Christie Stordeur (left), playing Eleanor in the upcoming WSU theatre production of “Passion,” has tea with her alter-ego Nell (Bethany Hart).
PULLMAN – WSU theatre majors Christie Stordeur (with her acting partner, Zachary Magan) and Andrea Gonzales will travel to Washington, D.C., in April to compete at the national Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF).
Stordeur and Gonzales were winners at KCACTF Region 7 festival competitions held last month in Laramie, Wyo., for acting and directing, respectively.
A senior from Richland, Wash., Stordeur earned one of 16 Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships awarded at regional competitions. The awards celebrate the nation’s finest student actors, providing financial assistance to performers wishing to pursue further education and the opportunity to compete at the national festival.
Stordeur said, “My experience at our regional competition was very surprising and unexpected. I am just excited to be going to nationals to meet all of the people from other regions.”
Initially nominated to audition by adjudicators from KCACTF for her performance as Claudia in WSU’s fall production of Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus,” Stordeur said, “Ever since coming to WSU, the theatre department has challenged me and helped me to grow as an actor. … The most valuable thing is how much experience we all get, in all aspects of the field. Without this I wouldn’t be prepared to go out into the professional world or have the same confidence in my abilities.”
Gonzales, a senior from Chimacum, Wash., was the winner of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSCD) Scholarship Competition for 10-minute play direction.
The daughter of a high school drama teacher, Gonzales also expressed surprise at her success at the festival because, she said, “I was going up against some really good people, and I was one of two undergrads — the others were graduate students.”
Laurilyn Harris, chair of the WSU Department of Theatre and Dance, said, “I was really proud of all of our students who participated in the Northwest Drama Festival, and especially of Christie, Zach, Andrea and the faculty who coached them, for their outstanding work. The festival provides a wonderful showcase for their talent on a regional and national level.”
KCACTF, a national theatre program and network of more than 600 academic institutions from across the country, honors excellence in university and college theatrical production and offers student artists recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, directing and design at state, regional and national festivals.
For more information on the WSU theatre department, visit http://libarts.wsu.edu/theatre/.
