Galveston College Theatre Department students and faculty recently participated in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) at the Abilene Convention Center in Abilene, Texas, where they collaborated with other college and university students.
The KCACTF is a national organization which celebrates the educational and creative process of university and college theatre. The organization promotes professional standards and provides students and faculty with opportunities to bridge the academic and professional worlds, and honors achievements in diversity and excellence and encourages experiences in all areas of theatre. The KCACTF Region 6 Theatre Festival includes colleges and universities within Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.
“It is such a privilege to be supported by our administration and college which provides our students with the opportunity to attend this prestigious collegiate theatre festival,” said Liz Lacy, Galveston College program coordinator of the Performing Arts. “Although the Galveston College Theatre Department is small compared to other colleges and universities represented at the festival, the Galveston College students performed exceptionally well.”
Lacy, who is a Member at Large on the KCACTF Region 6 Committee, and fellow GC faculty member, Eric P. Holm, accompanied GC students Eva Arita, Daniel Bourque, Chad Keith and Carson Sims at the festival.
Keith was selected as the Irene Ryan Acting Nominee Award Recipient from the GC Theatre Department’s fall production of “Melville & Hawthorne.” He performed one scene and two monologues for this acting competition.
“It’s an honor to have been selected for this award and I’m proud to have represented Galveston College well,” said Keith. “The festival was a great experience and I’m looking forward to implementing what I learned at the festival in the classroom and in future productions at the college.”
During the festival, GC students participated in numerous activities, including the on-site Devised Initiative. The on-site activity consisted of collaborating with students from other colleges, under the supervision of Slade Billew from Stephen F. Austin University and Daniel Anderson from Angelo State University, to create an original devised performance based on the prompt, “The physics concepts of Magnetic Fields.” This piece, along with three other devised performances, were presented at the end of the festival.
GC students also auditioned for the Ten-Minute Play Festival with more than 100 students from other colleges and two received roles. Arita was cast in the role of Laura in “Fermata Breve” by Adam Harris from Texas Tech University and Sims was cast in the role of Corpse in “DEATH and Other Temporary Misguidances” by S.A. Ellis from Texas State University. These short plays were one of six winning scripts of The National Playwriting Program and were presented on the final day of the festival.
In addition, the GC group attended six plays, musical theatre presentations, staged play readings and attended at least three workshops a day on various topics including acting, playwriting, directing and various technical topics.
For more information about the Galveston College Drama/Theatre program, please contact Galveston College Program Coordinator for the Performing Arts, Liz Lacy, at [email protected].
ABOUT GALVESTON COLLEGE
Galveston College was founded in 1967 and is a comprehensive community college providing the residents of Galveston Island and the surrounding region with academic, workforce development, continuing education and community service programs.