The following GS students were nominated to compete for scholarships during the KCACTF, each with nominations in vastly different genres of the theatrical world.

Kathryn Burrell is a junior theater major nominated to compete for a scholarship for her works as a dramaturg in the GS production of Twelfth Night and the Irene Ryans Scholarship for her performance in the GS production of Crumbs from the Table of Joy

Q: Were did your Passion for theater/drama start?

A: “I always had a flare for the dramatic when I was a kid, but i didn’t get into acting until i was in high school and i did plays there almost the entire time. [while in high school] I auditioned for the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and I got in, and I went up to live in Brooklyn for a month while for I studied at the conservatory. That was like my first real immersion into the world of theater and what it really meant.”

Q: How did you get nominated to compete at KCACTF?

A: “I was nominated for Irene Ryans for my role as Gerta in Crumbs from “The Table of Joy” last semester which was directed by Mical Whitaker and just last spring I decided to dramaturg rather than being on stage and I did dramaturgy for “Twelfth Night.” It was my first shot at dramaturgy and I didn’t know exactly what to expect but I ended up falling in love with it. It’s all about finding research and finding information that’s relevant to the cast and the director and the designers.

Sierra Clay is a senior theater major who was nominated to compete for a scholarship for her success as stage manager during the GS production of “Twelfth Night.”

Q: Where did your passion for theater/drama start?

A: “In high school, we [with my mom] started our own theater program for my high school and i was really hands on with it. Then when I got to college I started as a chemistry major but decided that’s not what I wanted to do and theater is what I really love. I was really into lighting design but then I took a class on stage management and completely fell in love with it.”

Q: How did you get nominated to compete at KCACTF?

A: “I was nominated for my efforts as stage manager during the production of “Twelfth Night” last spring. As a stage manager basically what I do is help communicate between the designers and the director and crew and make sure everyone is on the same page and everything goes smoothly. I am a very organized person and basically what a stage manager is supposed to do is stay organized and keep everything in line.”

Annaliyah Ferguson-Salim is a senior theater major who was nominated to compete for the Irene Ryans scholarship for her performance in the GS production of “Twelfth Night.”

Q: Where did your passion for theater/drama start?

A: “I was always performing [as a kid] :singing in the choir, being in church theater, stuff like that, I was always active. I had always been on the outskirts of the theater program [here at GS] until I eventually switched to a theater major. Being with the theater people…were very welcoming. it was very much like a family unit and having that family away from family is kind of what drew me in. I’ve always really been into theater, I want musical theater to be my life.”

Q: How did you get nominated to compete at KCACTF?

A: “I was nominated for my role as Maria in “Twelfth Night.” When you put a lot of work into something and then present it to someone, it’s like a very euphoric experience. basically you practice, you rehearse and come competition time time you present and either you move on or not. It’s very nerve-wracking but very exciting.