Two UI students advance to national theater festival
For University of Idaho junior Kadin McGreevy, the opportunity to compete in a national theater competition stemmed from the friendship and camaraderie he found in UI’s Theatre Arts Department.
“Theater was never an idea of something I wanted to do for my life, until I came to college,” McGreevy said. “The only reason I know I’m in the right place is because of the family that theater is.”
McGreevy won top honors in “directing” last week at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Ellensburg, Washington, a collaborative competition among 1,100 students and faculty from nine states.
Genie Tran | Argonaut
UI junior Kadin McGreevy said he is excited to mingle with other theater students at a national theater competition in Washington D.C. McGreevy advanced to the national festival after he was named a directing finalist at the Kennedy Center for American College Theater Festival.
McGreevy, along with UI graduate student Courtney Smith who also won top honors at the festival, were invited to a national theater festival in Washington D.C., April 13-18. The festival in D.C. allows students who received acknowledgement and awards to work with other students and guest artists at a national level, McGreevy said.
The United States is divided into regions for the purposes of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. UI is in Region 7, which also includes schools from Alaska, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming and parts of northern California and Nevada. More than 60 UI students from the Theatre Arts Department competed in the festival, earning numerous awards.
McGreevy won the Stage Directing and Choreographers award for his scene from “Vigils,” featuring UI students Lo Miles, Kevin O’Connell, Dan Poppen and Michael Angelo Smith. Since winning top honors, he said he plans to attend workshops, learn from other people in his field and work with other directing students from around the country while in D.C.
At the Ellensburg festival, Smith worked on a piece that was produced in 2014 and received the Design, Technology and Management award for her work on “The Cherry Orchard,” which she will present again in D.C.
Kelly Quinnett, chair of Region 7 and UI performance manager, said UI students participated in many different events at the Ellensburg festival, including a stage directors and choreographers directing initiative, the Irene Ryan Scholarship, auditions, design and technology, stage management, scenic design, costume design and playwriting.
“It’s this concentrated, crazy, wonderful, creative week for theater artists,” Quinnett said.
Some students began preparation for the festival in November, while most began once they arrived back from Christmas break, said David Lee-Painter, UI performance professor. He said actors had to make a presentation and designers made a plan to discuss their ideas with one another.
“It’s important to us because we’re so rural,” Lee-Painter said. “It’s a chance for us to all get together with students who are similar to us, but different — it’s a chance for us to connect.”
UI has been involved with the festival since it first began in 1974. Lee-Painter said it allows students to showcase their talents, experience great opportunities and be awarded with the Irene Ryan Scholarship, an acting and performance award.
McGreevy said he never thought he would win top honors, but he is excited to travel to D.C. and converse with other theater arts students.
“You never imagine that it will work out, no matter how hard you try,” McGreevy said. “It’s much more terrifying and wonderful to try really hard, but it’s gratifying to see that it will always pay off.”
Jessica Blain can be reached at [email protected]