University Theatre Earns Commendations

Millersville University students garnered five national commendations for excellence at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 2 Conference. The commendations were for work on the spring 2024 production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again]” by University Theatre.

The technicians, performers, and staff who made the production possible earned commendations for Distinguished Achievement in Performance Ensemble and in Audience Interaction.

Individual commendations for Distinguished Achievement went to:
• Charlie Duvall ’25, B.A. in Media Arts Production, in Performance
• Katherine Sadowsky ‘25, B.A. in Entertainment Technology, B.S. in Management; Honors College, in Properties Design
• Rachel McFadden ’25, B.A. in Entertainment Technology, in Head Carpentry and Scenic Charge

As part of its season, University Theatre annually submits productions to the festival. “Our respondents were very pleased with our production and told us that they were highly recommending us to be an ‘invited production’ at the next festival in January 2025,” said Harry Schueren IV, theatre production manager in the Department of Communication and Theatre.

The Millersville group found out they were invited to bring the production to festival the first week of December 2024. While Schueren checked on the technical aspects and costs of taking the production to Pittsburgh, Director of Dramatics Jonathan Strayer reached out to the cast to see if they would be available and interested in bringing the show to festival.

“Between his actors and my technicians, we had several recently graduated students involved,” Schueren said. “They all came back on their own time to pull the production off.”

While they were checking the feasibility of taking the show to festival, the KCACTF Region 2 board reached out again with news of a cancelation and an invitation to perform on the main stage as the opening production of the festival. That meant changing the set from a black-box theatre, which was how the production was originally rehearsed and performed on campus.

“We started rehearsals over the winter break, and my technicians undertook the task of converting our set to make it work in a large theatre with multiple balconies and make it portable,” said Schueren.

In the end, the Millersville University group performed at the opening ceremony on Jan. 14 at PNC Theatre at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, Point Park University.

“These commendations reflect the exceptional work, dedication, and collaborative spirit of our students and faculty,” said Schueren. “We are proud to represent the College and the Department at this national level.”