Unprecedented Award Success for Utah State University Theatre Arts Students

Theatre arts design students at Utah State University swept top honors at the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival Regional VIII competition held Feb. 8-13 in St. George, Utah. USU students took first place honors in set, light, costume and makeup design — four of the five award categories. A USU student won the second place award in costume design as well.

 

“We are so very proud of our students,” said Nancy Hills, associate professor of costume design. “We always expect them to excel, but to sweep the awards is a pretty amazing accomplishment.”

 

The regional award winners, by award category, now move on to the national competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The USU winners include Jennifer Stapley-Taylor, scenic design, Sweeney Todd; Anthony Johnson, lighting design, Issun Bôshi; Brandee Jenks, costume design, Issun Bôshi; and Molly Hill, makeup design, Sweeney Todd. Lindsay Keller took second place in costume design for The Glass Menagerie.

 

“I congratulate our theatre arts students for this impressive accomplishment,” said Craig Jessop, theatre arts department head. “It acknowledges the remarkable talent at Utah State University and the opportunities provided to our students. The theatre arts department has a long history of providing hands-on learning experiences for its students, many at the undergraduate level, who are gaining real-world, professional experience even before they graduate. These opportunities are made possible with the support of our fine faculty mentors. Congratulations to all.”

 

In the competition, students presented visual representations of their work through conceptual drawings and renderings, as well as photographs of the actual performance. They gave an oral presentation to the judges, articulating their design ideas and the execution of the project. A panel of judges gave awards based on the presentation and the quality of the design. Only those who received first-pace honors advance to compete nationally at the Kennedy Center.

 

“We’re not only excited that their work was recognized, but because this opens up a new educational experience, introduces them to top designers, will be on their resume, will help them get jobs and opens doors that may have been closed to them before,” said Dennis Hassan associate professor of scenic design at USU.

 

For information about USU’s Theatre Arts Department, contact the department at 435-797-3046. Registration information for potential students is available online at the department’s Web site (http://theatre.usu.edu/).

 

 

Writer: Cami Carlson, Caine School of the Arts, 435-797-9203, cami.carlson@aggiemail.usu.edu