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LAWRENCE -- Two winners emerged among the five playwrights from the University of Kansas Department of English who competed in various competitions at the regional festival of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, held recently at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
"Attack of the Asians," a 10-minute play by Tim Macy, fall 2002 graduate from Topeka and from Noel, Mo., was selected by a panel of regional adjudicators for further competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., April 14-20.
KCACTF will underwrite Macy's weeklong internship at the Kennedy Center, where he will attend rehearsals of his play featuring the national Irene Ryan acting nominees. Macy also will attend playwriting workshops by Kenneth Lonergan and Ken Ludwig.
If Macy's play wins in Washington, he will receive a cash prize of $2,500, a two-week summer fellowship at the O'Neill Theatre Conference in Waterford, Conn., and publication of his play by Dramatic Publishing Inc.
"Ketchup," a 10-minute play by Kristin Soper, Amarillo, Texas, senior, won the Al Gore Popular Vote after the staged readings of eight 10-minute plays on Jan. 25.
"More than 500 students and theatre faculty attended the event, and Soper's play emerged clearly as the audience favorite," said Paul Stephen Lim, Conger-Gabel teaching professor and 2002 Kemper teaching fellow at KU. Lim teaches the beginning playwright class in which Soper, Macy and the others from KU's English department wrote the plays they submitted in the competition.
Other KU English department 10-minute plays in competition were "The Smog Also Rises" by Paul Shoulberg, Lawrence senior, and "One Last Time" by Carol Dias-da-Silva, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, senior.
The English Alternative Theatre production of "Fatherland," a one-act play by Adam Merker, fall 2002 graduate from Stilwell, also was featured as a festival show in Cedar Falls, but the production will not advance to nationals at the Kennedy Center in April.
Information about the winners and their plays follows:
From Topeka and Noel, Mo.
Tim D. Macy, fall 2002 graduate in English, son of Rocky Macy. "Attack of the Asians," his 10-minute play, focuses on an older couple with debilitating illnesses whose children tend to disregard their parents once the children have financial and emotional independence. Macy's experiences working in a Topeka restaurant with older patrons, "literally holding one another up, trying to maintain some foothold in a fast-paced society," inspired his topic.
From Amarillo, Texas
Kristin Soper, senior in English, daughter of Mike and Heather Soper; Amarillo High School graduate. "Ketchup," her 10-minute play, focuses on an elderly man reflecting on his life. Soper based the play on the lives of her grandparents, the late David Davidson and Ruth Davidson of Amarillo. The couple met as young adults in Columbus, Kan., and lived most of their adult lives in New Mexico before moving to Amarillo.
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