Several SMTD students were recognized for accomplishments in their fields at the recent Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Region 3 Festival. The 2024 Region 3 Festival – encompassing university theatre entrants from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and western Ohio – was held January 10–14 at the University of Michigan-Flint.
Donovan Rogers, Shelby Alexander, Briana Barker, Abi Farnsworth, and Diego Rodriguez earned honors at the KCACTF Region 3 Festival
Several design & production students presented at the KCACTF Region 3 festival. Elianna Krusakal (BFA ’25, design & production) presented their lighting design for Intimate Apparel, and Abi Farnsworth (BFA ’24, design & production) presented her lighting design for Guys and Dolls. Both made it to the final round, and Farnsworth won the Theatrical Design Excellence in Lighting Design, Meritorious Achievement award. Briana Barker (BFA ’24, design & production) won the stage management competition and received the Stage Management Fellowship for her work on Guys and Dolls, an honor that will take her to the national KCACTF Festival in Washington, DC, this summer.
In the dramaturgy category, Ty Amsterdam (BTA ’26) presented his work on Intimate Apparel and Shelby Alexander (BTA ’25) presented her work on The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Alexander received the LMDA/KCACTF Dramaturgy Fellowship and is a nominee for the Institute for Theatre Journalism and Advocacy. She will compete at the national level at the KCACTF Festival in Washington, DC.
Shelby Alexander earned honors in the dramaturgy category at the KCACTF Region 3 Festival
SMTD students also won awards in two different playwriting divisions: Diego Rodriguez (BFA ’24, musical theatre) won Best 10-Minute Play for his work No Me Sueltes, and Donovan Rogers (BFA ’24, theatre & drama) won Best Full-Length Play for Into the Light of the Dark Black Night.