Theater group headed to Cali
San Bernardino, Calif. This sunny, southern city would be appealing to any Utah State University student in the month of February.
But this town is especially tempting 25 theater arts students, and it is not because they want to lie on the beach.
From Feb. 10 to 15 USU theater arts actors, staff and crew will be participating in the Region VIII competition of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). A local production, “Anton in Show Business,” by Jane Martin will be performed and adjudicated. Another non-participating, 10-minute scene from “Beaux Stratagem,” will also be invited to perform.
“Utah State hosted this festival at this time last year,” said Colin Johnson, department head of theater arts. “We are pleased to be a part of a program that recognizes theater production at USU.”
One or more of the shows at the festival can be picked to go to the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Johnson said.
“They [the students] are going to this regional festival to compete with UNLV, ASU and other big entertainment schools,” said Bruce Duerden, lighting designer and technical director for the theater arts department.
The complete show, “Anton in Show Business” has a big possibility to go to D.C., he said. This will be valuable to the students to be seen by a national and regional audience, Duerden said. It is all about exposure to the outside people so they can get scholarships and jobs, he said.
“‘Anton’ will show well because it is about entertainment really, it stretches the actresses beyond their age capabilities,” he said.
The festival in February is really a wonderful opportunity for students to attend the workshop and to see what else is happening in performance, said Adrianne Moore, a professor in theater at USU.
“‘Anton in Show Business'” is set in Antonio, Texas, and consists of seven women who are required to play several characters, from a young innocent actress to a Hollywood starlet.
“The play has funny and wonderful lines, and is aimed at the world of play and the roll of entertainment and theater,” Moore said.
“The play speaks to the theater crowd and world,” said Mindy McKinnon, a student actress in the production, and a theater education major.
“It is well-written and appeals to people and has a good message,” she said.
Jessica Dilley, a student actress in the production and a theater education major, said, “The actresses put in a tremendous amount of work in the show when it opened in September in Logan.
“It is an honor for us to get selected to go,” she said. “The play wasn’t received well by the community.”
“The actresses did an amazing job and it is nice to get positive feedback,” Dilley said. “The director’s insight got the play to this point. She had faith in the show and knew what she wanted.”
“She had a real vision and we hope to be able to fulfill this,” Dilley said.
The production is being partially funded by Gary Kiger, the dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Johnson said.
-syllee@cc.usu.edu