Earlier this semester, CSU students showcased their work at the annual Region 7 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), bringing together exceptional student actors and technicians from western states.

The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival is a national theatre program with more than 20,000 participants annually. According to the organization’s website, “For 50 years, the organization has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States.”

On Feb. 17-20, more than 500 theatre students from Region 7 gathered virtually. During the nearly week-long conference, they participated in virtual workshops, attended symposia, colloquies, and professional presentations, worked with resident artists, and competed for honors, awards, and scholarships for their creative accomplishments in theatre productions staged at their schools. The KCACTF network of 700 academic institutions throughout the country includes Region 7, comprised of nine western states: Alaska, Northern California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.

At the 2021 regional festival, CSU Theatre students received many technical theatre awards, and one student received the national award in excellence. This award includes a full pass to the USITT (an association for performing artists and entertainment professionals) virtual conference, a Kennedy Center National Festival Response to their work, an online showcase on the national website, and a pass to the Broadway Stage Management Symposium.

CSU students have won top awards at KCACTF regionals for the last dozen years, and it is the fifth year in a row that they have received a National Award in Excellence in their area.

Region VII Awards:

• KCACTF National Award for Stage Management Excellence: Lauren Boesch, junior theatre major, for her work on How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel
• Regional Award for Innovation in Digital Theatre Productions Award: Sarah LePiere, junior theatre major, for her work on Concord Floral by Jordan Tannahill
• Regional Award for DTM Don Childs Cross-Discipline Collaboration Award in Set Design: Sarah LePiere, junior theatre major, for her work on Concord Floral by Jordan Tannahill
• Regional Award for DTM Don Childs Cross-Discipline Collaboration Award in Lighting Design: Anthony DeCosmo, senior theatre major, for his work on Concord Floral by Jordan Tannahill
• Regional Award for DTM Don Childs Cross-Discipline Collaboration Award in co-Lighting Design: Morgan Lessman, senior theatre major, for her work on Concord Floral by Jordan Tannahill
• An Honorable Mention in Stage Management: Katie Kinslow, senior theatre major, for her work on Boy Gets Girl by Rebecca Gilman
• The Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award: Mason Dill, senior theatre major