competitions

In light of the April Gala Celebration, the CFAC Student Association has teamed up with the Dean's Office to hold a creativity competition, with awards for the most-liked entries on social media. The rules for the competition are as follows: ● Create an entry (can be an art piece, choreography, musical arrangement, etc. etc..) that connects the present of the College of Fine Arts and Communications and its students with their past. It must relate to the theme “From This Place Into All the World.” We want to emphasize that the HFAC has had a big global impact as they have been at BYU as students and left them as professionals. To post their submission, students need to tag their photo on their personal social media accounts (Facebook or Instagram) with the hashtag #icreateHFAC and another hashtag with their department name (ie. #Dance #Music #Comms #TMA #Art #Design). As a committee we will look over the submissions and organize them by department and decide which entries will make the final cut for voting on the college social media sites. Each department will have one winner ($300 for each department and a prize for the best interdisciplinary collaborative project, with at least two different departments involved from the college). They will win based off the number of likes they get on their entry. The final submission date will be March 15 so the CFAC-SA can judge and decide on the winners well before the HFAC 50th Anniversary Gala. For any questions, email Shelbi Anderson at sja1@byu.edu.

Seven BYU playwrights worked tirelessly for weeks to create a performance that included seven, 7 minute plays in what came to be known as the Microburst Theatre Festival. Under the direction of George Nelson, an associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts (TMA), the group acquired five actors to play all the roles. The show went on to receive three prestigious awards at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). Student playwriting achievements have been celebrated at KCACTF throughout the nation for over 40 years. These BYU playwrights put in weeks of work, and the stories they told have been received with near universal acclaim. According to Nelson, these playwrights all have one thing in common. “This is the writing of my very beginning playwriting students,” Nelson said in regard to the KCACTF awards. “I’m really kind of flabbergasted.” The plays, written by Taryn Politis, Amy McGreeby, Katie Jarvis, Amberly Lourde, Amanda Welch, Chelsea Hickman and Chauntel Lopez, tackle the topic of love in comical and touching ways, exploring its unpredictable and sometimes awkward development. Students won the Distinguished Production of New Work Award and a Performance Award for Distinguished Achievement. Nelson was recognized at KTCACTF as well, receiving the Distinguished Direction of a New Work Award. Wade Hollingshaus, a fellow TMA faculty member, received the Excellence in Theatre Education Award at the festival as well. Hollingshaus mentioned that his coworkers help make these recognitions possible. “I love working in TMA. The TMA faculty–we have great relationships, we have great respect for each other,” Hollinghaus said. “I want to continue to work in this environment, and to make sure to do my part so the environment stays the way that it is.” Nelson said that playwriting is most rewarding when writers get an opportunity to see their work performed, receive feedback on it and rewrite the script. This pattern has proven to be successful with BYU’s popular sketch comedy group, Divine Comedy, which Nelson advises. He decided to try this rigorous system with these new playwrights. “This was our first attempt to do that, and to get this kind of a reaction–it’s remarkable,” Nelson said happily. “If BYU is to distinguish itself from other universities that exist in the world, the greatest opportunity we have to do that is in writing. If we get good at it, then we can change the landscape of the theatrical world.” Nelson noted that while modern views of love take on a variety of perspectives, the Microburst Theatre Festival attempts to show the truth about love without being crude or vulgar. “We don’t have to reflect the voice of the world,” he said.

The nominations for the Rocky Mountain Emmy awards were just announced this week and the BYU Theatre and Media Arts graduates and faculty received eight nominations. In the professional category, Brad Barber's Beehive Stories film, Iron County, was nominated. In the student category, Dante's Hamlet (produced by Brynn Zimmer and directed by Babetta Kelly) received five nominations; Dance (produced by Erin Anderson and directed by Eric Pasternak) received one, and Mr. Bellpond (produced by Nick Dixon and directed by A. Todd Smith) received one. The Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) will host its 2013 Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards Gala and Auction Saturday, October 19 at the University of Phoenix Stadium, in partnership with the Arizona Cardinals. The Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is a membership organization dedicated to excellence in television by honoring exceptional work through the prestigious EMMY(r) Award. They are the only professional association representing television professionals from all disciplines of the industry, serving as the common meeting ground for individuals dedicated to advancing the art and science of television. The Chapter region serves Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and El Centro, California.

In conjunction with its recent International Education Week, the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies at Brigham Young University announced the winners of its Third Annual Photo Contest. The contest was open to over 1,200 students who participated in one of the many BYU International Study Programs during the 2001-2002 academic year. Of the almost two hundred entries, prizes were given to the top three, but all the photos on display capture the essence of cultural diversity around the globe. The first-place prize of $100 was awarded to Molly Jones' 'Reflecting on 90 Years in the Same Village.' A $75 second-place award was given to Angela Slauson's 'Agua de la Casa,' and the $50 third-place winner was Megan S. Morris' 'Dancing With Hooks.' Thirteen additional photos received honorable mention, including works by Morris, Kristin Abboud, Vera Branson, Allyson Flake, Kristi Gustafson, Tara McIntosh, Anthony David Milewski, Jr., Jennifer Nations, Troy Smith and Maryanne Turner. 'We were excited to open this display during International Education Week. The photos depict the kind of international experiences the Kennedy Center works to make available for all BYU students,' said Jeffrey F. Ringer, director of the Kennedy Center. The award-winning photos will replace the current exhibit of student photography on display in the Herald R. Clark Building from the 2000-2001 Photo Contest sponsored by Kennedy Center Publications. They will also be archived on-line at *~*http://kennedy.byu.edu/photo*~*. Source: BYU News