Theatre with impact: Carthage wins two national awards
Carthage Theatre recently won two national honors from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KC/ACTF) for works showcased at the 2024 Regional Festivals. The awards recognize Carthage’s Verbatim Theatre and New Play Initiative programs as distinguished theatre projects.
Verbatim Theatre
Carthage Verbatim’s mission is to give voice to the unheard stories in our community. It began when Prof. McClendon sought a play that raised awareness about the war in Afghanistan. Not finding what he wanted, he decided to create a play using transcripts gathered through interviews.
Along with alumna Laurel McKenzie ’16, Prof. McClendon collected testimony from 12 local veterans. Sixty hours of material was compiled into a two-hour play, “Afghanistan/Wisconsin,” raising awareness of issues veterans face.
KC/ACTF presents the Citizen Artist Award to institutions for insisting that theatrical production is central to the urgent community, national, and international conversations on the campuses of higher education nationwide. Receiving several Citizen Artist Awards in eight years affirms the College’s commitment to use art to positively impact the community.
Over the past decade, students and faculty have staged nine different verbatim projects. Prof. McClendon adapted the process into a Verbatim Theatre Techniques class. This has opened the door for collaboration with colleagues from other areas on campus including the Social Work Department, Nursing Department, and the Center for Faith and Spirituality.
One current project, “Terminal Exhale,” features healthcare workers who treat gunshot victims. An excerpt will be performed in October at the 80% Coalition Summit in Milwaukee before the full production is presented in late March on the Carthage campus. A $9,000 Saemann Foundation grant supported its development with theatremaker and gun violence prevention advocate Michael Cotey.
As part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, Dakota Smith ’27 worked with alumna Leah Gawel Keller ’19, who now attends Harvard Divinity School, to interview participants who have experienced religious trauma. They compiled transcripts into the Verbatim Theatre project titled “Broken Covenant.”
What makes Verbatim Theatre impactful is the focus on real people. “Drama is happening every day around us, and often truth is stranger than fiction,” said Prof. McClendon.
New Play Initiative
The New Play Initiative brings acclaimed playwrights to campus to work with students. Together, they embark on a creative journey to produce a brand-new play.
For “The Genderless Play Experiment,” playwright C. Quintana explored queer joy to break down preconceived notions about gender, sexuality, and identity. Professional director and drag artist Lucky Stiff was selected to direct the play using a series of cabaret-style vignettes.
For the 16th installment in the New Play Initiative, “Life Cycle of a Star,” written by Ali Viterbi, will debut on campus in November in the Wartburg Theatre. The play presents the friendship of Anna and Lily set “against the life of the stars,” on a journey from prom to the nursing home, on cross-country road trips and intergalactic space expeditions.
Get tickets for 2024-25 theatre and dance performances
Carthage has a long history of participating in KC/ACTF at its regional conferences, including presenting 11 plays at the regional festival in the last 15 years. Award-winning theatre students often travel to the national festival in Washington, D.C. to accept prizes and participate in intensive workshops.
Students and faculty will attend the next KC/ACTF regional conference in Madison, Wisconsin, in January 2025 to see plays, attend workshops, and network with theatre professionals from peer institutions from a five-state region.
Carthage’s National KCACTF Citizen Artist Awardees:
2018 — “A Seat At The Table”
2019 — “Up and Away”
2021 — “Fighting for Home” (Merit)
2023 — “Memento Mori”
2024 — “Genderless Play Experiment”
2024 — 10 years of Verbatim Theatre