Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2018 - 54

Jake Crawford, Reg 1, next to his Allied Design Display at USITT, 2015. Photo by L. Rae Robison.

then and haven't since. Twenty years
later, Ms. Greenwood was designing a
show at the Huntington Theatre in Boston where I was on staff. One day I said
to her that we had met in Washington
at ACTF. She turned and said to me, 'I
know and you won for the Commedia
show-two commedia shows won that
year.' It blew my mind that she had remembered that ATCF, which I think
was an early one. It made me feel like a
million bucks."
Rochelle Shinn (née Barker), general manager and artistic associate of
Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta and 1989
National winner in Scenic Design, remembers John Conklin's enthusiasm for
the process: "He is a pure joy: passionate, insightful, and generous with his
time and counsel. He's a fierce advocate
for the immediate theatre. His energy
fields design approach is a constant inspiration. The way to design is to design
action, not stuff."
These interactions with working
professionals are what make participation in the regional festivals so exciting
for students. Particularly for students
who are not in major metropolitan areas, the regional festival often provides
their first encounter with working designers other than their faculty members, and for faculty, these experiences

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THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

WINTER 2018

are a wonderful addition to what we can
teach in the classroom.
In recent years, Stage Management
has been added to the design areas and
has undergone a revitalization under
the direction of national coordinator,
Christopher Sadler from the University
of Oklahoma, a regularly working professional stage manager. Sadler says
that the most gratifying and important
part of KCACTF is the student participation on all levels, including presenting a production, working on the Ten
Minute Plays, attending workshops,
walking around the Expo, and interacting with others. "Students may be the
only stage manager at their school, but
at festival they can talk with both other
student stage managers and professionals," he says. "I've been told by students
and faculty alike that the regional festival experience has been an important
part of their students' education."
The design, technology, and management (DTM) faculty that lead many
of the regions often find the lines blurred
between their work with KCACTF and
their participation in USITT. Current
National Chair for DTM Rafael Jaen
says, "About seven years ago, I spearheaded a KCACTF initiative focusing
on an Allied Arts Design and Technology award. Celebrating the backstage

(student) artists that with their ingenuity and know-how can help create magic
in the theatre. It made sense that a trip
to the USITT conference would be a
worthwhile accolade and next step in
their journey. USITT has always been
welcoming of early career folks and all
aspects of design and technology, so
they were supportive right away."
Today the KCACTF Allied Arts Installation has become a fixture at the
USITT Design Expo, and every March,
KCACTF Allied Arts award recipients,
representing eight geographical regions, present their work at the conference. "At the expo, respondents from
the Stage Craft Institute of Las Vegas
(SILV), Cirque du Soleil, and VectorWorks, among others, offer feedback
and bestow the participants with further awards," Jaen adds. "The conference offers a unique opportunity for
participants to network, check internships and grad schools, learn about
new products, learn best practices, and
more. We have been fortunate to count
SILV, USITT, Barbizon, URTA, and Focal Press among the sponsors of the
activities that the students undertake
while at the conference and beyond.
Together we are investing in a brighter
future."
While the Irene Ryan acting competition at KCACTF may seem the bestknown competition, the program has
grown to include many student costume,
scenic, sound, and lighting designers, as
well as technicians and stage managers.
There is something for everyone. If your
school wants to explore the festival's opportunities in your region, please reach
out to the local chair, who will welcome
you into the Kennedy Center American
College Theatre Festival family. http://
www.kcactf.org/home/index.html.
L. Rae Robison is associate
professor and director of
theatre at Humboldt State
University. Her career spans
35 years and more than 200
productions including productions at
Humboldt State, Ferndale Repertory,
Shakespeare Orange County, University of
Central Missouri, Pasadena Playhouse, Los
Angeles Playhouse, Los Angeles Met Theatre,
Chapman University, Disney Imagineering,
Redwood Curtain Theatre, and others,
including several feature films.

http://www.kcactf.org/home/index.html http://www.kcactf.org/home/index.html

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