ISU Theatre students and faculty earn top honors at American College Theatre Festival, Region 5

Two Iowa State University students earned national finalist awards at the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF) Region 5 conference, held Jan. 18 – 24, in Rochester, Minnesota.

Fiona Addy (’26 performing arts) is the ACTF Region 5 national finalist in directing. Kyrstin Holmes (’26 graphic design with performing arts minor) is the ACTF Region 5 national finalist in dramaturgy. Addy and Holmes will represent Iowa State at the national ACTF celebration this April.

ACTF is a national organization that celebrates and encourages excellence in college and university theatre across the country. The Region 5 conference included over 1,300 college and university students and faculty from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Missouri, with 75 different colleges and universities represented.

In addition to Addy and Holmes, 45 Iowa State students and five Iowa State faculty members attended the Region 5 conference, many of whom also received honors and awards.

Callie Server (’26 mechanical engineering, performing arts) and Amelia Shafer (’27 scientific illustration and visualization, performing arts) won the regional award for technical projects. Taylor Chiappetta (’26 senior in apparel merchandising and design with a minor in performing arts) received recognition for her work as assistant costume designer for ISU Theatre’s production of “Urinetown.”

The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship auditions and Musical Theatre Intensive are the festival’s most popular events, with 350 participants each. Iowa State had numerous students advance to the final and semi-final rounds of both events:

• Irene Ryan final round – Caden McCoy (’27 performing arts) and partner Zander Hamilton (’27 performing arts)
• Irene Ryan semi-final round – Scout Kuehn (’27 performing arts), Abi Keeton (’28 performing arts), Zander Hamilton (’28 performing arts), Jett Tyler (’29 performing arts), and Ben Jubeck (’28 dietetics)
• Musical Theatre Intensive final round – Melina Murrane (’27 music), Canaan Richardson (’28 elementary education), Walker Thomas (’28 performing arts), Mia Nollett (’26 environmental science), and Devon TeKolste (’26 performing arts) were selected to perform in the Musical Theatre Intensive Finals.
• Musical Theatre Intensive semi-final round – Zander Hamilton (’28 performing arts), Asia-Danielle Keane (’26 performing arts), Scout Kuehn (’27 performing arts), Grant Wilson (’27 music), and Isabella Vanden Berge (’29 animal science)

Additional honors earned by Iowa State faculty and staff included the selection of Mady Ney (’28 performing arts) as director of an original ten-minute play performed at the festival. Jax Martin (’28 architecture) and Joseph Endicot (’28 performing arts) were cast and performed in the ten-minute play.

Emma Lea Wearling (’26 apparel merchandising and design) displayed her costumes for ISU Theatre’s production of “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” during the invite-only Region 5 costume parade. Iowa State Costume Shop Supervisor Doris Nash was recognized with the Road Warrior Award for being an outstanding production respondent.

Brad Dell, chair of the department of music and theatre, is the national chair of the American College Theatre Festival and a past chair of Region 5. Teaching Professor Kelly Marie Schaefer serves Region 5 as the hospitality coordinator and past chair of design, technology, and management for Region 5.

ACTF’s mission statement states that “through regional and national festivals, ACTF participants celebrate the creative process; see one another’s work, and share experiences and insights within the community of theater artists. ACTF honors the excellence of overall productions and offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, directing, and design. Region 5’s festival includes competitions, workshops, and exhibitions in all areas of theatre, including acting, directing, playwriting, leadership, journalism, design, dramaturgy, and technical theatre.”

Iowa State has previously hosted the festival in Ames in 1999, 2007, 2011, and 2012.