WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Jan. 21, 2015 — It might be time for America’s Oscars but the West Liberty University campus is celebrating the school’s performance at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The Region II festival took place in Cleveland, Jan. 2 – 6, 2015.
“While we have been pleased with our successes at prior festivals, this year was exceptional. One of our students won the regional level of the Student-Directing Initiative and will go and compete at the national conference,” said Michael L. Aulick, associate professor of theatre.
Senior Jaccob Trifonoff is the student who earned the right to compete at the nationals, to be held in April. He is a theatre major from Steubenville, Ohio and directed a scene from Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame.”
“I’m really excited. It’s a huge opportunity for me to compete. About 1,800 students are in our region and only 130 or so from the whole country compete, so I can’t wait,” Trifonoff said.
Jedidiah Shook and Alexandra Franke, both of Wheeling and Geena Diomedi, Steubenville, Ohio, were the actors that Trifonoff directed in this competition.
“I was lucky that I had such talented and dedicated friends who wanted to be part of the experience,” Trifonoff said.
“Not only will Jake get to work with and be mentored by some of the best directing teachers in the country, but he may earn a grant to fund his next production, attain any number of professional directing internships, be selected to shadow a Broadway director in NYC, and may get scholarships for MFA directing programs,” said Aulick.
In addition to the success with the Student-Directing Initiative, WLU had a student reach the regional finals in the Irene Ryan Acting competition. Theater major Maggie Dillon, who is from Athens, W.Va., made the finals at the festival.
“She is one of just 16 young actors selected out of 228 participants in the six states in our region to be named an Irene Ryan finalist,” Aulick said. Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Northwest New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, Washington D.C. and West Virginia make up Region II.
“This is Maggie’s second year in a row getting to finalist status. Three years ago, it was Cassie Hackbart who achieved this honor, so it’s easy to see that West Liberty has represented well for three years in a row!” said Aulick. Maggie’s performance partner was senior Doug Gouldsberry of Moundsville, W.Va.
Other WLU students participated in various aspects of the festival.
Maura Reiff, Martinsburg, W.Va., took part in the New Playwright’s Project and was selected to shadow Janice Goldberg (NYU faculty widely known in the theatre world). Zoe Poindexter, Shepherdstown, W.Va. and Alexandria Glotfelty, Cumberland, Md., were selected to compete in the Irene Ryan competition (with their scene partners). Additionally, students attended many workshops, speakers and performances.
“As I think about what our students have accomplished, as individuals and a program, I am overwhelmed. We have had a few hurdles this year and the fact that they still excelled is truly a testament to their focus and positive attitude,” Aulick added.
The national competition is held at the Kennedy Center.
The KCACTF is a year-round program in eight geographic regions in the United States. With funding and administrative support from the Kennedy Center, regional administrations coordinate all aspects of the production on the local and regional level and supervise regional-level KCACTF award, scholarship and residency programming.
In January and February of each year, regional festivals showcase the finest of each region’s entered productions and offer a wide range of activities, including workshops, symposia, and regional-level scholarship and award programs.
The WLU Theatre Program is part of the university’s College of Arts and Communication. In addition to offering coursework, the program maintains an aggressive production season.
The Hilltop Players typically produce four to five main stage productions a year, the next one being, “Under Milk Wood,” opening on Feb. 12. For more information, please visit westliberty.edu/theater or call 1-866-WestLib.