Ripon College Days

After putting in much time and effort, five Ripon College Theatre students have been nominated to attend the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival at Illinois State University from Jan. 11-16.

Nominees include seniors Amber Kind-Keppel, and Chelsea Patti, junior Jeff Dodson, and sophomores Joe Truesdale and Lauren Rusch.

The theatre festival features many judged competitions in which actors and actresses, as well as stage managers who will compete to win a scholarship and a fellowship to participate and be recognized in an intensive acting workshop.

In order to be considered for the prestigious theatre festival, Ripon College's theatre productions must be entered into the contest.

"The play is entered into the festival and by doing so, a respondent comes to the production and gives feedback on what they saw," says Professor of Theatre and Chair of the Department Bob Amsden, "and as a part of that process there is an audition competition in the region."

After viewing the play entered into the festival, one to three students can be chosen by the director and respondent to participate in the Irene Ryan Acting Competition, one of the competitions at the festival. Kind-Keppel and Rusch, students chosen to compete from the play "Blood Wedding" are going to be accompanied by Dodson and Patti, chosen from Ripon's spring play, "Lapine Alge."

Rusch, who played the Bride in the play, was very surprised to have received the nomination. "There were a lot of really talented people in our cast and some big roles I thought everyone did an amazing job with," says Rusch.

Kind-Keppel says that just being nominated for the competition is a huge honor. "It is a competition that can go all the way to the Kennedy Center," says Ken Hill, associate professor of theatre, and director of "Blood Wedding."

Along with the individual nominations, a scene from Blood Wedding was nominated. "This means one of our scenes is nominated to be presented with a select number of other scenes from other colleges," says Hill.

After being nominated, actors and actresses must select an acting partner from Ripon to accompany them to the festival and to perform a piece with. Then they must prepare an individual monologue as well. Both of the pieces are to be ones that will bring out the best characteristics of the actor, and do not have to be from the play entered into the festival.

Kind-Keppel says this is going to be hard work. "First I have to find a piece to fit the characters I play, but portrays my strongest qualities," says Kind-Keppel, "Then I have to work hard to try and do justice to the piece."

Truesdale also is prepared for work, but not in the same manner as Kind-Keppel or Rusch. Instead of being nominated for his acting, Truesdale was the first stage manager from Ripon College to be nominated for the festival as long as Hill and Amsden have been a part of the program.

As a part of the largest and most competitive region consisting of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, it is very difficult just to make it to the semi-finals. Over 400 people compete at the event, but few move on to the next level.

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