Theatre students compete at Kennedy Center

Alex Wendel, a Northwestern College senior majoring in theatre from Charles City, Iowa, and Gerrit Wilford, a sophomore theatre and history major from Brandon, S.D., will travel to Washington, D.C., where Wendel will compete for Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships at the national Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) April 14–19.

Wendel, whose scene partner is Wilford, was one of two actors selected to advance to the national festival after competing in the Region 5 KCACTF. His competitors will be graduate or undergraduate winners from KCACTF’s other seven regions.

Wendel and Wilford will reprise two scenes for evaluation by KCACTF judges, and Wendel will perform a one-minute monologue. The scenes are from “Cover” by Jeffrey Sweet and “Two Gentlemen of Verona” by Shakespeare. Wendel’s monologue is from “Anna Christie” by Eugene O’Neill.

While in the nation’s capital, both students will also attend master classes with professional actors and directors as well as audition for theatre companies like Sundance Theatre Lab and The Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

Wendel is the sixth Northwestern theatre major to compete at the national KCACTF. Previously, students competed in the areas of acting, costume design, lighting design, stage management and theatrical review writing.