January 19, 1995: Vol26n13: UB will host Kennedy Center/College Theatre Festival

By LISA WILEY
News Bureau Staff
The Department of Theatre and Dance at UB will host the 27th annual
Region II Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival from
Jan. 17-22. The six-day program, one of eight regional festivals being
held across the country, will include workshops, competitions and
scholarships for talented theater students.
	Co-sponsored by the UB Faculty of Arts and Letters and the
Center for the Arts, the festival is expected to draw more than 100
artists and performers from 50 institutions throughout New York,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
	It will showcase five of the finest productions submitted by
these institutions. Tickets to the performances, which are open to the
public, cost $5. All performances, except for "Brother in Boston,"
will take place in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts.
	Performance highlights include: 
	  	"The Chalk Circle," a new adaptation of Brecht's work,
to be presented by students from Buffalo State College at 7:30 p.m. on
Thursday, Jan. 19.
	  	"On Final Approach," a new script about women pilots
in World War II by Phylis Ward, to be presented by Hofstra University
at noon on Friday, Jan. 20.
	  	"The Seagull," a strong production of a classic, to be
presented by Syracuse University at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20.
	  	"Our Country's Good," a modern play set in an 18th
century Austrian prison colony, to be presented by Siena College at
noon on Saturday, Jan. 21.
	  	"An Odyssey," an irreverent look at Homer's classic,
to be presented by Gannon University at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21.
 	  	"Brother in Boston," to be presented by Georgetown
University at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, Drama Theatre.
	In addition to the performances, the festival features student
workshops, to be held in the Center for the Arts. Highlights include:
	  	"Shakespearean Monologues," 3:30-5:30 p.m., Thursday,
Jan. 19, Rehearsal Workshop. From 'Et tu Brute?' through 'The Winter
of our Discontent,' Michael MacCauley will present individual
monologue work with a focus on the text and specificity of language
and sounds.
 	  	"Stand-Up and Sit Down," 4:30-5:20 p.m., Thursday,
Jan. 19, Dance Studio 82. Learn how to curtsey in a corset! Tressa
Crehan, UB lecturer in theatre and dance, will teach period movement
for theater from the Elizabethan era to the 1960s.
	  	"Acting for the Camera," 9-9:50 a.m., Friday, Jan. 20,
Black Box Theatre. Drew Kahn of Buffalo State College will teach
students how to make the transition from the stage to the screen by
adapting acting techniques from the stage for television and film
work.
	  	"Acting Out Dreams," 9-9:50 a.m., Friday, Jan. 20,
Rehearsal Workshop. Richard Mennen, UB professor of theatre and dance,
will teach participants how to manipulate dreams into viable solo
performances for stage.
	  	"Acting the Fight - Beyond Stage Combat," 10-10:50
a.m., Saturday, Jan. 21, Dance Studio 82. Barbara Burgess will teach
the basics of unarmed stage combat. Participants will learn how to
"put up their dukes" and strengthen both sides of the performance.
	  	"Distressing on a Budget," 2:30-3:20 p.m., Friday,
Jan. 20, Crafts Room. Janet Susseman and Greg West will teach students
how to achieve the grunge look, demonstrating innovative techniques on
how to age and distress costumes and fabric.
	  	"Improvisation with a Scenario," 3:30-5:20 p.m.,
Saturday, Jan. 21, Rehearsal Workshop. David Zarko of C.W. Post will
lead a hands-on session of creating scenarios. Participants will learn
how to build a performance through improvisation using traditional
scenarios of commedia dell'arte.
	The Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival (KC/ACTF)
was founded to encourage and recognize the finest work in American
university theater production. Since the festival began, more than 15
million theatergoers have attended approximately 8,000 festivals
nationwide, with more than 132,000 college theater students
participating.
	The best and most-diverse performances from the eight regional
festivals will be featured this spring at the national festival at the
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
	In addition to UB, KC/ACFT regional sites include the
University of Wisconsin, Green Bay; University of Nebraska, Lincoln;
University of North Carolina, Greensboro; University of Oregon, Eugene
and Lane Community College; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville;
Regis College, Weston, Mass., and Glendale Community College,
Glendale, Calif.
	The regional and national festivals also include presentations
of awards and scholarships. The Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards are
given to student writers whose works are produced as part of
KC/ACTF. The Irene Ryan Scholarship Award for Excellence in Acting is
presented to outstanding performers at the regional festivals.
	In addition, KC/ACTF offers a national scholarship in
association with the National Critics Institute. One student from each
of the regions is nominated for the award. The national winner will
attend a playwriting conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center
in Waterford, Conn.