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The South Dakota State University theatre and dance program received four awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for its production of “Fuddy Meers.â€� 

The awards include: 

• Distinguished Production Design
• Distinguished Production of a Play
• Distinguished Performance and Production Ensemble
• W. James (Jim) Wood – Distinguished Direction of a Play

After presenting the comedy on the º£½ÇÖ±²¥app campus in October, the theatre and dance program received an invite to perform at the Region 5 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 21. 

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival is a national theater program involving 18,000 students annually from colleges and universities across the country. Since its inception, the festival has given more than 400,000 college theater students the opportunity to have their work critiqued, improve their dramatic skills and receive national recognition for excellence. More than 16 million theatergoers have attended approximately 10,000 festival productions nationwide. 

The seven states comprising Region 5 include Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota.  

“The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival awards are the highest national honor a collegiate theatrical production can receive,� said David Earnest, dean of the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. “While each of these awards is impressive, the recognition of the entire ensemble attests to the quality of our student-faculty collaboration — the very excellence in transformative education to which we aspire. I am pleased that national audiences now recognize what we already know: that our students are as talented as any in the country.�

“Fuddy Meers� featured one harrowing and hilarious turn after another on a roller coaster ride through the day of an amnesiac trying to decipher her fractured life. Claire is abducted by a man who claims her husband wants to kill her. Audiences viewed the ensuing mayhem through the kaleidoscope of Claire's world.

Jacob Stevens, a junior theatre and communication studies double major, played “Limping Man� in the performance. He said the connection he had with the cast and director was unforgettable.

“We clicked not only on stage but also became close friends off stage as well,� Stevens said. “That bond grew even stronger when we learned we were invited to perform at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Des Moines this year. ‘Fuddy Meers’ became the gift that kept on giving — not only did we perform at the festival, but we were also recognized on the national level. This recognition validates the hard work and dedication that every theater-maker pours into their craft.�

In the 57-year history of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, this is the first º£½ÇÖ±²¥app production to be invited to the conference and the first to be recognized at the national level.

“The greatest reward when we performed at the conference was seeing 1,200 theater people leap to their feet in a rousing standing ovation after the performance,â€� said Wood, artistic director of theatre at º£½ÇÖ±²¥app. “The recognition from the Kennedy Center confirms what we all felt at the time — that we put our best foot forward and created a magical performance.â€�

“We are excited for people to know that, even in small South Dakota, we do great work,� he continued. “They also serve as a boost to our students’ confidence in their craft and reinforce that professional collaboration and a giving spirit are the bedrock of the performing arts.�

“None of it would have been possible without the unwavering support of the faculty and administration in the School of Performing Arts at º£½ÇÖ±²¥app,â€� Stevens said. “My professors and directors empower each student to grow both professionally and personally, and that level of commitment is truly unmatched.â€�