Sacramento State theater students returned home from this weekend’s Irene Ryan Scholarship Acting Competition, also known as Nationals, at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

After their performance at Regionals on Feb. 14, the group made it to Nationals. At Nationals, junior film major Olivia Hughes and sophomore film major Sean Nill placed with 16 other students for an opportunity to win the Irene Ryan Scholarship.

Michelle Felten, assistant director of Sac State’s theater department, said Hughes and Nill gave a great performance at Nationals, but unfortunately did not place for either of the two awarded scholarships.

Felten said Hughes and Nill’s acting was well prepared, professional and they gave an outstanding performance.

“It was a great honor for Olivia and Nill to perform with a caliber of young actors,” Felten said. “Although they did not win, they performed very well and deserved to be there.”

After the competition, Hughes said she was pleased with her show and gave the best performance possible while having fun.

“My partner and I were very happy with our performance,” Hughes said. “We did the best we could do and just had fun. Honestly, we were all winners just for being there in the first place – though the two winners gave great performances. It must have been difficult for the judges to make their decision. Everyone was so great.”

Felten said the competition was “absolutely thrilling” and the Terrace Theater in which the students performed filled the room with 500 people in the audience.

Hughes said the support for all the competitors made it a more pleasant experience.

“The atmosphere in D.C. was totally supportive and familial. All the contestants really bonded,” Hughes said. “We became friends pretty quickly and there were never any overly competitive feelings or rivalries. We were all just happy to be together and sharing such an awesome opportunity.”

Hughes said preparing for the competition was hard work, but it was fun and she gained a lot from her experience at the competition.

Hughes said the performance was six minutes in length that consisted of a three-minute scene from “As Bees in Honey Drown,” by Douglas Carter Bean, a two-minute scene from “Away” by Michael Gow with partner Nill and a one-minute solo song, “Can’t say No” from “Oklahoma.”

While the competition was the main attraction this weekend at the Kennedy Center, the students who performed also attended workshops and clinics that would help their future acting and theater performances.

“I have definitely gained a new sense of what it means to be an actor,” Hughes said. “All the techniques and methods I learned totally blew my mind. I learned my body is an instrument and there are all sorts of ways to assure that that instrument stays in tune. It’s not often one gets the opportunity to receive lessons from leading professionals in their fields.”

Nill said Nationals were less competitive, but rather a community of students learning to become better actors and working together in doing so.

“The classes were amazing,” Nill said. “Learning how to perform from the workshops was a great opportunity to learn more about acting.”

Hughes said the competition was a great experience to meet new people and learn from other actors and actresses. She said everyone gave great performances.

“The most interesting part was getting to see the group come together as a whole,” Hughes said. “It was such an honor to be amongst such talented young actors. The fact that we all became so open with one another so quickly, really showcased how into our work we really were and how eager we were to share our learning experiences with each other.”

While competition opened many opportunities for the 16 students who performed, Hughes said the competition has impacted her outlook on acting and how she can improve to better her future career as an actress.

“The competition was important to me, it showed me that I don’t have to be afraid to try new things with acting and gave a willingness to share and connect with other people because we are all in the same boat as each other,” Hughes said. “In the future, I want to take more classes for sure. I’m on the road to becoming a professional actor, and I might as well take advantage of the opportunities I’m being offered. I’m three times more motivated now than I was just a short while ago.”

Felten said theater is an artform where there is always something to learn from past performances to improve on, but it takes both sides to see what changes can improve the next performance.

“I have not yet had the opportunity to sit down with Sean and Olivia to get their take on the evening’s events. Their response to their own performance will be the perfect starting point to discuss how we might approach another such competition in the future, and improve upon overall competitiveness,” Felten said. “It is beneficial to compare notes from both their perspective in doing the performance, and mine in viewing it from the audience.”