Alfred University News

Kirstin VanRenselaar ’22 (Education, History, Theater major and Scholes Library student employee) was chosen to compete in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre (KCACTF) Festival Irene Ryan Auditions, performing two monologues on Zoom for the national selection team.

She was part of a group of 16 actors screened from an original pool of 220 actors from the seven states that make up KCACTF Region 2.

VanRenselaar was nominated for her work in UnBound: A Loose-Leaf Theater project on Racial and Social Justice, produced at Alfred University Nov. 6, 7, 8 via Zoom, guided by Alfred University Performing Arts faculty Becky Prophet, Maureen Weiss, Zachary Hamm, and Debra MacCrea.

Unbound was a first for the Performing Arts Division at Alfred University.  The entire creative process was engaged to stream the live performance.  Every actor, designer, crew member, as well as faculty and staff engaged in Unbound seized the opportunity to tackle a new means of performance by learning the Zoom platform and experimenting with the ever-increasing options of digital theater, which became a major medium for Alfred University in March when classes moved on-online. 

In addition to her role in Unbound, VanRenselaar also performed multiple roles in Annie Jump in the Library of Heaven. Both plays were produced the fall in Alfred University’s Fall semester.  

Kirstin VanRenselaar has been acting since the third grade and has played many roles over the years, her favorite being Polonious from Hamlet. Since coming to Alfred she has played Orgon in Tartuffe, Mrs. Gomez in Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven, and participated in the most recent production- Unbound. She is currently working on preparing for her future role of high school teacher, in which she hopes to inspire her students as she has been inspired by those who have taught her.