Theatre receives award at regional festival

The Midwestern State University Theatre garnered still more recognition for excellence when its production of And the Rain Came to Mayfield earned the Directors' Choice Award at the Region VI American College Theatre Festival in Amarillo February 22-27.

            The award was determined by a vote of the directors of the other five productions competing in the festival.  The Directors' Choice recognition was one of the two most prestigious awards presented at the festival.  The other award, conferred by the ACTF National Selection Committee, elevated Southeastern Louisiana University's production of Parking Lot Babies, a student-written play, to consideration for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, to be held this spring in Washington, D.C. 

Besides the Directors' Choice selection, the MSU Theatre also received two other awards at the Region VI Festival, which showcases plays selected from universities and colleges in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas.  Justen Locke, a senior theatre major, earned an Award of Meritorious Achievement in Scenic Design, and the cast and crew were recognized for the Best Load-in and Load-Out among the six competing schools.

Brandon Smith, MSU faculty member and theatre technical assistant, directed And the Rain Came to Mayfield.  The cast for the play included Trinton Williams, William Palmer, Matthew Griffin, Sydney Stockton, Kelcie Bush, Samantha Pecor, Kristi Mills, Adam Granberry, and David Henne.  Palmer also designed props for the production, and Stockton designed the costumes.  The lighting was designed by Ben McKinney and Ryne Easen.  Christie Hoang stage-managed the play.

            The Directors' Choice Award caps a string of achievements for the MSU Theatre in ACTF competition.  This marks the sixth straight time that MSU's initial entry in the American College Theatre Festival has been named for consideration for the Regional Festival, the fourth straight time that the MSU entry has made the final list of advancing and alternate plays, and the second consecutive time that MSU's production has actually advanced to the Regional.