Theatre students win awards at regional festival
Three students from William Carey University won awards Feb. 4-8 at the Region IV Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, competing against undergraduate and graduate students from the Southeastern United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Sophomore Meagan Bihn of Ocean Springs won first place in the Allied Design and Technologies category for her creation of the rabbit dolls in Carey Theatre’s production of “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.” Her prize is an all-expense paid week-long trip to work with professionals at the Santa Fe Opera.
“The story describes Edward Tulane as a china rabbit and, before our first production meeting, I had a completely different idea for the design,” Bihn said.
“But during my collaboration with the director, we realized that in the story, Edward is very versatile and active. We came up with a durable body that has jointed arms and jointed legs. It’s capable of a lot of movement and attitudes. The head is made of cast papier-mache and painted to look like china.”
To satisfy the costuming demands, Bihn made eight rabbit dolls – plus one spare, just in case.
Two WCU students won awards in “unrealized” design categories. This means the designs were not used in actual productions, but represented the students’ concepts and ideas for designs they would like to see in the future.
Senior Liberty Sites of Hattiesburg won second place for an unrealized costume design for “I’m Looking for the Title Now.” Junior Chace Giadrosich of Beaumont won second place for an unrealized lighting design for “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.” Both students received cash prizes.
The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival is a national theater program involving 20,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide.
In the photo: Meagan Bihn designed the rabbit dolls for Carey Theatre’s children’s production in December.