Students and faculty from Wichita State University’s School of Performing Arts traveled to Lincoln, Neb., for the Region 5 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Jan. 19-25. There were 19 Shockers among the 1,500 students and faculty from a six-state region attending workshops and theater productions, competing in acting and design competitions and auditioning for summer stock.

Among the winners at the event was design and technical theater major Shelby Clemens, who won first place in costume design for “The Learned Ladies.” She will be invited to participate in the national conference in Washington, D.C., in April.

Other WSU students participated in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition. Out of 300 nominees in the preliminary round, five Wichita State students advanced to the semifinal round, with three going to the finals. Music theater major Emily Vargo and partner Joella Wolnik were named first alternates for the national festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Students involved in the semifinal round included: J. Bailey Burcham and his partner Megan Gill; Damian Padilla and his partner Katelyn Stoss; Emily Monrad and her partner Rachel Gorman; and Joshua Brown and his partner, Wolnik. Recipients of Certificates of Commendation for Achievement included Amy Baker Schwiethale, Betty Monroe, Amber Creasser, Maddie Nevins and Emmy Guiltner.

The WSU students who moved on to the final round were Vargo, Burcham and Brown. Additionally, faculty members Ed Baker and Becky Maholland presented workshops, and Maholland supervised Wichita State’s participation in the festival’s costume parade. Faculty members Linda Starkey and Schwiethale participated in the Music Theatre Intensive.