The past year has been far from normal in the world of theatre. With classes and performances adapting to online modalities, the next to join the virtual realm were festivals. The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region 6 completed its 53rd Festival from February 22- February 28, 2021 in a virtual format for the first time. The national theater program hosts over 18,000 students from colleges and universities around the nation as part of an initiative to improve the quality of college theatre in the United States. The festival itself recognizes, celebrates, and encourages the finest and most diverse work produced by university and college theater programs.
Outside respondents assess individual and collaborative work in a competitive environment that promotes an ever-expanding quality of theater arts, while feedback provides artists the opportunity to improve their skills. Texas Tech's regional fellow participants in the year-round program hail from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico.
This foray into virtual medium brought with it a wide variety of logistical and performance-oriented challenges. Of course, while the festival experience took a hit with students and mentors joining the festival's programming from their homes, it also opened more doors than it closed. For one, the entry cost was much lower due to decreased organization costs, making it possible for more students to submit their work for review. In addition, many more students could participate in the scheduled events with asynchronous workshops, giving them an opportunity to share in the wealth of knowledge and expertise from industry leaders. And, finally, students could self-nominate if they wanted to participate, assuring more voices and expanded experiences.
This year's festival remained a great opportunity for students to showcase their work, and in some cases offered the freedom to learn more from their attendance. Despite the extraordinary challenges, the School of Theatre & Dance truly excelled at this year's Region 6 Festival. The support of mentors from within the School of Theatre and Dance, as well as the adaptability of officials at KCACTF, made it possible for our students to not only participate, but to thrive.
We are proud to celebrate our many regional champions and national finalists! Congratulations to Elizabeth Campbell, Kelsey L. Blotter, Jonathan Lee, Bradley Hewlett, Jamison Driskill, and Samara Shavrick, who will represent Region 6 at the national festival next month.
Check out the complete list of awards and recognitions.
