Senior Napoleon Tavale recently won fourth place in a regional acting competition sponsored by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.  

Tavale and his partner, junior Cody Goulder competed against a field of more than 250 students from throughout the west during the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions at Southern Utah University. The competition was held from February 12 to 17.  

Their high placement qualifies them to be a second alternate, replacing higher finishers should they not compete in the national competition, in Washington, D.C. this spring. 

Tavale and Goulder performed a series of two-person scenes before judges selected by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival committee in Cedar City, Utah. They were judged on their ability to partner, mastery of their vocal and physical instruments, the strength of their intentions and their facility with language.  

This marks the first time in more than 25 years that the college’s theatre and communication arts department attended the festival. Faculty from the department was accompanied by six students, Daniel Armas and Kelsey Marie Wuornos, who also competed in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions.  

The students were primarily coached by assistant professor Gil Gonzalez and aided as well by associate professor Jennifer Holmes and adjunct instructor Katie Liddicoat.

Since 1969, Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival has showcased student talent and given advice to aspiring thespians, playwrights and others interested in improving the quality of theater in the nation’s colleges and universities.  

In all, more than 18,000 students from 600 schools have participated in the program since is inception.

Every January and February, students from eight regions gather to compete in one of the regional events. Region eight, which Whittier College students compete in, draws participants from Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Hawaii and California.