A&M-Kingsville theatre students attend regional college theatre festival

There is much more to theatre than acting and for nine theatre student from Texas A&M University- Kingsville that’s a lesson they learned extensively during the Region VI Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Amarillo Feb.23-27.

There, students learned the ropes of all facets of theatre - from set design and acting to the business side of theatre and professional theatre unions. Assistant professor Corey Ranson said the experience hammered home lessons students learn every day in the classroom.

“The American College Theater Festival focuses on the professional business of theatre,” Ranson said. “It is a celebration of student theatre and work, with responses from professional actors, designers and technicians from the real world of theatre.”

Students received a full range of experience at the festival from attending eight full theatre productions, to a variety of workshops, including those that promote theatre as a career.

“Here in South Texas we are not surrounded by theatre, so the mentality of some students is either teach or go to Broadway,” Ranson said. “Our country is filled with a huge regional professional circuit of theatres that employ and pay professional theatre artists. Unfortunately, some of our students do not know that.”

Additionally, three students — senior theatre arts major Cassandra Clarke of Three Rivers, freshman theatre arts major Marcus Perez of Bishop and theatre arts graduate Heraclio Gonzalez of Kingsville— were selected to compete in Irene Ryan Auditions for scholarships.

The students were nominated based on their performance in the fall production of Dead Man’s Cell Phone at A&MKingsville.

After auditions, four students were cast to perform in the 10-minute play festival and one-act play readings.

Students also had the opportunity to visit with representatives from various graduate and internship programs.

“Theatre is a networking business and we have established the face of A&M-Kingsville in the regional market,” Ranson said, adding that the trip also provided the A&MKingsville program with an opportunity to promote itself among junior college students who also attended the festival.