#kcactf

[graciewritings]

Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival

Playwrighting Cohort, Scenic Design Student Presenter, and Reader

[aliveandfullofjoy]

this past weekend was insane almost entirely because i did a bachelor party in new orleans with literally -$190 in my bank account (long story, we’re cool now, thank god for payday tomorrow) but also because i got word that i received a dramaturgy award from kcactf???

[just-your-average-tangerine]

So the school I go to participates in KCACTF (huge theater festival/ competition). So every play we put on is audited for submission to the festival both as a whole and for individual actors.

We had our audit the other day and the auditor was nonbinary. The only thing they talked about was the trans/ nonbinary reading of the play (one character was intentionally nonbinary and the other potential trans reading of a character they mentioned I find to be a stretch at best and actively transphobic at worst.) They didn't give us any feedback on our performance. And they barely acknowledged any characters other than the two they read as trans, and didnt acknowledge any other actors (including two of us who are trans/nonbinary).

So now half the cast is pissed off because that feedback from someone who's bringing fresh eyes to the performance and who knows the craft and what to look for is incredibly important to us as young actors. And to just not get that, especially in a Shakespeare performance which brings its own challenges that many of us are new to, is really frustrating. It's totally understandable that they're pissed but unfortunately most of them seem to think that the 4 of us who are trans and/or nonbinary, are going to be offended by their frustration and are now just walking on eggshells around us.

As if I wasn't isolated enough.

[mjrmalfunct1on]

The Life of a Theatre Major

Howdy, welcome to my corner of the internet - the shitstorm if you will.

First, introductions.

My name is MJ. I am nonbinary and use they/them pronouns for myself although being referred to by others doesn't bother me that much. For a year and a half now I have been a theatre major attending LU.

It's a rough program. Covid nearly killed it and it's on the mend right now. I have my qualms with it but I'm afraid I'm in too deep to back out now (in for a penny, in for a pound i guess).

I technically work three jobs within the theatre department. I'm the box office assistant, an electrician, and an assistant set designer. Although, in reality I wear a few more hats that just don't have fancy names.

I have my favorite people, henceforth referred to by nicknames alone. And I have the ones I don't like the same as the rest of you out there in the world.

It's not a jetsetting lifestyle, but it's certainly an exciting one. As of today I am writing a one-act to be performed in March (I'm a horrible procrastinator), readying a set design for KCACTF, preparing two monoluges for KCACTF, two scenes for KCACTF, and two songs (for KCACTF). On top of that, I'm performing in a full length play going up in March and set designing a production going up in May. I'm a bit busy as you can imagine.

Today, I focused on what my summer is going to look like. Currently I've got a few options. I can stay in my home town and work the same job I did last summer at a frozen yogurt place (not bad, my coworkers and boss were all fantastic), occasionally playing dress up for children's parties and add in working at the local theatre on top of that. I've also applied to be a camp counselor at a theatre camp up in Portland. And I'm applying to work at the Enchanted Forest. We'll see if I can't find more shit to add on.

Needless to say, whether I like it or not, I'm always busy.

I'm hoping to catalogue my journey here - on the immortal internet.

Does it leave receipts, yes, but I have nothing to hide.

Goodbye for now,

MJ

12/29/2022

[thatawkwardbookthing]

I'm supposed to be going to KCACTF tomorrow and I should be excited but right now it just feels like one more thing that I have to do and I'm worried I'm gonna fuck the lighting up I'm just so fucking tired and I this show is so triggering and I just wanna sleep

[backstage-bucknell]

Bucknell Theatre Counts Down to Break

By Katie Schadler and Abby Campion

Bucknell at KCACTF

By Joseyln Busato 

This January, I and a group of other Bucknell students will be attending the Region 2 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The event will take place in downtown Pittsburgh and on the Point Park University campus. At this festival, students with a passion for theater will have the opportunity to participate in competitions, attend workshops led by Point Park faculty and professionals, watch invited productions from other universities, and make connections with like-minded students and professors.

This will be my second year participating in the festival, along with many of the other students planning on going again this spring. The group attending is spread over class year and discipline, majoring from sociology to Italian, political science to biology. Accompanied by the students will be two Bucknell Theatre professors, Anjalee Hutchinson and Bryan Vandevender. At the conference, we have the option to participate in as many or as few activities as we choose. Last year, some of the students chose to audition for as many opportunities as possible, many of them eventually getting to perform for audiences. For others, just being in a new place surrounded by friends and good art was an amazing experience itself. I loved getting to attend some of the many workshops and classes last year; my favorite was probably the British dialect workshop, in which we all practiced speaking in an accent and learned about the pronunciations of certain words and phrases. Some other standouts were the stage combat class, where I got to fake-punch my friends in the face, a class examining Chekhov techniques and how to embody different levels of emotion, and a musical theater dance course with a Broadway choreographer. 

Some of the students attending the conference will be competing at the regional level in acting, dramaturgy, musical theater performance and directing competitions. Last year, Bucknell brought home gold in two of these divisions; the school was represented by Nabeel Jan, who won first place in the directing competition, and Zoe Wilson, who won first place in dramaturgy. Both students moved on to compete at the national level in Washington D.C. Several others were nominated to compete in the Irene Ryan’s Acting Competition for their performances in previous Bucknell productions. This year, the Irene Ryan’s nominees include Reid Fournier, Tseday Robinson, Kieran Calderwood, and Madison Buckley. These students will prepare two monologues and a scene with a partner to perform for the competition. 

I’m so excited to say that I will be participating as a scene partner with one of the nominees in the competition, as well as just being in attendance at the festival again this year. I have so many good memories from the conference last year and so many people that I love coming with me. It was a fantastic experience getting to work with professionals and learn in such a laid back environment surrounded by friends. We did everything together, from getting dinner to watching and critiquing performances to being totally vulnerable (and probably looking a little silly) in some of the classes. I loved getting closer to the Bucknell students and staff on the trip, but also some other students from different schools as well! There was one night where we invited some fellow attendees from Wooster over to our hotel room to play board games and talk; some of the Bucknell students on that trip still keep in touch with them to this day. They even made it out to see Gross Indecency and The One Act Play that Goes Wrong last year. I’m looking forward to potentially seeing them again at this conference!

As my final year at Bucknell is slowly nearing its end, I’m grateful that I am able to attend this trip and spend time with people that share my love for theater, in a place that celebrates the art form in all of its facets. I can’t wait to make more memories and enjoy all of the many different workshops and opportunities the festival offers. I know that those few days will be a blast. I am so excited to see what this year’s festival has in store, and so thankful to the Bucknell Theatre Department for allowing students to take advantage of opportunities like these. 

Directing Cocktails with Maya Gurung 

Maya Gurung, sophomore double major in economics and theatre, will be directing her first show this December. Her initial love of theatre began as a shy third grader after she watched the production “the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” and immediately became obsessed. She took a few acting classes, having her debut on the stage in her junior year of high school in “Mamma Mia.” While at Bucknell, she has acted in the first-year show, Cocktail Theatre, Forum Theatre, and landed a lead role in the recent MainStage Men on Boats. This was not only Maya’s first major show but her favorite one yet, as she appreciated the physical quality of the show and loved working alongside such a supportive cast and passionate director, Anjalee Hutchinson. 

Maya claims that her love of acting, whether that be theatre or film, originated from her love of watching it. As a quiet person, many of Maya’s family members and friends would not expect her to be involved with theatre in her free time. Nevertheless, Maya sees the stage as a place to break out from her shell. She enjoys the excitement of assuming a different character and overall, describes the experience to be quite freeing.  

At the end of the fall semester, Maya will be directing her first Cocktail Theatre performance. For students unfamiliar with the concept, Cocktail Theatre is a ten-minute, 2-3 actor play that acts as the “final exam” for students taking a Bucknell directing class. The class is a semester-long, project-based course where students select a play, research that play, and eventually individually direct that play. While still having class time to collaborate with fellow students taking the class, this means having the solo opportunity to plan a set, select actors, and design all of the blocking for the show. In essence, the student director is given the creative liberty over all of the little details and decisions.  

For Maya’s final project, she is directing a Cocktail play called “Birthday Beer.” Not wanting to spoil too much, Maya says that she selected this play because of its light-hearted rom-com nature, filled with energetic, action-packed scenes. Ultimately, Maya wanted to choose a show that would be fun for her audience to watch. 

Already in the rehearsal stage, Maya and the cast have already begun blocking the scenes and navigating the nuances that come with putting on a movement-heavy, prop-heavy show. Given how much the Bucknell theatre department emphasizes boundaries and consent while they work, Maya has implemented this practice into her own directing through check-ins before each rehearsal to gauge the other actor’s comfort levels with where they are willing to be touched that day. This element of comfort on stage is especially important in a two-person play, as sharing the stage with only one other person can become much more intimate work.   

Being her first time directing, the greatest challenge is watching her ideas come out in ways she would expect or want but remaining flexible to prioritize what’s best for the show, even if she feared annoying her actors from the number of changes she would enforce. Additionally, she found that her role required her to make challenging decisions, such as selecting actors, even when she could envision so many auditioners fitting the role. 

Even just a few years ago, Maya would have never seen herself directing anything but looking back, she realizes how much she has been directing in her head as a viewer this whole time. It has been so rewarding to watch all of the pieces gradually take shape and come to life. Even while dedicating around eight hours per week to Cocktail Theatre–whether that be the in-class time, rehearsals, and the outside planning as a director–Maya says it never feels like work. Outside of Bucknell Theatre, Maya is a member of the Offbeats Acapella Group, an usher for the Weis Center, and a TEAM mentor. Look out for more details on Maya’s along with other Cocktail Theatre plays that will be debuting this December!

Upcoming God of Carnage Auditions

Bucknell Theatre’s next mainstage production is Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage. The production will be presented in the Tustin Studio Theatre February 23-26. 

Preliminary Auditions: Tuesday, November 14 starting at 6:00pm in Room 54 or Coleman Hall 

Callbacks: Wednesday, November 15 in Room 23 of Coleman Hall

Auditions are open to the entire Bucknell community. We are looking to audition Arab, Asian, Black, Latinx, Multi-Racial, Native, Pacific Islander, South Asian, and White performers of all abilities.

Audition Sign-Up and additional information about auditions can be found here. 

An online audition form should be completed prior to auditions. The form can be accessed here. 

Auditioners are strongly encouraged to read the play prior to auditions. You can access the full text here.

If you have any questions about the auditions, production, or rehearsal process, please contact director, Dr. Bryan M. Vandevender (bmv003@bucknell.edu).  

We look forward to seeing you at the auditions! 

Bucknell Departments of Theatre, Dance, Film and Media Studies co-host New York City Student & Alumni Brunch 

November 19th, 2023 from 10am - Noon

Students, Faculty and Alumni from Bucknell's departments of Theatre, Dance, Film and Media Studies are cordially invited to a Networking and Social Brunch in the heart of New York City during the weekend before Thanksgiving! Join us for a wonderful opportunity to meet up with fellow Bucknellian artists from across the years, many of which are working in the business! This year's event will be held at the elegant Elsie Rooftop in Manhattan to accommodate the growing number of attendees this event has attracted over the years. Let's celebrate together and kick off the season! 'Ray Bucknell Theatre & Dance! 'Ray Bucknell Film & Media Studies!

For more details and/or to register please go this link: https://cvent.me/eYMxWZ 

Recollections & Reflections by Bob Gainer, Professor Emeritus (1985 to 2009)

I was hired was hired in Fall 1985, when there was no Department of Theatre, only a very vibrant Theatre Program headed by English Department Prof. Harvey Powers for over 35 years.   Elaine Williams, Assistant Professor of Scenography, was also on the hiring committee.

Then a momentous change occurred in 1986:  Harvey, Elaine and I proposed and got approval from Bucknell to launch a new Department of Theater.  This was swiftly followed in 1987, by the University’s blessing to initiate a new Dance Program, which was integrated into the newly formed Department of Theatre and Dance.

So, from 1987 onwards you can look back to see how new theater & dance faculty and professional staff were hired that dramatically impacted the development of our department over 36 years, both in terms of curriculum and theater and dance productions.   

I was hired to teach several levels of acting, a directing course and to tutor advanced-level projects for senior directing/acting students.  My position also included the direction of plays for the Mainstage Theater season, initially, two play productions each year. This changed when other faculty directors were hired, as well as when more dance performances were added to our department’s artistic season.

I have been asked to pinpoint some of my favorite aspects of teaching over my 24 years at Bucknell.   I most relished how young people’s potential creativity could be released and given a platform for developing their psycho-physical instruments and imaginations in service to sharing playwright’s stories with our community – dramas with universal themes written over centuries of human history.   I would like to think that this somewhat romantic pedagogical mission to both stimulate and encourage young actors and directors as both interpreters and potent agents of dramatic action, was realized both through my courses and well as in the process of directing 27 mainstage play productions, performed in either the Powers or Tustin Theater spaces.    Let me also add that my own creative development as a director was informed by my fruitful & exciting collaborations with my professional colleagues in the areas of design and dramaturgy.   Yes, I’m certain that the one reality that hasn’t changed in the department since I retired:  the making of theater as a collaborative process. 

I must also add that my years of service in the roles of both Chair of the department or Director of the theater program were also particularly gratifying and rewarding.  I experienced how these administrative roles could really create an environment in the department that fostered respect and enthusiastic support for one’s colleagues’ individual teaching, creative scholarly projects, work environments and collective endeavors.   

I have been also asked whether I might have any perceptions about how the department has changed since I left in January 2009.   The most meaningful response that I can offer here is look at what has uniquely occurred over these past 15 years: The Women’s March; the Pandemic; the growing dangers of Climate Change, the African-American community and other minorities being targeted by both law enforcement and systematic bias across our nation, Women’s rights and LGBTQ rights continually under attack, the rise of White Nationalist and other Hate Groups, our U.S. Constitution and related democratic institutions and Rule of Law under serious threat, Voting Restrictions becoming more prevalent, Books being banned, etc.   How can there be any way that the current Department of Theater and Dance can be the same as it was during my earlier years?   I will always look forward to being a witness as to how the department of theatre and dance’s curriculum and performance work strives to reflect the challenges of living an ever changing & difficult world.  Only Bucknell’s current department of theater and dance faculty, staff and students can choose to reflect whether and how the arts might address these exigent realities – year by year!

Follow us on all social media platforms: 

Facebook: Bucknell University Department of Theatre and Dance

Instagram: @bucknell.theatre

Don’t forget to take care of yourself, take care of each other, & take care of art:)

[writemarcus]

JCTC Produces Reading of New Play SIBLING RIVALRIES By Marcus Scott

The production is set for September 18.

By: Stephi Wild Sep. 06, 2023

Jersey City Theater Center will present a reading of Sibling Rivalries by Marcus Scott, a new play set at a fictional Ivy League school in the years following the Obama Administration. This political drama follows a diverse group of young black men, all members of a fraternity, who face shifting loyalties and eroded principles when they are forced to compete against one another for a prestigious fellowship. Sibling Rivalries will take place at Jersey City Theater Center (165 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302 / Entrance from Barrow St., Jersey City, NJ, 07302) on Monday, September 18 at 7:30PM. Tickets start at just $5.00 and are available at www.JCTCenter.org.  "As we prepare to showcase the extraordinary talent of Marcus Scott, a remarkable representative of the black, queer community, whose work we have had the privilege of nurturing by providing a creative residency in 2023, our enthusiasm knows no bounds. At the very core of our mission lies our unwavering commitment to open doors for emerging playwrights, allowing their voices to resound both locally and on the globally," stated Olga Levina, the Executive Producer at JCTC. "JCTC is immensely thankful for our enduring partnership with I Love Greenville and the sponsorship from Healthier JC, our collaboration has given rise to a wide spectrum of programming, each piece thoughtfully designed to shed light on the experiences and obstacles faced by people of color while celebrating their rich cultural traditions."  We wish to express our gratitude to the Performers' Unions: ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS, AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS and SAG-AFTRA through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear in this program.

About Marcus Scott

Marcus Scott is a playwright, musical theatre writer & journalist. Full-length works: Tumbleweed (finalist: 2017 BAPF & the 2017 Festival of New American Plays at Austin Playhouse; semifinalist: 2022 O'Neill NPC, 2022 Blue Ink Playwriting Award & 2017 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship), Sibling Rivalries (finalist: Normal Ave's NAPseries, 2021 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference & 2021 ATHE-KCACTF Judith Royer Excellence In Playwriting Award; semi- finalist: 2022 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival, 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Award & 2021 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship; long-listed: 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award), There Goes The Neighborhood (finalist: 2023 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship, 2023 Blue Ink Playwriting Award, the 2019 Bushwick Starr Reading Series; semifinalist: 2023 BAPF) & Cherry Bomb (recipient: 2017 Drama League First Stage Artist-In-Residence, 2017 New York Theatre Barn's New Works Series; 2017 finalist for the Yale Institute for Music Theatre). Heartbeat Opera commissioned Scott to adapt Beethoven's “Fidelio” (Co-writer; Met Live Arts at the MET Museum, Mondavi Center at UC Davis, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, The Broad Stage, Rutgers Presbyterian Church, Baruch Performing Arts Center; NYTimes Critics' Pick! ★★★★). Scott is the recipient of the WTP Rosalind Ayres-Williams Memorial Scholarship (2022-2024). Scott is the recipient of the WTP Rosalind Ayres-Williams Memorial Scholarship (2022-2024). His one-act Sundown Town is published in Obsidian: Literature and Arts of the African Diaspora: Issue: 48.1.   His work has developed or presented at Concord Theatricals/Sam French OOB Short Play Festival, Queens Theatre (New American Voices series), The Fire This Time Festival, Zoetic Stage (Finstrom Festival Of New Work), Dixon Place, Feinstein's/54 Below, Abingdon Theatre Company, Downtown Urban Arts Festival, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Across A Crowded Room at Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library (NYPL), Musical Theater Factory's 4x15 Series, Space on Ryder Farm, Theatre West, New Circle Theatre Company, MicroTheater Miami, Columbia College Chicago, among others.   Residencies and retreats: The inaugural Personal Pizza Party Writers' Kitchen cohort (2023), The 2022 Valdez Theatre Conference, The Road Theatre Company's Under Construction 3 Playwrights Group (2022), Mojoaa Performing Arts Company's Southern Black Playwrights Lab (Cohort 2; 2022), Works & Process LaunchPAD “Process as Destination” Residency at the Guggenheim (2022), Prospect Musical Theater Lab (2021), María Irene Fornés Playwriting Workshop (2021), JACK Governor's Island Artist Residency (2021), Catwalk Artist Residency (2021), The Center at West Park Virtual Performance Residency (2020-2021), Gingold Theatre Group Speaker's Corner Writer (2020-2022), Liberation Theatre Company's Playwriting Residency Fellowship (2018), Athena Theatre Company's Athena Writes Playwriting Fellowship (2018-2019), the inaugural LIT Council at the Tank (2018-2019), Fresh Ground Pepper Artist-In-Residence BRB Retreat (2017), One Co. Writers' Residency at Little Farm (2017) and Goodspeed Opera House Retreat (2013). Scott is a 2021 NYSAF Founders' Award finalist, a 2021 Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award semi-finalist, a four-time National Black Theatre I AM SOUL Playwrights Residency finalist and a four-time top finalist for The Civilians R&D Group. His articles appeared in Architectural Digest, Time Out New York, American Theatre Magazine, Playbill, Elle, Out, Essence, The Brooklyn Rail, among others. BFA: State University College at Buffalo, MFA: NYU Tisch.

[ellipsesplay]

Maria Noriko Cabral (Gravity💫) is excited to be joining the cast of ELLIPSES. Some of her previous roles were Charlotte in JUNK (Burbage Theater Co), Ensemble/Featured Dancer in ELF (Cumberland Theatre), Faerie/Lady in Waiting in MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and Townsperson in A LIE AGREED UPON (The Gamm Theatre), and Bebe Benzenheimer in A CHORUS LINE (Footlights Rep Co). Maria graduated with a BA in Musical Theatre at Rhode Island College where she played Emily Brennon in THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO, Bessie in MARVIN’S ROOM, Daughter in QUILTERS, and Marie in BARBEQUE. Maria was also the 2020 recipient of the Kennedy Center ACTF ASPIRE/LORT Leadership Award, as well becoming a 2021 KCACTF ASPIRE National Fellow. She also became a Gamm Fellow for Emerging Artists of Color at The Gamm Theater for their inaugural year (2021-2022). She would like to thank her parents and friends for their endless support and love and to Jamiel for this opportunity. maria-noriko.com

[theatreshitposting]

i w o n s d c

[readbyir]

5 Posts Later = An Introduction

I have been posting here for about a month now, and it has occurred to me that I have neither 1) introduced myself nor 2) introduced this blog. For curious readers out there, this one’s for you: My name is Isabel, and this blog exists for commentary, critiques, or reviews on theatre-related works I have read or watched. I hope to develop a keener sense of my signature as an artist through my posts, so please read them with a tiny grain of salt.

Pictured above is my book stand ft. my current read: The Fervent Years by Harold Clurman.    Quick Facts: - I am about to finish my undergraduate studies from a university in Southern California with a major in Theatre and an emphasis in Stage Directing - I am a National Student Directing Finalist for the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival  - I am 21 years old

-The last play I read was Reverberation by Matthew Lopez (and I loved it!) And finally, I hope I can inspire others to explore their own artistry while we are in quarantine. Whether it’s reading a script, watching a play on BroadwayHD, or singing a song from a musical, I want our community to stay connected. 

[theatreempress]

GUESS WHO JUST GOT NOMINATED TO GO TO KCACTF

THIS BITCH

[nathearichardson]

GUESS WHO'S AN IRENE RYAN NOMINEE AND GOING TO KCACTF ??!!!!! 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

I'm so proud of myself 💙

[aliveandfullofjoy]

jury’s still out on if i successfully broke through my emotional dam after crying my eyes out at my wedding, but i did just spend an entire feedback session for student dramaturgs at kcactf fighting back happy tears so that might be a good sign?

they called my writing voice “gentle” and i literally went “🥹” lmao

[thaumaturgy]

great to spend some time among these peeps, including such an encouraging plethora of the curious and emerging dramaturgy-inclined.

[housetohalf]

Lmao I forgot that the Grand Hotel SM team (aka me and the PSM and the ASM) agreed to speak to student stage managers in town for KCACTF next week.

At the Kennedy Center.

At 9am.

Which is hatefully early. Especially after a performance the night before and understudy rehearsal and a show after.

[backstage-bucknell]

Bucknell Takes on KCACTF

By Katie Schadler

Come to The Show!

The One Act Play That Goes Wrong

Directed by Reid Fournier ‘24  

Friday, Saturday February 3, 4  7:30pm

Harvey M. Powers Theatre

$7 general

“Welcome to opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where (as the title of the show might suggest) things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. Whatever can go wrong, folks, will go wrong. This Comedic combination of Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python is a 1920s whodunit that has everything you never wanted in a show, its own show! Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians will battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call. The question is: Will the cast be awake, or physically able to stand for the final curtain?!”

Get tickets here:

https://bucknell.universitytickets.com/?cid=299

Bucknell Takes on KCACTF!

At the start of the semester, Bucknell students had the opportunity to attend the annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) which nationally recognizes both the talented theater programs and individual student works from colleges and universities. This year, the week-long program was held at West Chester University where students participated in workshops to hone their crafts and receive constructive feedback, supported fellow student actors by attending live collegiate productions, and competed in different theater programs with the chance to win in their category and be invited to the Kennedy Center to compete for a national title.

One of these KCACTF programs was the Irene Ryan acting competition. Prior to competing in the Irene Ryan competition, nominees submitted video recordings of two contrasting monologues which were then submitted for feedback given on the first day of the festival. Out of one hundred and fifty nominees in Region 2, thirty two were selected as semi-finalists. Those who were selected chose one of their monologues and prepared a scene to be considered as a finalist and be invited to the Kennedy Center. This year, nominated for their roles in varying Bucknell productions, four students were invited to compete in the Irene Ryan competition with one of them being named a semi-finalist!

KCACTF “Irene Ryan” Nominee: Kieran Calderwood

The first student nominated to compete in the Irene Ryan program was Kieran Calderwood. Kieran is a junior double majoring in Philosophy and Creative Writing with a minor in Accounting who was nominated for his sophomore-year performance as “Orestes” in Electra. Doubling as a varsity runner on the track team, Kieran found theater in his first year at Bucknell, wanting to explore a wide variety of passions and follow in the footsteps of his father who was a Theater major. At the festival, Kieran enjoyed growing closer with his Bucknell peers as well as learning and listening to the diverse perspectives of students from other universities. He also enjoyed participating in the festival’s monologue slam where he had the unique experience of writing and performing an original monologue. Kieran is currently serving as the president of the Philosophy Club, staff writer for the Bucknellian, and a member of Bucknell’s cycling team. In the future, he hopes to further hone his acting skills and use all that the theater department has taught him in whatever career path he chooses.

KCACTF “Irene Ryan” Nominee: Reid Fournier

The second student nominated to compete in the Irene Ryan program was Reid Fournier. Reid is a junior double majoring in Theater and Political Science who was nominated for his performance as “Peter” in Lost Girl. Drawn to acting since he was a young child, Reid has been involved with theater throughout high school and spent last summer at an intensive program funded through a Bucknell grant. Through this opportunity, Reid was offered a semi-private study and had the rewarding experience of receiving acting lessons from Juilliard School graduates. Reid is grateful for the time he spent with his friends at KCACTF along with the director insight he gained from watching the festival’s productions. This semester, Reid is directing Bucknell’s performance of The One Act Play That Goes Wrong along with playing “Oscar Wilde” in the MainStage Show Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. When he is not participating in theater, Reid is a music director in Bucknell’s acapella group “Beyond Unison,” a member of Bucknell’s “Chi Phi” Fraternity, and a hiking enthusiast! In the future, Reid hopes to become a professional actor.

KCACTF “Irene Ryan” Nominee: Griffin Miller

Another student nominated to compete in the Irene Ryan program was Griffin Miller. Griffin is a junior majoring in Music with an emphasis in Contemporary Composition and was nominated for his sophomore-year performance as “Paedagogous” in Electra. Having an interest in theater for as long as he can remember, Griffin’s first time acting was when he got cast as the lead role in his middle school’s production. He recalls this show being the distinct experience that made him fall in love with acting. When he is not performing in the school’s productions, Griffin is a member of the Bucknell Choir, a performer at student music festivals, and co-president of Bucknell’s improv troupe “We Brake For Nobody.” In his free time, Griffin also writes original music, including his single “Running Out of Tape” which can be found on Spotify! Graduating at the end of this semester, Griffin hopes to combine his passions for music and theater, potentially looking to write musicals in the future while continuing to follow his calling as an Indie musician.

KCACTF “Irene Ryan” Semi-Finalist: Bethany Fitch

The final student who was nominated for the Irene Ryan program was Bethany Fitch. Bethany was one of thirty-two students (out of the one hundred fifty nominees) selected as an Irene Ryan semi-finalist. She is a senior double majoring in Theater and Environmental Studies and was nominated for her senior-year performance as “Wendy” in Lost Girl. In between performances, Bethany attended the festival’s workshops where she gathered auditioning insight in a post-pandemic acting industry and performed monologues written and directed by students. Bethany most enjoyed meeting students from other schools and growing closer with the other Bucknell attendees. In her final semester at Bucknell, Bethany is Presidential Fellow’s “Research Admissions Ambassador” and president of Bucknell’s acting club “Cap & Dagger.” This summer, Bethany has accepted a position as the company manager at the theater company “Pendragon Theatre” in upstate New York. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school for theater in London and work in theater administration, continuing to act for as long as possible.

In addition to Bucknell’s three nominees and one semi-finalist of the Irene Ryan acting competition, two Bucknell students were named the winners of KCACTF’s theater journalism program and directors program respectively:

KCACTF “ITJA” Winner: Zoe Wilson

The first winner from Bucknell was Zoe Wilson, named “The Institute for Theater Journalism and Advocacy (ITJA) Regional Winner.” Zoe is a senior double majoring in Literary Studies and Sociology. Growing up reading theater criticism in the New York Times, Zoe transformed this hobby–combined with her love for dramatic literary analysis–into a blossoming pursuit in journalism. During the ITJA program, she learned how to write reviews; interview performers; and pitch feature articles, as her original review and interview was edited and judged by the program chairs. After being declared the winner, she now moves onto the next round of judgment, competing to be one of the four selected to attend the National ITJA Conference at the Kennedy Center. Throughout this experience, Zoe was grateful for the writing experience and knowledge she gained, being welcomed with open arms by her Bucknell theater peers who she grew closer to during the festival. In her final semester at Bucknell, Zoe will continue to dive deeper into her passion of dramaturgy and develop her honors thesis inspired by theater criticism of the play Angels in America. Apart from her love for theater, Zoe is a Presidential Fellow, “Speak Up” peer for Bucknell’s sexual assault programing on campus, and co-president of Bucknell’s improv troupe “We Brake For Nobody.” Finding the quality of live theater to be “irreplaceable,” Zoe hopes to continue her role as an audience member, writing reviews and building a theater journalism portfolio of her own.

KCACTF “SDC” Winner: Nabeel Jan

The second Bucknell winner was Nabeel Jan who was awarded the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) Regional Fellowship. Nabeel is a senior double majoring in Film Studies and International Relations. Unable to choose a favorite production to direct, Nabeel has assistant directed Bucknell’s Appropriate in the fall of his junior year, Lost Girl in the fall of his senior year, and individually directed Kodachrome the fall of his senior year. He was one of seven chosen from Region 2 to compete in the SDC program. Nabeel feels honored to have competed among deserving candidates and most enjoyed getting closer with Bucknell students throughout the festival. As winner of his program, Nabeel has been invited to the Kennedy Center in April to attend a week-long intensive of master classes and compete against other regional winners with the chance to win a director’s fellowship. During his final semester at Bucknell, Nabeel is also a videographer for the Griot Institute, a member of Bucknell’s acapella group Beyond Unison, and president of the Class of 2023. In the future, Nabeel hopes to learn more as an assistant director, work on projects of his own, and further his passion of taking playwrights’ ideas and bringing them to life.

The First-Year KCACTF Experience:

Freshman Theater major Caroline Pritchard had the opportunity to attend KCACTF in her first year at Bucknell. While her debut performance was in The Jungle Book at the early age of seven, Caroline’s passion for acting truly began in her junior year of high school. As both a sophomore and senior in high school, Caroline attended her community’s day-long theater festival where she had the chance to perform in front of competing schools and grow as an actor. Thus, when she was invited to KCACTF, a week-long festival, she jumped at the opportunity. Because she did not compete in the Irene Ryan program, Caroline was able to enjoy the acting workshops, deeming one about “the physical self vs. energy self” particularly transformative. Finding her first year in Bucknell theater both a lot of fun and a lot of work, KCACTF reignited her passion for acting as she witnessed what acting invoked in fellow Bucknell students.

Caroline’s favorite part of the festival was supporting Bucknell’s upperclassmen, watching the progression of their hard work transform into award-winning pieces by the end of the week. Inspired by her peers’ and professors’ abilities to create a community of people who care about one another in such a short amount of time, she is excited to see where acting will take her in the future. According to Caroline, “When you act, you actually feel what you act. There is something about acting in the moment in which you feel things you don’t feel in your everyday life.” Caroline hopes to return to KCACTF in the years to come where she will rediscover her love for acting all over again.

KCACTF “Innovative Teaching Award”: Professor Bryan M. Vandevender

Bucknell Professor Bryan Vandevender received the “Innovative Teaching Award” for his curriculum in the course, “Theatre and Ethics.” Bryan has been drawn to the stage ever since he saw the original broadway cast performance of Into The Woods air on PBS when he was in elementary school. As a regular audience member of his community theater’s productions when he was growing up, Bryan did not begin acting until high school which continued into his college years. Attending KCACTF when he was an undergraduate, Bryan now serves on KCACTF’s leadership board and chairs the Dramaturgy Program where he spent this year’s festival mentoring student dramaturgs who participated in national playwright programs and co-hosting an affinity lunch for LGBTQIA student attendees.

In addition to these leadership positions, Bryan is in his fifth year teaching at Bucknell while also doubling as both a director and chair of Bucknell’s Season Advisory Committee. He finds the Bucknell theater department unique in that they not only want to challenge a new and diverse talent pool every year but are also dedicated to creating civically-engaged theater. Working to produce plays that evoke difficult, societally-relevant conversations within various communities on and outside of campus, Bryan strives to facilitate similar dialogue regarding the intersection of ethical dilemmas and professional theater in the classroom. The description for his “Theatre and Ethics” course can be found below:

“Theatre and Ethics is an upper-level seminar that invites students to analyze recent and persistent controversies in professional theater practice. These controversies address such topics as licensing and copyright, casting (primarily with respect to race and gender), staging sex and violence, verbatim theater, and immersive theater. The course also asks students to imagine themselves as stakeholders in the project of professional theater and consider how they might challenge the theater industry’s white supremacist and heteronormative structures. The course opens with an examination of plays that illuminate ethical theories and then introduces students to case studies (actual events in theater practice) that represent a diversity of ethical dilemmas. Students defend given ethical theories and argue on behalf of assigned stakeholders during in-class debates. Later writing prompts ask students to assume the role of an artistic director, equity deputy, or lead producer and draft open letters or policy memos in response to given case studies. A culminating research project invites students to investigate ethical debates in a narrowly defined area of theater production, often related to their intended career. To date, projects have addressed ethics with respect to accessibility, actor training, arts criticism, body representation, cultural appropriation, forum theater, green theater, production management, queer representation, and stage management. A final manifesto project asks students to articulate their values and commitments with respect to working in the profession.”