Two Students Invited to National Theatre Festival in D.C.
Last week, two students from the Department of Performing Arts attended the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in Washington D.C. Both students were invited to the national festival based on their work at the Region V KCACTF conference in January in Des Moines, IA. At the regional festival, Rebekah Willey received the National Stage Management Fellowship award and Landon Hudson placed first in the Musical Theatre Intensive signing competition.
At the Region V Festival in January, Rebekah presented her stage management work from Cabaret in an hour-long interview, during which she talked through her production book and prompt books which contain everything she needed to run the show backstage. Rebekah was one of approximately 40 students who brought a stage management portfolio to the Region V festival.
Landon Hudson competed in the Musical Theatre Intensive (MTI) at the Region V Festival in Des Moines, as one of over 200 students in the MTI competition. He sang “Proud Lady” from The Baker’s Wife, and placed in the top spot after 3 rounds of competition. This top spot earned him his invitation to the national festival in Washington D.C.
During their time in D.C., both Landon and Rebekah toured national monuments, participated in workshops, attended two professional theatre productions, and networked with professionals in the industry.
Landon, who met MSU faculty at a previous Regional KCACTF conference and chose to transfer to Mankato, noted that he felt a greater appreciation for the many opportunities afforded by his chosen academic program at Minnesota State University, Mankato after his time in D.C. “It made me see how lucky we really are here to get to do some many different shows. A lot of the people I met in D.C. hadn’t ever done a single show at their school, and don’t get NEARLY as much experience as we got here. That definitely made me feel great coming back home!”
Rebekah is graduating in May with a double major in Theatre and Dance. This summer, she is headed to the Santa Fe Opera to work as a properties run crew apprentice. After that, Rebekah has a backstage job lined up with Celebrity Cruise Lines.
Pictured: (top) Rebekah Willey poses inside the Kennedy Center
(bottom) Landon Hudson (center) poses with the other MTI winners from across the country.
