AC Theatre Arts students wrap up a highly commendable Fall Semester
It was a highly commendable Fall Semester for students and faculty in the Theatre Arts program at Amarillo College.
The storied AC program presented two shows during the semester – a musical called The Mad Ones, and the play Summer and Smoke – and both received high praise and commendations from regional representatives of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF).
In fact, both productions have additionally entered the discussion for possible presentation at the KCACTF Region 6 festival in February at Abilene, a consideration not extended to multiple shows at AC since 2010, according to program coordinator Ray Newburg.
“Regardless as to whether a show gets presented there next spring or not, to be considered is a high honor,” Newburg said. “Our students this Fall Semester have represented Amarillo College extremely well.”
Six students received KCACTF regional commendations for TheatreAC’s presentation of the The Mad Ones (Oct. 5-8), three of whom were nominated for the prestigious Irene Ryan Acting Competition: Emmy Errington, Taylor Skidmore and Brionna Todd. Other Region 6 commendations went to Kyle Roberson for Acting; Jaylin Hendrix for Stage Management; and Ashton Flores for Lighting Design.
Additionally, even before their participation in The Mad Ones, Roberson (for Acting) and Joshua Hodge (Design/Tech/Management) captured Founders Scholarships valued at $4,000 each, which were presented in September by the Texas Educational Theater Association (TxETA). They received the scholarships, which can be used at any Texas theatre school next year, while attending and auditioning at the TxETA’s TheatreFest, to which university theatre department faculty recruiters traditionally flock.
More recently, TheaterAC presented Tennessee Williams’s classic play Summer and Smoke (Dec. 7-10), and it too had three KCACTF Region 6 Irene Ryan Acting Competition nominees: Zoey Cain, Austin Pounds and Gracie Richardson.
It was a banner Fall Semester for TheaterAC; however, much more entertainment and opportunity lie ahead at AC’s Experimental Theater in the new year. TheaterAC will present The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman Feb. 22-25; and a musical chronicling the story of America’s first women soldiers called The Hello Girls April 26-27 and May 2-4.