Theatre UCF is pleased to announce that students from UCF received high honors at the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Region IV Festival. The festival was held at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach at the beginning of February.
The Region IV Festival showcases the top productions and students from universities and colleges in a nine-state area.
UCF students brought home honors in Scenic Design (Benson Knight, first place), Playwriting (Bryant Hernandez, first place), Costume Design (Melissa Palomino, Meritorious Achievement), Dramaturgy (RK Barringhaus, Runner Up), and Stage Management (Jasmin Holton, Alternate).
Benson Knight will be representing UCF at the Kennedy Center Festival in Washington, D.C. in April. He was nominated for his work on the Spring 2011 production of Vinegar Tom.
"KC/ACTF offers a lot of amazing opportunities," says Knight. "I had some great conversations with the respondents in Region IV and I look forward to meeting the other judges at the national level. You never know what design opportunities those relationships might lead to. It's also a great opportunity to meet some amazing student designers who [we] will work with for the rest of our careers. Who knows what the future will bring?"
Bryant Hernandez will work with the Theatre Department to produce his one-act play, Last Chance, next fall and the production will be presented at the 2013 Festival. Having his work presented, Hernandez says, "gives me confidence in my voice as a playwright. I hope to have this play published in the future."
Theatre UCF had fourteen pairs of students compete in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition. UCF had more students invited to compete for the Irene Ryan award than any other university in the region.
Allison Walter with Kristin Shoffner; Kayla Zaniboni with Kurt Muilenburg; Jessica Booth with Jason Nettle; Gracie Winchester with Jason Nettle; and Rachel Schimenti with Laura Adams were advanced to the second round. Of those, two pairs (Kayla Zaniboni with Kurt Muilenburg and Gracie Winchester with Jason Nettle) progressed to the final round.
Due to budget cuts, full productions are not invited to the 2012 Washington, D.C., festival but will be eligible for awards. The productions were reviewed and any awards will be announced in April. Theatre UCF’s production of Gem of the Ocean was presented to a full house and was very well received by the adjudicators.
Photo from Vinegar Tom, scenic design by Benson Knight. Photo by Tony Firriolo.
