Theatre Division About Town:
Acting, Singing, Dancing . . .Taking It Seriously!
for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf
There’s been a lot going on campus but, recently, there has been a lot happening off campus, too, especially, in the Theatre Arts Division!
To begin with, the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), Region 1 Festival # 52 was conducted at Cape Cod Community College this year and invited the production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf to perform in January. This is an amazing honor and a true testament to the hard work and real talent of the Five Towns College students who comprised the cast and crew. Theatre Division Chair Dr. David Krasner had been waiting for just the right student body to cast in this amazing production written by Ntozake Shange, directed in the PAC by Lisa Strum, and choreographed by Hali Bekofsky..
Together with other faculty, eight truly extraordinary women were cast in the lead roles and since November, they have received endless and high praise for their performances. The recognition by the KCACTF is the ultimate salute to a professional, moving and incredible production on all accounts! Congratulations again to the faculty, students, and cast and crew!!
for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf
Also, noteworthy from the KCACTF Region 1 Festival was that FTC student Jon Larke-Murphy won the Maltby Award for Musical Theatre. The competition was tough with 42 candidates from various schools in the region, narrowed down to 16 semi-finalists with Jon as the winner. He is now eligible to participate in the National Festival in early April- so, hats off to him and Professor Ron Land for this accomplishment!
Professor Land and Jon Larke-Murphy
Equally impressive was the high accolades for the students in the Theatre Design Technology program. Here’s the list of winners–
In the Design, Technology, and Management area:
- Brittany McKittrick: Achievement in Stage Management (Recognition)
- Brianna Coccia: Achievement in Sound Design (Recognition) and placed for Allied Stagecraft and Design for Sound Design (Will be flown to Las Vegas for training)
- Ian Rouillard: placed for Allied Stagecraft and Design for Sound Design (Will be flown to Las Vegas for training)
- Steven Velasquez: placed for Excellence in Scenic Design and will be flown to Washington D.C. for representation at the Kennedy Center and also to Las Vegas for continued training
- Dylan Bartlett: certificates of merit in Technical Direction & excellence in the Tech Olympics
Continuing on the road, the Theatre Division Design Technology students and faculty embarked on a trip to Massachusetts to attend Stage Source, a technical exhibition where students got to connect with professionals in the field and explore opportunities. This was the second time they made this trip and the feedback was extremely positive.
Theater Tech students at Stage Source
Last, but certainly, not least, the Theatre Division students under the tutelage of Professor
Ron Land ventured into Manhattan to participate in the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc. (NATS-NYC) regional auditions. Professor Land provided the following report:
- Kate Brady received First Prize in her category, Upper College Musical Theatre – as well as the Marni Nixon award, named after the distinguished soprano.
- Madison Keith, was Second Prize in the same category.
- Recent graduate, Peter Tarantino, won Second Prize in the Adult Musical Theatre category.
- Shannon Tarkington won Third Prize in the Lower College Musical Theatre category.
- Paul Chahfe, Josh Credle, Andrew Culbreath, Victoria Kay, and Jonathan Larke-Murphy also participated.
Recently, an online article by Michelle J. Evans appeared in performerstuff.com entitled, “Top College Theatre Programs You Might Not Know, but Should; Part 2, the Northern US Schools.”
Michelle is not only an author but is a professional acting and college audition coach, too. She included the Theatre Arts program at Five Towns College as the fifth on her list of these top college theatre programs. Here’s what she had to say:
MY EXTRAS: Five Towns is a college that solely focuses on music, business, education, media, and the performing arts. With these focuses, they have garnered a college that is centered around the entertainment industry and supplying students with means necessary to help them grow.
https://performerstuff.com/mgs/%E2%80%8Btop-college-theatre-programs-you-might-not-know-but-should-part-2-the-northern-us-schools/
To learn more about the Theatre Division curriculum, go here: https://www.ftc.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/theatre-arts/
To read about the KCACTF, go here: http://kcactfregion1.org/about/
To read about the NATS-NYC, go here: https://www.natsnyc.org
To read about Stage Source, go here: https://www.stagesource.org
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