KU News Release

Two KU seniors from Topeka win awards from Department of Theatre and Film

LAWRENCE — Faculty in the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of Kansas recently selected two seniors as the first recipients of the Neil LaBute Undergraduate in Theatre and Film Award.

Spencer Holdren, a theatre major, is the son of James and Teresa Turnbull of Topeka. He graduated from Topeka High School and attended Boston University before transferring to KU. Holdren is currently portraying Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the University Theatre production of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” He was seen last fall as Billy Squires in “The Music Man” and as Miss Great Plains in “Pageant.” Earlier he appeared in the KU Theatre for Young People’s production of “Lily Plants a Garden.” Holdren has also performed at the Helen Hocker Center for the Performing Arts and Washburn University in Topeka in such productions as “Swing!” “Big River” and “Pippin.” He currently holds a Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship.

Kathryn Klausen, who is majoring in film, is the daughter of James and Corazon Klausen of Topeka and a graduate of Washburn Rural High School. She is currently working on her honors thesis in the film division, a project dealing with representations of “otaku,” or people with obsessive interests, in Japanese anime.

LaBute, an acclaimed playwright and filmmaker who received his master’s degree in theatre from KU in 1989, was on campus in October as the keynote speaker for the 2007 Literature/Film Association conference.

“He graciously donated his honorarium back to the department to create two awards, one for an undergraduate in theatre and one for an undergraduate in film,” said John Staniunas, department chair. “Congratulations to Spencer and Kathryn for being so worthy of such an award, and grateful thanks to LaBute for being so generous with his time and money.”

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