By JOE VINDUSKA
BCC
This January, Barton Theatre students Anna Bitter, Rose Clement, and Jordan McKenzie, along with faculty member Jack Greenwood, represented Barton as they traveled to Rochester, Minn., to participate in the American College Theatre Festival.
Each year, the festival invites theatre students and faculty to a weeklong regional conference featuring workshops, professional development, networking opportunities, auditions, interviews for theatre companies, and productions from participating schools. Barton is part of region five, which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, and Minnesota.
While attending the conference, all three students participated in workshops covering acting, costuming, stage management, sound design, playwriting, and more. Each also auditioned for professional theatre companies and received callbacks, potentially leading to summer employment.
Bitter advanced to the next round of callbacks for Balladeer Theatre Company in Kansas City. Clement and McKenzie received callbacks for Emporia State University’s Summer Theatre program.
Bitter said attending the festival helped broaden her understanding of the field.
“I enjoyed every opportunity I had while I was there,” she said. “I learned so much about the career I want to go into and other career opportunities I didn’t even know about in theater. I got to meet professionals who taught me various skills. I even auditioned for a paid acting job over the summer, which I am still in consideration for. It was so much fun and opened up new doors for me.”
Other highlights included Bitter participating in a film acting workshop with Spencer Kramber, a former actor on the television series Criminal Minds. McKenzie competed in a costume intensive on a team that created a new costume using only fabric and pins. The design earned a student choice award. Clement attended multiple stage management workshops and plans to apply her training as a stage manager for the upcoming production of “SpongeBob the Musical.”
All three students attended productions from other schools and connected with representatives from four-year colleges regarding potential transfer opportunities.
Greenwood is in his first year of instruction at Barton, and he organized the trip after recognizing the value of the festival experience.
“The festival was where I realized a career in the arts wasn’t just worthwhile, it was necessary,” he said. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today without going to the festival as a student, and I’m happy to share this opportunity with Barton Theatre students.”
The annual festival also awards scholarships, certificates of merit, and design awards to schools that enter productions for regional response and adjudication. Barton Theatre plans to enter its fall 2026 production for consideration.
For more information about Barton’s theatre program or upcoming productions, visit theatre.bartonccc.edu.