The University of the Virgin Islands’ Communications Unit was represented at the 2022 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) and Institute of Theatre Journalism Advocacy (ITJA) project, for two consecutive years. ITJA Coordinator, Andre Minkeis, of Winston-Salem State University, was gracious with his praise and commented that “UVI students were the real stars,” at this year's conference.
KCACTF is a national theater program involving 18,000 students annually from colleges and universities across the country. As members of Region IV, UVI students collaborated with schools throughout the southwest who showcased their best theatrical productions in virtual or filmed formats.
TJA veers from the classroom model of just writing reviews and critiquing them in round table format and asks the advocates /critics to connect with those involved in directing, playwriting, acting, dramaturgy and other areas in the festival, possibly even sharing a workshop or an assignment. The aim is to have advocates /critics interview, observe, and intrinsically respond to the invited productions, as well as actively interact with the rest of the festival, rather than working apart from it.
Students were encouraged to attend different sessions throughout the week that provided a glimpse of how communication and media may play significant roles in acting, theatre and the fine arts. Sessions included pragmatic topics such as scriptwriting, leadership and management, production, and design technology.
More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI Website-www.uvi.edu/ - and from this direct link
