Welcome Theatre Transfer Students

This year, we are very excited to welcome junior transfer students Halie Osborn and Kendall McKasson to the SAU Theatre Program!

Although both have only been here for less than a year, they have already made an impact on SAU Theatre through their hard work in the scene shop, backstage crew, onstage acting, stage managing, and competing at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in the Tech Team and the Musical Theatre Intensive.

Both Osborn and McKasson are from Muscatine, Iowa, and attended Muscatine Community College (MCC) together. Both also worked together in the theatre department there. Here at St. Ambrose, they are both pursuing theatre majors, and McKasson is also pursuing a minor in arts administration.

McKasson recalls that she considered Muscatine Community College to be a "stepping stone" to study at St. Ambrose. When she started looking at schools, St. Ambrose was the first university she visited. Its friendly and personal atmosphere and strong theatre program appealed to her, and she knew from the start that she wanted to eventually study here.

Osborn agrees that the atmosphere and personalized nature of St. Ambrose persuaded her to choose St. Ambrose over her second pick, Iowa State University. She recalls that she preferred St. Ambrose as a private school because "it allowed me to be a name and not a number."

The two had many opportunities to get involved in theatre before beginning to study at St. Ambrose. Although Muscatine's theatre department is larger now, it only had around five consistent members when Osborn and McKasson were there! McKasson remembers that she did so much that she practically "lived in the MCC green room." She was able to test out everything: she acted, directed and assistant directed, stage managed, and did set, props, and costume design work. Osborn primarily acted, but she also got to try some directing and design work for costumes, set, and lights.

Here at St. Ambrose, the larger theatre department means that the two do not have to do quite as much as they did at Muscatine. However, both believe that they have many new opportunities here.

"Everything is more advanced at St. Ambrose," Osborn said, adding that she enjoys working in Allaert Auditorium. At Muscatine, their only theater was a small black box space similar to the SAU Studio Theater, so her first acting experience here in Cinderella was highly different than anything she had done before! McKasson says that she hasn't necessarily tried new roles yet, but has learned new styles in what she enjoys doing.

"You learn at a small community school and you think there's only one way to do something," McKasson said, "and then you find out that there are more possibilities...I think it's important to learn a lot of ways to do one thing."

So far, she has continued her acting and stage management work that she began at Muscatine and is excited for new opportunities in directing in the future. She plans to take the directing class and direct an SDC scene at KCACTF next year.

As transfer students, both Osborn and McKasson are not able to stay at St. Ambrose as long as other four-year students. This puts them in a somewhat difficult situation: they have to try out everything they want in less time than most students! Osborn has mixed feelings on this subject.

"I don't regret MCC because that's where my roots are and that's where I learned everything that made me love acting," she said. "I do wish I would have just jumped into a 4-year [school] because I feel I missed out on acting experiences here and chances to make more connections. I feel a little torn about it [transferring]."

"There are pros and cons to both," McKasson added. "A smaller community school gives you the opportunity to stay close to home and save money and get beginner experience. You start understanding what it is to do theater. The con is that you go to one place and then have to start over. You go from being a big fish in a little sea to starting at the bottom of the chain."

After they graduate from St. Ambrose, both McKasson and Osborn want to continue working in theatre. Osborn plans to continue performing as much as she can.

"I cannot imagine my personal life going anywhere from performing," Osborn said. "I feel at home on the stage."

McKasson plans to go to graduate school for her MFA and hopefully her PhD so that she can teach various aspects of theatre along with acting and directing. She says she wants to become a college theatre professor to "share my love of theatre with the next generation and plant the seeds of passion for theatre."

Both are excited for preparing for their futures at St. Ambrose during their remaining time here. McKasson claims,

"Ambrose has made such a positive change in me as a person," McKasson said, "and completely pulled me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible."

Osborn agreed. "Everyone here pushes you toward success-not only fellow students, but also teachers. You leave St. Ambrose with your wings open, ready to fly."