Audrina Zaczyk was looking for something additional to do in high school, when she got involved with light and sound design for a theatre production. That decision, just another activity at that time, spurred a passion in the now Clarion University student, a passion that resulted

Audrina Zaczyk explains her set design.

 in a Barbizon Award for Design at the recent Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Region II competition.

            "I didn't go to the competition looking to win," said Zaczyk, about her design for Clarion's production of "Mr. Happiness/The Water Engine." "I wanted to show what I could do and get my name out in the theatre world. This was exciting and extremely nerve wracking. I never thought I could do this."

            Zaczyk's reward is taking her design to the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., April 12-17, to compete against other KCACTF Region winners for the national award. Clarion students won three awards at the Region II competition held at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, marking the 11th consecutive year a Clarion student or faculty member has brought home a technical award from the Region II competition.

            "I was given my own cubical at the competition where I set up my model, book research and display board," explained Zaczyk about the competition with another dozen entrants. "Anyone can come to look at it and I had to give a three to five minute speech about my design and answer questions for the judges."

            The purpose of the Barbizon Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence is to give outstanding student designers national recognition and the opportunity to exhibit their work at the Kennedy Center. Barbizon Inc. is a premier theatrical supply house specializing in advanced lighting for professionals.

            Zaczyk, a junior theatre major, is a daughter of Mary Zaczyk of Yatesboro and is a graduate of West Shamokin High School.

            "My high school teacher, Jeremy Buhite got me interested in the technical aspects of concerts and plays and is the one truly responsible for helping me find this path, whether he knows it or not," said Zaczyk. "The director of one of the plays told me, while I was helping put a window on the set, that I was pretty good at it and asked if I had considered going into theatre. I thought, 'Why not. It sounds good'."

            That decision led her to Clarion University. "I didn't think I would stick with it," she admitted. "But, I love it. This is my life."

            Zaczyk also confessed that she didn't know much about theatre when she arrived in college. "I have learned so much," she said. "During class discussions I heard others talk about things I had never heard of. I didn't know anything about design or how to even start a design."

Audrina Zaczyk

            Learning on the job, Zaczyk did a lot of scene painting for early Clarion University Theatre productions while paying attention to details pointed out by the technical director.

            "I learned to look beyond the words of the play, to find out things the playwright might have intended, but didn't necessarily write out in black and white," she explained. "I learned how to communicate and collaborate with other designers."

            Zaczyk's work on "Mr. Happiness/The Water Engine" started when she returned for the Fall 2009 semester, even though the play was not performed until late November. Actual construction of her design did not start until five weeks before the opening.

            "If you are a designer you are always at the theatre," she said. "This show was about radio. People relied on what they heard and action moved fast. The director and I decided to go with a minimal set and the Art Deco style to set the time period. I knew nothing about Art Deco and the library became my best friend for information. I only hinted at the fact that this was a radio show by using one small radio, a sound desk, and a few micophones on state. We used chairs to indicate actual scene changes. Because most of the state was generalized the director and actors were able to adapt each space for their needs.

            In addition to her award winning design Zaczyk has gained the following credits at Clarion University:  set designer for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"; sound designer for "Big River"; co-op lighting for "43 Plays, 43 Presidents"; and lighting designer for "Once On This Island." She has also worked the sound and light operation board for several productions and worked in the scene shop for all of the 2009 summer productions.

            With a year and one-half years of college still ahead, Zaczyk said she is currently looking for an internship and then, "I want to try and find a technical theatre job. I would like to work in Pittsburgh."

            But, first there is the chance for Zaczyk to win the national award at the Kennedy Center and a chance for national exposure in the field she has come to love.

            KCACTF Region II includes Delaware, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Ohio Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Northern Virginia. Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center's founding chair, the KCACTF is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide, which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. The KCACTF has grown into a network of more than 400 academic institutions throughout the country, where theater departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by KCACTF adjudicators.

            Clarion University is the high-achieving, nationally recognized, comprehensive university that delivers a personal and challenging academic experience.

Zaczyk's set up at KC/ACTF.	A close-up of the design.