[FAC] Fresno State Thespians Steal the Scene

[Pamela Dyer]

Fresno State Thespians Steal the Scene at Regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre 
Festival

Fresno State senior and Theatre Arts major Ferin Petrelli (nominated from THE POLISH JOKE) 
and her partner Danny Cobb WON THE IRENE RYAN ACTING 
COMPETITION and will be 
representing our five-state region in the national competition at the Kennedy Center in 
April. 

Four of the sixteen Irene Ryan regional finalists were from Fresno State.  They were: Rhiannon 
Fernandez (nominated from MACBETH) and her partner Danny Cobb, 
Hayley Galbraith 
(nominated from THE LITTLE FOXES and DOUBT) and her partner Michael Oldham, 
Megan 
Gilmore (nominated from A LIE OF THE MIND) and her partner Johno Cota
 and Ferin and 
Danny. 



Two additional Fresno State duos were in the semi-finals.  They were: Christine Andrews 
(nominated from SPEED THE PLOW) and her partner Ryan Anders, 
James Taylor (nominated 
from THE POLISH JOKE) and his partner Dana Cooper. 

Hailey Galbraith won the Classical Acting Award and Brad Myers won the outstanding 
classical acting coach award.

David Gould (nominated from DOUBT) won a regional honorable mention in Sound Design. 

Hailey Galbraith and Miles Villanueva (nominated from THE LITTLE FOXES, MACBETH and 
DOUBT) were both awarded scholarships for CSU Summer Arts.

Megan Gilmore and Johno Cota performed a scene from A LIE OF THE MIND directed by 
James Medeiros in the Festival of Invitational Scenes.

Irene Ryan nominees from Fresno State include:
THE LITTLE FOXES	Hayley Galbraith
 				Miles Gaston Villanueva
 				Jay Felix

 SPEED THE PLOW	Elliott Montgomery
 				Christine Andrews
 
 MACBETH			Rhiannon Fernandez
 				Miles Gaston Villanueva
THE POLISH JOKE	James Taylor
 				Ferin Petrelli
 				Adam Schroeder
 
 DOUBT			Bryttani McGhee
 				Miles Gaston Villanueva
 				Hayley Galbraith
  
A LIE OF THE MIND	Megan Gilmore
 
LA CELESTINA		Carly Oliver
 				Yosef Mahmood
 				Danielle Jorn	

Student Designers forwarded to festival were
Dana Cooper	Hair & Make Up		THE POLISH JOKE
							LA CELESTINA
David Gould	Sound				DOUBT
Paul Henry		Lighting 			THE POLISH JOKE
Ferin Petrelli	Hair & Make Up		THE LITTLE FOXES

Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center's founding chairman, the Kennedy 
Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 
18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide, which has served as a catalyst in 
improving the quality of college theater in the United States. The KCACTF has grown into a 
network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country.
The goals of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival are:  to encourage, 
recognize, and celebrate the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college 
theater programs; to provide opportunities for participants to develop their theater skills and 
insight; and achieve professionalism; to improve the quality of college and university theater 
in America; to encourage colleges and universities to give distinguished productions of new 
plays, especially those written by students; the classics, revitalized or newly conceived; and 
experimental works.
Through state, regional, and national festivals, KCACTF participants celebrate the creative 
process; see one another's work, and share experiences and insights within the community of 
theater artists. The KCACTF honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists 
individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, 
directing, and design.
In January and February of each year, regional festivals showcase the finest of each region's 
entered productions and offer a variety of activities, including workshops, symposia, and 
regional-level award programs. Regional festival productions are judged by a panel of three 
judges selected by the Kennedy Center and the KCACTF national committee. These judges in 
consultation with the Artistic Director select four to six of the best and most diverse regional 
festival productions to be showcased in the spring at the annual noncompetitive national 
festival at the Kennedy Center, all expenses paid.
Since its inception, KCACTF has given more than 400,000 college theater students the 
opportunity to have their work critiqued, improve their dramatic skills and receive national 
recognition for excellence. More than 16 million theatergoers have attended approximately 
10,000 festival productions nationwide.

Since 1972, the Irene Ryan Foundation of Encino, California, has awarded scholarships to the 
outstanding student performers at each regional festival. These scholarships are made 
possible by the generosity of the late Irene Ryan who is best remembered for her portrayal of 
the lovable and feisty 'Granny Clampett' in The Beverly Hillbillies. All student actors in both 
Participating and Associate productions are eligible for consideration for these $500 regional 
scholarships.

Pamela Dyer
Business & Promotions Manager
Theatre Arts Department
California State University, Fresno
559-278-7512
559-278-7215 - FAX
www.csufresno.edu/Theatre