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NEWS RELEASE

04-29-02

Contacts:
Jane Cox, ISU Theatre, (515) 294-2624
Dave Gieseke, Liberal Arts & Sciences, (515) 294-7742
Steve Sullivan, News Service, (515) 294-3720

ISU STUDENT WINS IRENE RYAN NATIONAL ACTING AWARD

AMES, Iowa --Kelly Bartlett , an Iowa State University senior from Cedar Rapids majoring in performing arts, has won the Irene Ryan award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Bartlett, a 1997 graduate of Linn-Marr High School, received one of two $2,500 Irene Ryan Scholarships, which are given to provide recognition, honor and financial assistance to outstanding student performers to pursue further education. The Irene Ryan Foundation offers 19 awards and two fellowships at the competition.

Bartlett competed at the national festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in April, after advancing from a regional competition. She was one of 16 regional winners, competing against 300 student actors who were nominated for the competition from colleges and universities in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado.

Bartlett was nominated for her performance as Lenny in the ISU Theatre production last September of "Crimes of the Hearts." Lenny was the oldest of three sisters who has stayed home to take care of her grandfather.

The regional winners each received a $500 scholarship and expenses for the trip to Washington, D.C. for the final competition.

At both competitions, each actor presented five minutes of work. Bartlett performed a comedic scene from Jane Martin's play "Jack and Jill" and a monologue from Margie Zohn's "Joan."

"I love my monologue," said Bartlett. "It's the story of a woman who's experiencing an unwanted pregnancy and audience members can see it as either really dark or very comedic. You can chuckle at it, but realize that this is a very serious issue that a lot of women and men go through."

Fellow Iowa State performing arts major Ryan Walrod, Boone, was Barlett's scene partner for "Jack and Jill," a comedic piece about a passive man and an aggressive women on their first date.

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