The University of Toledo

Teuber

Frances “Frankie” Teuber, a junior majoring in theatre, placed second in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region II Set Design Competition.

The festival was held Jan. 12-16 in Indiana, Pa.

Teuber’s winning design was created for the November UT production of “Machinal.” Theatre Professor James Hill was her faculty adviser on the project.

While she did not win the Barbizon Award that would have allowed her entry to advance to the national competition, her work attracted a great deal of interest among judges and spectators alike.

Cornel Gabara, UT assistant professor of theatre, said that her entry received praise from important professionals at the event. “They were impressed. These are Broadway professionals and that is important.”

He said they commented on her creativity and gave Teuber suggestions for improving her model-building technique for competition. Gabara added, “No doubt the talent is there.”

Teuber, from Warren, Ohio, also designed the set for the UT production of “Coronado” for the 2008-09 season. Last summer, she was the set designer for two professional productions: “Junk Drawer” at the Boulder International Fringe Festival and “Ectospasms” at the New York Fringe Festival. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in set design.

Several UT theatre students competed at the festival, including theatre student Katie Rediger and her partner, film student Pat Miller, who made the final round of the Irene Ryan Acting Competition. Out of 230 nominees and their respective partners, Rediger and Miller were among 14 that were chosen for the finals.

Glacity Theatre Collective member Dr. Ben Pryor, UT associate professor and chair of philosophy, said, “Having been to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, I well understand the intensity of this competition and the level of accomplishment it takes to succeed. Thus, it is truly remarkable — though not at all surprising — to hear that we’ve done so well. It’s a reflection of an unparalleled commitment to artistic excellence from all involved.”

The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region II comprises approximately 90 colleges from Ohio, southwest New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, northern Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Frankie Teuber created the design for the UT production of “Machinal,” which was presented in November.

This entry was posted  on  Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at  5:17 am and is filed under  Arts, UToday.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.  You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.