A Cuesta College student-directed play has been selected as one of only four productions to represent Region 8 (Arizona, Central and Southern California, Hawaii, Southern Nevada, Utah, and Guam) at the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival in Glendale, California, from February 10 to 14.
In celebration of the invitation, Cuesta is remounting James and the Giant Peach for three shows at the Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center January 16-18. Tickets are $25 for general admission and free for children under 12.
“The conference is a celebration of creativity where our students will shine as emerging theatre artists,” according to bree valle, artistic director of the Cuesta College Theatre Arts program. “It gives them a powerful platform to showcase their work, take creative risks, and grow through improvisation, performance, and bold new ideas. More than just an event, it’s an immersive experience that builds confidence, flexible thinking, and artistic courage.”
The five-day regional conference brings together outstanding college theatre programs for performances, workshops, professional feedback, and national award consideration.
“This production was truly a team effort,” according to Cash Costingo, one of the student co-directors of James and the Giant Peach. “And being selected for the festival feels like a celebration of everyone involved. From rehearsals to performances, we poured our hearts into this show, and it means so much to have that work recognized alongside other outstanding college programs.”
Costingo’s co-director, Kasady Riley, agrees. “This experience has pushed us to grow as artists and collaborators in ways we couldn’t have imagined,” she says. “Representing Cuesta College at the American College Theatre Festival allows us to learn from other programs, receive professional feedback, and celebrate the power of student-driven theatre.”
Cuesta College has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help offset production, travel, lodging, and transportation expenses.”
The invitation marks the sixth time Cuesta College Theatre Arts has represented the western region of the United States at ACTF. Past honors include the original play pool ’63 (2014), which received five national awards; Refried Elvis (2016), which earned six awards; Man of La Mancha (2018) with 14 awards; Ghost Ship (2019), which received 10 awards including Outstanding Theatrical Creation; and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2023), which earned 10 awards including Outstanding Performance by an Actor.
In 2021, bree valle received the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion, one of the highest honors in theatre education.
To support the remount and student participation in the regional festival, Cuesta College has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help offset production, travel, lodging, and transportation expenses. All donations are being matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000, doubling the impact of each gift and helping ensure every student can participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.