CofC Students Recognized at Major Theater Festival

Students in the College of Charleston’s Department of Theatre and Dance brought home several awards from the Region IV Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) last month.

The KCACTF is a national theater program involving 18,000 students annually from colleges and universities across the country. The program has created a foundation that honors excellence through awards and scholarships in arts leadership, design, technology and management, directing, dramaturgy, performance playwright, and theater journalism and advocacy. With a focus of promoting inclusion and diversity and providing opportunities as well as encouragement within the performing arts, KCACTF has given more than 400,000 college theater students the opportunity to receive national recognition and showcase their work.

The following CofC students received awards during the KCACTF festival:

Paige Bergen: KCACTF Region IV National Award in Scenic Design for In the Next Room

Mattie Davis: KCACTF Region IV Ingenuity Award for How the Vote Was Won

Ellie Ford: First Place, Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) David Weiss Regional Scenic Design for Red

Victoria Leatherman: KCACTF Region IV Vectorworks Award for Last Night and the Night Before

Jessica Shamble: First Place, SETC David Weiss Regional Lighting Design and KCACTF Region IV Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Fellowship for Antigone

In addition, Bergen was the overall Region IV winner in the Scenic Design category and will represent the region at the national festival. She was one of only eight students from across the country chosen to compete.

“To know that our students received national recognition for their excellence is an honor,” says Janine McCabe, chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance. “The representation each of them showed throughout the entire festival took hard work and dedication and I as well as the School of the Arts looks forward to more students participating in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.”