Baker University theater students have a new sense of “what’s out there” after attending the 39th annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival last week.
“This is the first time any of our students have gone, and I think we did really well,” Assistant Professor of Theater Tom Heiman said.
The ACTF Region V competition, held in Ames, Iowa, from Jan. 21-28, featured participants from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and North and South Dakota, he said.
Students were competing for the Irene Ryan award, named for the actress who played “Granny” in “The Beverly Hillbillies” television show, Heiman said.
“No one (from Baker) got through the first round of acting,” he said. “But there were about 380 in the Irene Ryan acting competition. Only 35 were selected out of that. I think our guys were in good company.”
Heiman said adjudicators who observed the Baker productions of “Story Theater” and “A Comedy of Errors” nominated students from Baker to attend the festival.
Senior Brian Berrens, junior Hali Jewell, sophomore Nate Swihart and freshmen Bob Linebarger and Denver Little all received nominations, he said.
Berrens, who was nominated for his performance in “Story Theater,” said ACTF was rewarding for him.
“I felt pretty good about my performance. It would have been nice if I had been there before, but I decided to step in at my last chance and give it a go,” he said. “Especially for the underclassmen, it is a good opportunity to see what you’re up against. It’s hard to compare your skill level with the outside world, because Baker is so small.”
Berrens took senior Will Weyhrauch as his partner for the scene he performed, he said.
Jewell, who performed a scene from “Waiting for Lefty” with senior Cole Ridley, was also happy about Baker’s showing at the ACTF.
“I think everyone was pretty pleased with how they did. I know Cole and I were,” she said. “It’s probably the best time we’ve ever done the piece, and that’s all you can hope for.”
Aside from the acting competition, students also had the chance to audition for Summer Stock acting companies, he said. Summer stock theaters are professional companies that perform older plays during the summer.
Jewell said she auditioned and interviewed with the Brickville Village Theater and is waiting for a callback.
Heiman competed in the festival as well, in the Faculty Acting Showcase.
“I performed six pages from ‘A Final Evening with the Illuminati.’ There was one other person in the scene, and I met him when I walked on stage,” he said. “There was no rehearsal. It’s what’s called the ‘Splash Technique.'”
While ACTF had not been a top priority for Baker students in recent years, it will be in next year’s department budget, Heiman said.
Other Baker students who attended as partners or observers included senior Amanda Luthi, junior Susan Surman, sophomore Claire Norland and freshmen Jason Shipley and Justin Whittaker.