The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Was A Blast

As the new semester begins, the DSU Theatre Program got a jumpstart
into its activities. The week of January 19th through the 25th was the annual Kennedy Center
American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region 5 conference in Des Moines, Iowa. Ten
students from Dakota State were able to attend this year and represent our program. This is the
first time in many years that DSU has attended KCACTF, and it was a brand-new learning
experience for the members who attended.
Six of the ten DSU students in attendance were involved in the Irene Ryan Acting
Scholarship competition. The Irene Ryans allows actors and their scene partners to display their
abilities for a chance to receive financial assistance in pursuing their education. Each Irene
Ryan competitor prepared a scene with a scene partner and a monologue. Each competitor
then gets a mere 4 minutes to present their scene and monologue to the judges and
responders.
Throughout the week, there were various workshops for actors, directors, and
stagehands to attend. These workshops range from “Acting Through Musical Song” to
“Introduction to ETC (Electrical Theater Controls) Programming.” Along with the plethora of
workshops, the festival included multiple “intensives” where students were able to compete
based on their singing and dancing abilities. Towards the end of the week, a showcase including
the finalists for the musical and dancing intensives was held, along with a showcase of the Irene
Ryan finalists. In addition to these showcases, certain universities from the region were invited
to bring and perform their shows. One of these shows included SDSU’s production of Fuddy
Meers.
Through all of the workshops and showcases, those in attendance have learned greatly.
Those competing in the Irene Ryans and the different intensives were able to receive responses
on improving their acting and techniques. The workshops were incredibly useful and the
information is not only beneficial to those who were able to go, but will be brought back and
shared to the rest of the theater program.