When AnaSofia Villanueva”s name was called out for first place in the Society of Directors and Choreographers (SDC) Directing Initiative at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in Denver, she said knew she had accomplished something special.
The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival is an event the UI theatre department attends annually, each year with a different group of students.
University of Idaho Theatre Arts Department | Courtesy
University of Idaho students performed at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Denver last week.
Matt Foss, assistant professor of theatre arts attended this year”s KCACTF with the more than 60 UI students.
“It”s open to all our students,” Foss said. “We have students from the music department, theatre department, dance department, art department all who go with us who are part of our ensemble here.”
As of this year, UI”s theatre department is composed of three-time national winners.
“It”s whittled down to 16 finalists for an acting scholarship,” Foss said. “Out of those 16 finalists we had seven, so almost 50 percent, and of those seven, our students won a number of awards.”
Villanueva directed a scene from “Salvador Dali Makes Me Hot” by Jose Rivera.
“The feel of the play feels like being in Puerto Rico. I”ve lived in Puerto Rico,” Villanueva said. “It”s the most beautiful and ugly place in the world. I think that”s what this play is. It”s this beautiful juxtaposition of ugliness and beauty.”
Villanueva said being awarded first place was a humbling experience, but that she also felt strange not accepting the award alongside the cast of the play.
“It was incredibly humbling,” Villanueva said. “It really was hard going up there without the actors, it was our story.”
Villanueva, a UI senior, who has been involved with theatre for 15 years, said she and the cast members only had about two weeks to work on the piece, which meant working more efficiently for long hours.
“(The scene) deals with how service, being in the military, affects families and relationship dynamics the lack of communication that can create” Villanueva said. “The community, a sense of community, and the way in which it is such a revolutionary art form – it”s a way of having a voice in such a beautiful, amazing and powerful way.”
Emily Melgard, UI senior and theatre arts major, earned first place in stage management at KCACTF. She won for UI”s production of “Cymbeline,” which was performed nine times last spring.
Melgard said “Cymbeline,” which revolves around forbidden love, fighting between two countries and lost siblings in disguise, is like a combination of Shakespeare”s favorite things wrapped up in one play. Melgard, who had never stage-managed a main stage production at UI prior to “Cymbeline,” said being a stage manager is like being the composer of a show. The job requires her to organize cast members as well as deal with lighting and sound.
Villanueva and Melgard will both be attending the National KCACTF conference in Washington, D.C., April 11-16.
“I”m just excited to go and meet other people who love doing theatre and have an opinion on how to do and see what we can work with it,” Melgard said.
Along with Villanueva and Melgard, UI won awards and scholarships in other categories, including Outstanding Musical Theatre Performance and Regional Semi-finalist for the John Cauble Short Play Award.
Alex Brizee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @alex_brizee