Festival event brings theater faculty and students to PlayhouseSquare for performances, networking and education

Cleveland State University's Department of Theatre and Dance earned a selective bid to host Region II of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCATF) from January 2 to 6, 2015, in partnership with PlayhouseSquare.

Started in 1969, KCATF is a national theater program that involves 18,000 college students nationwide and is a catalyst for improving the quality of college theater throughout the country by allowing theater departments and student artists to showcase their work and receive assessment from KCATF delegates.

The five-day event will feature a selection of productions chosen by KCATF officials, as well as workshops and seminars for students and artists led by university faculty and special guests from Region II. Performances will take place in the Allen Theatre and the Ohio Theater at PlayhouseSquare and education events will be hosted at the CSU Arts Campus in the Middough Building.

"The festival is similar to a professional conference for theater artists and offers students and faculty an opportunity to network, share ideas and learn from each other," said Lynn Deering, Interim Chair of CSU's Department of Theatre and Dance.

The selection of CSU marks the first time an Ohio university has served as a host for one of the six regional sites. In addition to serving as host, CSU's production of "The Dybbuk," directed by Associate Professor and Festival Liaison Michael Mauldin, was selected as one of just seven productions chosen from 60 entries to be performed and judged by KCATF at the event. CSU's 46-member cast and crew will perform January 6 at the Ohio Theater.

The festival is expected to draw more than 1,200 attendees, primarily performers and theater faculty from across the region that includes Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C., New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and portions of New York and Virginia.

"Being selected to host and to perform marks a true point of pride in the growth of CSU's theatre arts program and showcases the high-quality experience students gain being a resident company of PlayhouseSquare," Deering said.