Theatre Students and Faculty Heading to Southeastern Theatre Conference

The Emory & Henry College Theatre Department will be well represented this year at a major theatre conference at which E&H actors have a habit of achieving high honors.

Members of the Theatre Department will be participating in the 63rd Annual Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC), March 7-11, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Two Emory & Henry students, Joshua Terry and Devin Altizer have advanced to the final auditions of the major regional theatre competition. Their 90-second audition will consist of an introduction, a monologue, and a vocal music performance. Actors are judged on movement, acting ability, communication and stage presence. More than 100 theatre companies from the southeast region attend the auditions and select actors for internships and full time employment.

Two other E&H students, Russ Kerr and Tori Williams, will present their directing and design portfolios at the conference and interview for summer internship and jobs at the SETC job fair.

The student' professor, Dr. Biliana Stoytcheva-Horissian, will present "Deconstructing the Monologue: A Different Way to Approach a Role" at the conference. The presentation targets other acting teachers, directors and actors who are interested in observing and learning innovative approaches on working with monologues and scenes.

Professor Christianne Roll, who teaches in both the theatre and music departments at Emory & Henry, will present "In the 'Heights' - Examining High Belt Singing," exploring the belting technique and its applications.

"Our students have a very impressive record auditioning and presenting their work at professional venues. The success of our department is recognized by the excellent job and graduate school placement of our students. Additionally, theatre faculty have very active scholarship agendas and are frequent presenters at some of the largest theatre conferences," says Stoytcheva-Horissian, who is preparing the students for the acting competition.

The SETC is the largest and most active theatre conference in the country. Last year, over 4,000 theatre artists, teachers, scholars, and professionals joined the conference in Atlanta.