈥� being selected in the top four one-act plays with an invited performance at the festival. Madison Keep, a sophomore Math major, was chosen to perform in the 10-minute play 鈥淭he Hideout鈥� by Sy Cartright. Theatre Performance major Quinn Allen鈥檚 10-minute play, 鈥淕oodbye Dewey,鈥� received an award for Outstanding Play Performed at the 10-Minute Lottery Play Workshop, while Avory Nail, a junior English major, was recognized for direction of a 10-minute play. 

Theatre Design/Technology major Arianna Kendrick and Blackburn each presented their design work from the fall 2024 UCM Theatre and Dance production of 鈥淪he Kills Monsters鈥� in the Design Expo. Kendrick presented her lighting design, while Blackburn presented her hair and makeup design.

Jacob Collins, a junior Theatre Performance major, served on the KCACTF Region V Student Advisory Board. 

Throughout the week, students attended a variety of invited productions, participated in numerous workshops and intensives in all areas of theatre, and auditioned and interviewed for professional theatre companies in attendance. Many UCM students received callbacks for summer employment and internships and gained opportunities to put their educational training into professional practice. 

UCM productions and student and faculty directors and designers received Meritorious Achievement Awards during the Opening Ceremony. For UCM鈥檚 spring 2024 musical production of 鈥淴anadu,鈥� Jenise Cook, assistant professor of Theatre (Performance), received an award for her direction and choreography, while Aleksandra Combs, assistant professor of Theatre (Lighting and Sound Design), was recognized for sound design. Xander Corkins, a sophomore Speech Communication and Theatre major, received recognition for his stage management of the production, and the cast was recognized for their ensemble work. 

The spring production of 鈥淩omeo & Juliet鈥� received two awards: Gracie Heath, a recent Theatre graduate, was awarded for her lighting design, and Joe Devero, a sophomore Speech Communication and Theatre major, was awarded for stage management. 

The fall 2024 production of 鈥淪he Kills Monsters鈥� received Meritorious Achievement Awards for Kendrick鈥檚 lighting design and Allen was recognized for co-fight choreography. 

UCM Theatre and Dance鈥檚 most recent fall opera production, 鈥淎mahl and the Night Visitors,鈥� received awards in puppetry presented to Musical Theatre juniors Mason Enright and Claire Groos. Wesley Freeman, a senior Theatre Design/Technology major, received recognition for his lighting design, and the entire cast was awarded for the ensemble performance in the show. 

UCM Theatre and Dance faculty led workshops and held leadership positions at the festival. Cassie Kay Hoppas, assistant professor of Theatre (Costume Design), led the Costume Runway Intensive and taught two workshops, 鈥淒raping Fundamentals鈥� and 鈥淚ntro to Hand Sewing.鈥� Spencer Musser, assistant professor of Theatre (Scene Design and Technical Direction), led 鈥淚nk and Watercolor for Design鈥� and a workshop on 鈥淏ricolage.鈥� Combs taught a workshop entitled 鈥淗ow to Compose for Theatre: an Introduction to DAWs Midi and Composition,鈥� and Cook led 鈥淥pening and Closing Practices for the Theatre.鈥� 

Aaron Scully, Ph.D., assistant professor of Theatre, is serving his fourth year as the KCACTF Region V National Playwriting Program Chair, which oversees all aspects of playwriting at the festival. Scully also taught a workshop titled 鈥淗ow to Make Your Play Standout!鈥� that informed students on the different techniques that improve their chances of moving their plays from the page to the stage. 

Ashley Miller-Scully, chair of Theatre and Dance, assisted with dance callbacks for Crane River Theatre. Combs and Hoppas also served as respondents for the Collaborative Theatre Challenge, which saw four groups of students across the region collaborate to create unified directorial and design concepts and presentations for a new work, 鈥淢odem Operandi.鈥�

UCM鈥檚 Academic Competitive Teams Council, Office of Student Activities Student Funding Committee and the Office of Graduate Studies Scholarly Activity Fund provided funds to help offset the cost of this learning experience for students and faculty.

For more information about UCM Theatre and Dance, visit ucmo.edu/theatre. To learn more about the Region V KCACTF, visit .