The department of theatre and film will be widely represented at the 58th annual American College Theater Festival Region IV, highlighting student achievement and faculty leadership during the multi-day event hosted by Auburn University at Montgomery and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, Alabama.

At the center of UGA’s participation is the invited showcase of "First Semester: A Musical" by undergraduate Wyn Alyse Thomas, selected for presentation at the festival on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at noon in the Taylor Center. The work has earned regional and national recognition, including the David Shelton Award for Full Length Playwriting and the National Partners of the American Theatre Award for Region IV, and advanced to the  American College Theatre Festival Nationals in spring 2025. Faculty member John Patrick Bray serves as the project’s faculty sponsor.

UGA faculty members will also contribute to the festival’s professional development programming. Sound design faculty Jeff Sherwood will lead two workshops focused on networking strategies for emerging artists and an aesthetic approach to sound design for live performance. Acting faculty Raife Baker will host a session on embodied voice, integrating movement and vocal techniques to strengthen the connection between physicality and speech.

Faculty member Chelsea Taylor, who serves as the Stage Management Coordinator for Region IV, will moderate and lead multiple stage management workshops, including seminars on paperwork, teamwork and professional practice, and will present awards at the Design Technology Management Awards Ceremony.

A mix of nominated and self-nominated department students will compete for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Award, one of the festival’s most recognized honors for student performers, representing the department in the regional competition. Additional students will present scholarly and production work as part of the festival’s academic and design showcases, including sound design, dramaturgy, original playwriting and stage management from recent UGA Theatre productions.

Collectively, the department of theatre and film's involvement underscores its commitment to student-led creation, faculty mentorship and professional engagement at the regional and national levels within the American College Theater Festival network.