Abilene Christian University student Jenavene Hester, a senior musical theatre major from Abilene, will be performing at the Shawnee Playhouse in Pennsylvania. The Playhouse is a professional summer stock theatre that hires actors through auditions held in New York City.
Hester is performing in two of the six plays to be produced by the Playhouse this summer during its 29th season, The Dining Room and The Star Spangled Girl. The Dining Room is a two-act play by A.R. Gurney in which only six actors portray more than 50 roles throughout the show. The Star Spangled Girl is a comedy by Neil Simon. It was ACU's dinner theatre production for fall 2007.
"Jenavene used Backstage Magazine and auditioned for the Shawnee Playhouse while she was in New York City over spring break," said Adam Hester, chair of the ACU Department of Theatre. "She was called back three times by Shawnee before landing the job. She's a good example of the initiative and talent our students possess."
Jenavene is not the only ACU student to be employed by a theatre this summer. Ten students have been employed to perform, stage manage, design or serve in a technical capacity at a professional or semi-professional theatre, according to Adam.
"It takes perseverance, connections and, of course, talent to secure employment in the theatre," said Adam. "We do a lot of mentoring and coaching outside the classroom to prepare our students for these auditions and interviews. We believe they need to work for a professional company at least one summer during their four years. It makes their resumes much stronger and places them in a better position for hiring when they graduate."
If you are a member of the media who would like more information about this release, please contact ACU's Public Relations Office .
