Eleven University of Guam students and four UOG Fine Arts faculty members recently participated in the Region 8 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival held in Saint George, Utah from February 10 to 14.  Several of the students also competed at the event. This was the first time Guam was represented in the regional festival.

UOG Student Marilyn Webber's ten-minute play Pasta, Wine and Tights was selected to compete in the National Playwriting Program for One-Act Plays. The play was chosen as one of the top five pieces out of hundreds of entries.

Two student teams consisting of Joyce-Lynn Torres and Jo Datuin and Steven Torres and Jesse Mantanona competed against 300 other participants in the prestigious Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition. The team of Torres and Datuin were selected as one of the 16 finalists in the competition.

In addition to playwriting and acting, UOG was represented in the Stage Management category by C.J. Ochoco.

UOG faculty also participated in the festival. Michelle Blas, UOG Assistant Professor of Theater was selected to direct one of the finalists in the 10-minute play category. Adjunct professor Melissa Nay Ghandour conducted a workshop about working as an artist, and  instructor Tali Ariav hosted a workshop focusing on playwriting.

"The level of talent at this competition was incredible and it was great to give our students the exposure to a large theater competition," Blas said. "This type of competition gives our students the chance to broaden their horizons and really get a chance to see what theater is like on a larger scale."

Blas said she is working with other professors in the UOG College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences to lay the groundwork for students to attend the festival in the spring of 2016.

For more information about the festival or the UOG Fine Arts Theater contact Blas at mcblas76@yahoo.com.

 

UOG Theater Students Compete at Utah Theater Festival.  Front Row (L-R): Jo Datuin, USF Education Director Michael Bar, Jerome Ocampo, Joyce-Lynn Torres, and Jesse Matanona. Back Row (L-R): Christlyn Ochoco, Ean Taijeron, Tali Ariav, Whisper Dela Cruz, Marilyn Webber, Steven Torres, Michelle Blas, (William Shakespear), Serf Mannaky, Athena Meno, Troy McVey, and Melissa Nay Ghandour