Theatre students compete well, showcase skills at annual festival

Northwest Missouri State University was represented well again, earning multiple honors and gaining valuable professional experience during the annual Region 5 American College Theatre Festival (ACTF) in January.

Sixteen Northwest students attended the festival Jan. 18-24 in Rochester, Minnesota, where about 1,200 college students from throughout the region shared their work, attended workshops and developed theatre skills. ACTF’s Region 5 consists of colleges and universities from throughout Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota​.

“Our students just had such a good showing at ACTF,” Stephanie Jorandby, an associate professor of theatre, said. “They all really actively participated. We had people who were doing a lot of things that were way out of their comfort zone and did excellent work. We could not have been more proud.”

Students participated in competitions related to musical theatre intensive singing and dance, stage management, collaborative design, allied crafts and a 10-minute play competition as well as the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition.

Cashlee Smith, a freshman speech and theatre education major from Savannah, Missouri, was awarded the “Heart of the Art” for her participation in allied crafts for costume design and crafts. The award is given to someone whose work represents the essence of theatre.

Smith presented a costume design and construction project she developed after reading and analyzing a play, “Blythe Spirit,” in Northwest’s theatre appreciation course last fall. Smith even learned beadwork to create a dress.

“It means a lot because I was very in my head about this competition,” Smith said. “When I found out, it was such a big deal to me because I felt like maybe I can do something as a career in this.”

Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition

Nine Northwest students participated in ACTF’s prestigious Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition.

Bridget Hopkins, a junior speech and theater education major from Creston, Iowa, advanced from more than 300 students competing in the initial round to the semifinal round of 66 student actors.

During each round, competitors present a monologue and act with a partner in a scene. Only eight regional scholarships and one national scholarship are awarded annually.

“To move on in Irene Ryan was the one goal I set for myself,” Hopkins said. “So when I did, it was just pure joy and excitement. I was really proud of all of the work I have been doing, and to be able to do that made me feel so much better about my talent, my abilities and what I’m doing with my future.”

Hopkins also competed in the Irene Ryan acting competition last year. Although she did not move on from the preliminary rounds, she thought the experience helped her prepare this year.

“Last year, going into ACTF was difficult for me because I didn’t know what to bring or to expect,” Hopkins said. ”It was a huge change being able to go last year and then coming back this year knowing how the events work and knowing what they’re looking for, based on critiques we were getting last year.”

Profession-based learning

The annual festival also gives Northwest students opportunities to network and learn with theatre students, instructors and professional artists from throughout the country while gaining unbiased feedback on their work.

In addition to presenting and competing, festival participants may choose to participate in intensive half- and full-day classes, attend workshops taught by theatre faculty and professionals, and audition and interview for summer theatre work at professional venues. Students view invited productions presented by peer institutions and have their performances and designs critiqued by theatre professionals.

Jorandby led two workshops about costuming, and Rion Towery, a theatre lecturer at Northwest, led a workshop about Elizabethan stage combat.

“These workshops allow students to ask questions to a room full of like-minded individuals or to have a conversation with other experts on things that are otherwise hard to answer,” Jorandby said.

Hopkins attended ACTF workshops where she learned about directing and how she could apply those skills in her desired career as a high school teacher. 

“I liked taking different things we learned and picking them apart and being like, these are really cool ideas and activities, but these are things that I will want to do differently,” Hopkins said.