Dordt Theatre shines at Kennedy Center Festival

Three Dordt University students entered designs to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Region 5, held in Des Moines, Iowa. Student designers submitted prop design, graphic design, and set designs. The festival, which ran from January 19 - 25, draws 1,500 students from 90 universities in the Midwest.

Faith Pluister, a sophomore at Dordt, submitted her props design for Fiddler on the Roof. Her background studying history prepared her to research the setting of the show.

“I had to maintain historical and cultural accuracy throughout,” Pluister says, “because we wanted the whole wedding and the whole show to be as realistic to the time period and to the culture as possible.”

She’s entered several items, but she’s most proud of a chuppah, a ceremonial Jewish canopy. She spent hours researching designs to faithfully replicate this crucial prop and to construct it by hand. Though this was Pluister’s first time designing and producing props, professors in the Theatre Department supported her through the process.

“The theatre department professors help you learn new things and do the best you can.” Pluister says. “They were so encouraging.”

Fiddler on the Roof, performed by Dordt’s Theatre Department last fall, featured a cast of 26 students, a pit orchestra, and sold out four of six performances.

Another sophomore, Austin Anderson, won an award in the Graphic Design division. His entry was a graphic design campaign that he developed for Fiddler on the Roof.

Though the project included clothing, flyers, social media content, and posters, Anderson’s primarily promoted his poster and logo design at the festival. The poster encapsulates the complex themes of the musical and the vivid colors distinctive to Dordt’s production.

Anderson, a graphic design major, presented 9 concepts before finalizing the textures, colors, and art style. While preparation required him to research the world of the play, other Dordt designers gave Anderson inspiration.

“I spent time, of course, in research and development within the script and the history of the time period,” Anderson says. “The set models and costumes to really help me understand what the tone of the show was.”

Dr. Teresa Ter Haar, a theatre professor in her 20^th year at Dordt, has watched dozens of students participate in the festival.

“Each time I walk through the Design Expo I am reminded of the exceptional caliber of Dordt's student theatre designers.” Ter Haar says. "Their work, created at the undergraduate level, stands confidently alongside that of graduate students, showcasing remarkable depth, artistry, and imagination."

Jakob Kamp, a senior double-majoring in theatre and fine arts, submitted three designs from the past year. Kamp was master electrician for The Comedy of Errors, and Fiddler on the Roof. He distilled his work into documents and sketches, and submitted these to the Festival. His Scenic Charge design for The Comedy of Errors won a Certificate of Merit.

This was Kamp’s second certificate, the first being for Graphic Design in 2023’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Certificates of merit “recognize the outstanding work students, faculty, and staff have done in the past year on our mainstage productions and spotlight exceptional achievements.” Laurel Koerner says.

Kamp believes that recognition speaks to the quality of Dordt’s theatre community, not just his individual work.

“It is really a testament to the passion and level of commitment that everyone in the department has for theatre,” Kamp says.

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Dordt, located in Sioux Center, Iowa, is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, Forbes.com, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.