241 MTSU STUDENTS NET NOMINATIONS IN PRESTIGIOUS THEATER CONTEST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 18, 2008
CONTACT: Jeff Gibson, (615) 898-5916

MTSU STUDENTS NET NOMINATIONS IN PRESTIGIOUS THEATER CONTEST
MTSU Faculty Member McGilliard Garners Directing Nomination for ‘Romeo & Juliet’

(MURFREESBORO)—An Intervention from God, an award-winning play by MTSU senior Jayme M. Smith, a theatre major from Liberty, Tenn., will be one of five showcased productions set for performance at the Region IV presentation of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) on Feb. 5-10 at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Jeff Gibson, assistant professor of speech and theatre at MTSU and Region IV chairman for KCACTF, said, “We are so pleased that Jayme's play is being recognized with its presentation at the festival. Her work is a great representation of our program and its talented students.”
The showcased productions will be considered for an all-expense paid trip to the national festival April 14-20 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., to be performed. A national selection team will choose a total of from four to six productions, taken from eight regions across the country, for showcase at the Kennedy Center. In addition to the chance to perform with peers in Washington, the students will also be candidates for a host of scholarships and awards.
While the KCACTF honors excellence in overall production, Gibson noted, individual students are also recognized for excellence in specific categories. Awards will be announced at the Kennedy Center during the national festival.
MTSU students nominated for individual awards at the regional festival
include the following Irene Ryan Award acting nominees: Matthew Frazier-Smith of Nashville and Murfreesboro’s Georgia Hemrick for Kid Icarus; Justin Bourdet of Murfreesboro and Franklin resident Paige Hall for Ramona Quimby; Ashland City native Estelle Hatcher and Valerie Meek of Smyrna for The Country Wife; Leah Fincher of Bells, Tenn., and Vance McCarty of Knoxville for Mother Courage and Her Children; Dustin Napier of Lebanon and Alli Scott of Murfreesboro for Romeo and Juliet; and David Bennett for An Intervention from God.
Franklin native Paige Hall also was nominated for a stage management award for her work with Romeo and Juliet, while Katrina Stanifer of Lexington, Tenn., was nominated for a Barbizon Costume Design Award and an Alcone Makeup Award for her work with Kid Icarus. Pleasantview, Tenn., native Hunter Raymond also was nominated for a Barbizon Lighting Design Award for his work with The Country Wife. Speech and theatre professor Dale E. McGilliard also was nominated for a faculty directing award for his work on Romeo and Juliet.
In addition to Gibson, MTSU faculty working with the Region IV festival includes speech and theatre professors Deborah Anderson (playwriting chairwoman) and M. Crosby Hunt (regional director of the National Critics Institute).
For more information about the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, please visit www.kcactf4.org.

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