January 18, 2011

Theater students earn honors at competition

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale made a grand showing at Regionals and may well be going to the Nationals -- in theater.

Jeff Nichols, a graduate student from Liverpool, N.Y., is ready to bring his one-act play, “Red Delicious,” to Washington, D.C., for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in mid-April. “Red Delicious” was the Best One-Act Play from the Region III KCACTF festival held in early January in Michigan, and may, as a result, be part of the national festival.

Nichols was also one of a select group of playwrights to see his full-length play presented as a full production at the regional festival. Nichols’ full-length play, “Everywhere You Look,” debuted at SIUC’s laboratory theater last November.

Several other SIUC students brought home awards from the regional festival as well.

Callie Meiner, a graduate student from Marion, Best Student Director, for her work on “Unser Zuverlässiges Haus,” written by recent SIUC graduate, Kiri Palm. This short play was one of two fully staged plays from SIUC presented at the regional festival.

David Clark, a graduate student currently of Carbondale, Best Dramaturgy for his work on “Intimate Apparel,” which appeared at SIUC’s McLeod Theater last spring.

John Glazier, a graduate student from St. Cloud, Minn., honorable mention for his participation in the KCACTF Design Storm project at the regional festival.

Max Ryan, a junior from Gurnee, Ill.

Carl Herzog, a senior from Wilmore, Ky.

Regional semi-finalists in the Irene Ryan Scholarship competition, these two students were two of 30 semi-finalists from among more than 300 competitors.

For more information about SIUC’s Department of Theater, visit www.theater.siuc.edu.