UA DRAMA STUDENTS STEAL SPOTLIGHT AT IRENE RYAN ACTING COMPETITION

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Undergraduate and graduate students in drama from the University of Arkansas put in top performances at the recent Region VI Irene Ryan Acting Audition Competition.

Shana Goodsell, a second-year graduate student from Tulsa, was one of only two actors selected to compete in the national Irene Ryan Competition April 25 at the Kennedy Center in Washington. As a regional winner, Shana received a scholarship of $500 and now has the opportunity to win a national scholarship.

Goodsell’s acting partner Jeremy Shouldis, a first-year graduate student from Bellaire, Texas, will perform with her. He was chosen best partner in both the preliminary and secondary rounds.

The Kennedy Center/ American College Theatre Festival is the parent organization sponsoring the Irene Ryan Acting Audition Competition. Since 1971, this premier national competition for actors has recognized the strongest actors in college theatre programs and awarded their work with opportunities for auditions and scholarships.

"The regional and national final auditions are observed by talent agents as well as casting directors for film and television," said Andy Gibbs, chair of the drama department. "To win means a significant credit on one's résumé and a substantial honor for the school from which students are sent."

The American College Theatre Festival is broken into eight regions across the country. UA students met in Denton, Texas, at Texas Women's University, for the Region VI auditions. They were part of a group of approximately 200 students selected from productions during the past year to participate in these preliminary auditions.

Each student works with an audition partner, offering a five-minute presentation that must include both a monologue and a duet scene.

In the second round, the initial 200 were pared down to 32, who performed the same pieces before a different set of judges. All six UA students who performed made the second round.

In addition to Goodsell, these six included Rebecca Brooksher, a junior from Lafayettee, LA; Mallery McClure, a senior from Malvern; Stan Tabor, a graduate student from Malvern,; Daniel Thompson, a sophomore from Fort Smith; and Kevin Cohea, a sophomore from Prairie Grove.

Their acting partners were Nathan Lane, a sophomore from Fayetteville; Jeremy Shouldis, a graduate student from Bellaire, TX; Jennifer Smith, a graduate student from Jonesboro; and David Pickens, a graduate student from Haynesville, LA.

Greg Crouch, a graduate student from Searcy, won a scenic deseign commendation in the ACTF/Barbizon Design Competition.

The 32 in the second round were reduced to 16 in the final regional auditions, the only ones given before a public audience. Of this group, UA students making the cut were Kevin Cohea, Stan Tabor, and Jennifer Smith.

"We've had five regional finalists since 1992, and one of them, Lara Jo Hightower, was the national winner in 1994," said Gibbs. We do well because we stress high quality training in acting techniques and extensive study of the script. Too, our students work very hard and are encouraged to take a professional approach to their work."

The students were accompanied by their coach, Amy Herzberg, associate professor of drama.

The competition is named after actress Irene Ryan, known to many as Granny on the comedy series "The Beverly Hillbillies."