'If all the Sky Were Paper' chosen for Kennedy Center regionals

Chapman University Department of Theatre’s world premiere production of
If All the Sky Were Paper
by Andrew Carroll, directed by John Benitz, assitant professor, has been invited to perform at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Region XIII Festival at the
Los Angeles Theatre Center in
February.

The production was one of 10 selected from 75 participating productions in Region VIII (which includes Southern California, Arizona, Hawaii and Utah) as a representation of excellence in college and university theatre.

“This is our second production to appear at the regional festival in the past two years,” says Nina LeNoir, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Theatre. “To use a sports analogy, this is like making the playoffs two years in a row!  We are particularly honored to bring this world premiere to the Festival as a show that strongly reflects the high quality of our department’s programs.”

Productions at the regional festival will be seen by the KCACTF National Selection team for consideration for production at the Kennedy Center in April.   
If All the Sky Were Paper
will be presented at LATC on Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. 

If All the Sky Were Paper
was staged by the Department of Theatre in November 2010 in connection with a series of events co-sponsored by the College of Performing Arts and Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences for Veterans Remembrance Weekend.  The premiere work, written by
New York Times
best-selling author Andrew Carroll based on his books
War Stories
and
Behind the Lines
, was the result of a three-year collaboration with John Benitz.  
 
The production was made possible in part by funding from a research grant by Chapman University’s Faculty Research and Development Council and the Office of the Chancellor, and by underwriting from Rosemary and Milo Sieve and Ronald and Kyndra Rotunda.

The set design for
If All the Sky Were Paper
is by Don Guy, costume design by guest artist Megan Gurdine, lighting design by guest artist Leigh Allen, projection design by guest artist Jason H. Thompson and sound design by James Park Delgado ‘11.  The cast of 18 are all Department of Theatre students.
 
Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center’s founding chairman, the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival is a national theatre program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide, which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of collegiate theatre in the United States. KCACTF has grown into a network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country, where theatre departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by KCACTF respondents.
 
In addition to the performance of
If All the Sky Were Paper
, the Department of Theatre will be represented by 10 students participating in the Irene Ryan Acting Competition and one student in the design competition.  Students selected from these competitions are invited to the Kennedy Center in April 2011 to participate in workshops and career networking opportunities and are eligible for scholarship awards.