Midwestern State University (MSU Texas) theatre majors won several awards in April at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival regional competition.

Junior Rebekah Gardner advanced to the semifinals of the prestigious Irene Ryan acting competition. Gardner, a junior double major in performance and design, worked with acting partner Luke Craddock, a sophomore performance major.

Senior Lee Alvarado won Meritorious Achievement Awards for make-up design and costume design. Alvarado was also the runner-up in the National Allied Crafts and Technology category and was selected to represent the region in the national ASPIRE leadership program. Alvarado was also selected to serve as an assistant costume designer for the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre this summer.

MSU Texas theatre professor Morgan Mallory said, “We had six Irene Ryan competitors attend from our university this year — super proud of Rebekah and their accomplishments. They and their partner Luke took difficult material and found great connections to text throughout their performances.”

“MSU Theatre student designers and technicians have a history of having the excellence of their work recognized at Region 6 KC-ACTF,” MSU Texas theatre professor Elizabeth Lewandowski said. “We are very proud of the work done by our student designers and technicians, both past and present. We have never had a student receive as many awards at one time as Lee Alvarado, and we are especially proud of them.”

Jim Sernoe, interim dean of the Lamar D. Fain College of Fine Arts, noted that KC-ACTF includes approximately 18,000 students from 600 universities across the nation. “MSU Texas has a long history of doing well at KC-ACTF, and this year is no different. I am proud of these students, and the entire faculty in the MSU Texas Theatre Department.”