Hello K-State Theatre Students,
We are already moving into the third week of the semester, so here are three updates. I just want to say how energizing it has been to be back in Nichols Hall. After a fall sabbatical, I have returned feeling refreshed, recharged, and genuinely excited about the work happening here. Thanks, Joelle, for filling in for me so wonderfully. If you are a first-year student and have no idea who the heck I am, please stop by my office and introduce yourself. I would love to meet you.
Part I: ACTF Recognition — Congratulations!
I want to begin by celebrating the outstanding work our students were recognized for at this year’s American College Theater Festival in Rochester, Minnesota. These achievements reflect the talent, discipline, and creativity of this program.
ACTF Recognitions
- Dominic Moore – Selected as the Region 5 Institute for Theatre Journalism and Advocacy Fellow
- Kendall Pullum – Entered the Design Expo and received Regional Recognition for Patterning: Rendering to Reality
- Emmett Spaw – Recipient of the Outstanding Undergraduate Full-Length Play Award for THE WELL-LIT SHADOW
Tigers Be Still Recognitions
Certificates of Meritorious Achievement were awarded to:
- Mackenzie Brown – Direction
- Sarah Troyn – Sound Design
- Daphne Crews – Lighting Design
Irene Ryan Acting Nominations
- Madeline Vanderiet
- Dominic Moore
A heartfelt thank you as well to Pat, AnnDee, and James for the faculty support they provided on this trip. These recognitions are a big deal and you should all be proud of your colleagues.
Part II: Student-Driven Theatre — The Well-Lit Shadow
Please come support one of the best examples of what K-State Theatre stands for:
The Well-Lit Shadow
Written by Emmett Spaw
Directed by Cheyenne Niblack
Purple Masque Theatre
Friday, February 6 at 7:30 pm
This is bold, original, student-driven theatre made by your peers, exactly the kind of work we hope to inspire and cultivate. Emmett, Cheyenne, and the cast have done wonderful work. Show up for them.
You will also notice that many students and faculty are simultaneously deep in rehearsal for the upcoming opera, The Merry Wives of Windsor. The amount of creative activity across the school right now is genuinely exciting.
Part III: Hamilton, Opportunities, and Showing Up
I also want to speak briefly about our upcoming Kansas City trip to see Hamilton, which is being offered to students for free. Faculty were disappointed by how few students submitted interest for what is, frankly, an extraordinary opportunity.
Our relationship with Thomas Kail, the director of Hamilton, is extremely rare. Some of you saw the Broadway production on our last Thomas Kail–sponsored New York City trip in honor of K-State alum Nathan Jackson. If you want to know what that experience was like, speak with Dominic, GeriAnne, Tess, Daphne, or Sarah. Hamilton is a total theatre event: acting, directing, choreography, design, and storytelling all operating at the highest professional level.
So yes! If reading this has made you feel even a little bit guilty about missing out, go ahead and get an application in as soon as possible. We would much rather have you there than not. If you want to join us, send me an email dbmackay@ksu.edu
Let us support the program, support one another, and stay open to these remarkable opportunities. They are part of what makes this theatre community special.
I hope to see many of you Friday night at The Well-Lit Shadow.
Warmly,
David
PS It’s partly cloudy on Groundhog Day. How does that work. Three more weeks of winter? I hate rodents in charge of winter.