Several Southwestern College students and faculty attended the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), Region V, in Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. 17-22.  Region V comprises Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and parts of Missouri. 

According to Allyson Moon, director of the theatre program at Southwestern College, more than 1,500 students and faculty from our region of the country attended the festival which included acting, musical theatre, stage management, and design competitions, auditions and interviews for summer theatre employment.  SC students attended six full productions and two staged play readings featuring original works, and also attended many workshops and training opportunities.

Some of the highlights included:
•    Anna Rosell was a finalist in the Stage Management competition and received an honorable mention.  She also stage managed a performance of one of the 10-minute plays. 
•    Meagan Morrow and Jacob Marney auditioned at the festival and were cast and performed in the 10-minute plays.
•    Zoe Rea, Tori Fairbank, and William Wade auditioned and Rosell interviewed for summer stock and received multiple callbacks.
•    Brandi Young and a regional partner stage managed the Musical Theatre Intensive. 
•    Allyson Moon led an improvisational acting workshop for experienced performers and was a respondent for the preliminary round of the Irene Ryan Acting Competition.  Rea was nominated to the competition and Quenton Todd was her partner.  Together they competed with over 300 other nominees and their partners.  The competition has a semi-final and final round from which one team advances to the national competition. 
•    Rea and Todd also competed in the Musical Theatre Intensive.  

Other Southwestern students in attendance included: Carlene Dick, Donnie Dutton, and Matt Porter.

The festival travels to a new location every two years.  Next year, Festival 49 will be in Des Moines, Iowa.