---
Wednesday, May 26, 1965 University Daily Kansan
Page 1
Honors Program Opens Doors for Student Actors
By Joyce Outshoorn
Drama students who want to become professional actors now have an opportunity at KU to do this through the acting honors program.
This program, started by the department of speech and drama last spring, now has 18 participants, and may have another eight joining next year.
"WHEN I VISITED three resident professional drama theaters two summers ago," he said, "I discovered they were looking for actors who had had a college background rather than a professional training school background."
Jack Brooking, associate professor of speech and drama, and one of the members on the committee for the program, said that as far as he knew the program is unique among universities.
The resident directors found that theater majors from the universities had a broader background. This gave KU the idea of providing people not only with this background, but also with extra theater training, like that which a professional drama school would offer.
To join the honors section, a student applies to a member of the committee of the program. The committee then considers the applications and invites the best qualified to try out.
Prof. Brooking said it was primarily to meet the demands of these resident directors that the honors program was founded.
ater and who plan to begin on a professional career after graduation. The student must have "evidenced maturity, discipline, professional goals, and a high level of creative and scholastic potential." Prof. Brooking said.
Those eligible to apply are the students who are majoring in the-
The program itself is adjusted to each participant's individual needs, Prof. Brooking said. Each semester courses are chosen that fit in with the development of the participant's abilities.
THE FIRST SEMESTER the program was held, the focus was on improvisation. In the fall semester the focus was on character development. This semester there has been no particular emphasis, as there are two distinct groups within the honors program by now.
Part of the students are taking
the regular acting course Acting II, while the others are taking diction courses. All of them are taking lessons twice a week in dance and stage movement.
Several times in a semester the honors program members get together with some of the faculty who then gives a thorough critique and evaluation of the work done by the participants. The work is heavier than an average load, although there are no specific honors courses.
Prof. Brooking stressed the fact, though, that a participant can drop out of the program any time he wants to.
This year there are members of every class in the honors program. There is even one graduate student, although usually members are undergraduates.
Several of the participants will be graduated this June. They will be the first to do so under the honors program.
THE PROGRAM DOES help with job opportunities after graduation, claim two of the graduating students, Gigi Gibson, Independence senior, and Karin Gold, Overland Park senior.
Both students, chosen to go to Chicago, where the Theatre Communications Group held truyouts for all graduate students and graduating seniors interested in a professional career. There were about 70 students trying out before a committee of directors of professional resident theaters.
Miss Gold and Miss Gibson both received bids after doing two short scenes each.
1965 JAYHAWKER
IF YOU HAVE NOT YET BOUGHT YOUR JAYHAWKER YOU CAN STILL BUY IT FOR $6.50 DURING THIS DISTRIBUTION.
4th EDITION
available
THURSDAY, MAY 27 At the Information Booth
FRIDAY, MAY 28
At the JAYHAWKER Offices B115-117 Union Activities Center in the Kansas Union Basement
The cover plus the first three issues will also be available. Just present your JAYHAWKER Fee Receipt.
The JAYHAWKER will not be mailed out this summer. Be sure and pick them up before you leave at the JAYHAWKER offices.