Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) is a national theatre program dedicated to the improvement of collegiate theatre in the United States. Focused on the celebration of diverse and exciting theatre, KCACTF involves students from more than 600 colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Overview

While the culmination of the KCACTF is the national festival held in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center, the majority of students involved in the program compete in one of eight regional competitions. Over 18,000 students are involved in at least one aspect of KCACTF.

Although the national festival is intended to be the pinnacle of the collegiate theatre year and not necessarily a competition, there are a number of scholarships and awards presented throughout the week, including the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships. Other competitions include playwriting, directing, set design, costume design, lighting design, sound design, and the Eugene O'Neill Theatre critic's institute and dramaturgy awards, including the David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award.

Regions

KCACTF has divided up the United States in 8 separate regions. There are:

Outstanding Performance by an Actress
Region States
Region I
Region II

New York is split between Regions 1 & 2.

Region III
Region IV
Region V
Region VI
Region VII
Region VIII

California is split between Regions 7 & 8.

National Committee Personnel

National Award Winners (Productions)

Previous Award Recipients Production Awards The productions below have been recognized for their outstanding achievement. Additionally, the "nominees" for each category have been recognized for distinguished achievement.

Outstanding Production of a Play

Outstanding Production of a Musical

Outstanding Production of a New Work

  • 2014 - Decision Height by Meredith Levy, Hollins University
  • 2013 - Platero y Yo by Juan Ramon Jimenez, adapted for the stage by Maria Eugenia Mercado and Julia Thompson, University of Puerto Rico
  • 2012 - The Circus in Winter, music and lyrics by Ben Clark, book by the students of the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry,

inspired by the novel by Cathy Day, Ball State University.

Outstanding Production of a Devised Work

Outstanding Production of a Modern Classic

National Award Winners (Directing)

The individuals below have been recognized for their direction of plays, musicals, classic and devised works, and new plays and musicals. Additionally, the "nominees" for each category; those individual artists under consideration, have been recognized for distinguished achievement.

Outstanding Career Achievement in Directing

This production marked John David Lutz's 24th production showcased at Regional Festivals since 1971. Six of these productions were additionally showcased at the National Festival at the Kennedy Center. In 2007, by special invitation, his University of Evansville production of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors was one of the Kennedy Center's contributions to the "Shakespeare in Washington" celebration.

Outstanding Director of a Play

Outstanding Director of a Classic

Outstanding Director of a Musical

Outstanding Lead Deviser/Director of a Devised Work

Outstanding Director of a New Work

  • 2014 - Peter Sampieri for Kafka in Tel Aviv, Salem State University
  • 2013 - Maria Eugenia Mercado and Julia Thompson for Platero y Yo by Juan Ramón Jiménez, University of Puerto Rico.
  • 2012 - Beth Turcotte for The Circus in Winter, music and lyrics by Ben Clark, book by the students of the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry,

inspired by the novel by Cathy Day, Ball State University.

National Award Winners (Acting)

Outstanding Performance by an Actress
Year Actress Role - Production College
2014 Jacquelyne Jones as Diana in Next to Normal Utah Valley University
2014 Rachel Staton Ensemble in The Laramie Project University of Mississippi
2013 Abby Vombrack as Anna Fierling in Mother Courage Illinois State University
2013 Elizabeth Golden as Ursula in Vincent In Brixton Utah Valley University
2012 Rene Michelle Aranda[2] as Willy the Space Freak in The Unseen Hand [3] Los Angeles City College, Theatre Academy
2012 Haley Jane Pierce as Clara Ann Fowler in Flipside: The Patti Page Story University of Central Oklahoma
Outstanding Performance by an Actor
Year Actor Role - Production College
2014 James Weschler as Kafka in Kafka in Tel Aviv Salem State University
2013 Nathan Burke Ensemble in The Laramie Project University of Mississippi
2013 Jonathan Amaro as Platero in Platero y Yo University of Puerto Rico
2012 John Stewart as Frederick Douglass/Jim in Splittin' the Raft Kennesaw State University
2012 Dylan Frederick as Hallie in Master Harold and the Boys University of Evansville

National Award Winners (Choreography)

Outstanding Choreography or Movement Direction

  • 2014 - Tori Lee Averett for The Single Girl's Guide, Troy University.
  • 2013 - Bob Stevenson with Ian Miller, Phil Whiteaker, Aron Long, Laura Wineland, Stuart Campbell, Ashley Behm, and Joseph Rodriguez-Barberá for Dromnium, University of Arkansas, Fort Smith
  • 2012 - Skye Edwards for Gone Missing, Hope College.

National Award Winners (Design)

Outstanding Scenic Design

Outstanding Sound Design

Outstanding Costume Design

Outstanding Lighting Design

National Award Winners (Additional)

Outstanding Performance by a Guest Artist

Outstanding Achievement in Composition

Outstanding Performance and Production Ensembles

Irene Ryan Scholarship Winners

A list of the Irene Ryan Scholarship winners, the partners that assisted their wins, and the colleges they represented, spanning from 1972 to 2013:

References

  1. ^ KCACTF Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
  2. ^ "Rene Michelle Aranda". IMDb.
  3. ^ "Rene Michelle Aranda's 'Other Works'". IMDb.