Jack of all trades

Jack MacGregor, a 2021 Denison High School graduate, has been awarded the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Region 5 National Award for Scenic Design.

MacGregor is a junior at Northwestern College in Orange City, where he is majoring in theatre.

He was one of eight undergraduate and graduate scenic design students in the nation whose scenic designs will compete at the KCACTF National Festival from April 22-26 in Washington, D.C.

MacGregor received the award for his scenic design of the February 2023 Northwestern College production of “Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson.

The play was inspired by the true story of Henrietta Leavitt and her astronomical discoveries at Harvard University in the early 1900s.

MacGregor credits his teachers at DHS with helping nurture his interest in pursuing theatre as a career.

“Theatre is not necessarily a field a lot of Denison High School alums go into. My education often felt more STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) targeted, and rightfully so since they’re vital fields for our society to function,” he said. “I was extremely blessed to have (language arts teachers) Laurel Olsen and Cynthia Koster encourage me to study theatre while in high school. They both developed me as a speaker and actor, and gave me a love for seeing literature come to life. They both reminded me that the world needs art just as much as it needs science and math. I also had Laurel take me under her wing to build and design scenery for shows because she noticed my creative eye. My work was shoddy at times, but Laurel was so patient and constructive, no matter what. It’s because of Laurel and Cynthia that I am where I am today. They gave me hope.”

To MacGregor, Northwestern College feels like the best place he could possibly be.

“My professors know me personally; they’re invested in supporting the path I want to take to make a difference in the world,” he said. “I’ll admit that at first I questioned if getting my B.A. in theatre was a good idea.”

Work in the arts is hard to find, and many people tend to give up, or don’t even try, he said.

“But, the more theatre classes I took, the more I got to see the meaningful everyday use of construction, competence with technology, heightened social skills, creatively overcoming obstacles on group projects, and a variety of other abilities along the way” MacGregor said. “Apologies for the pun, but I tend to be a ‘Jack of all trades,’ so learning a variety of skills is right up my alley. Plus, they’re necessary skills for the workforce, so it’s a win in my book.”

He said his expectations for the college experience were “night and day” apart from the actual experience.

“I thought I’d get bored. I was super busy in high school, and I assumed I’d only be doing one to three shows in my entire college career, which is what usually happens in undergraduate theatre programs,” MacGregor said.

“Now, I’m currently working on my 18th show at Northwestern. I never expected to design, act, direct, and construct so many shows. On top of that, I’ve helped start an arts and crafts club on campus, and I’m a part of my college’s worship team. I just didn’t expect to be so involved.”

Story Ads 1

**In a scene from "Silent Sky," Tabitha Thatcher is Henrietta Leavitt and Jack MacGregor is her love interest, Peter Shaw. MacGregor won a Kennedy Center Award for his scenic design for the production.**

He has been involved with plays, musicals, dance concerts, and other student-initiated projects and has worn other hats to help “make the magic happen.”

As an actor, he has previously taken on the roles of Orin Scrivello in “Little Shop of Horrors,” and Segismundo in “Life is a Dream” by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, which was one of seven plays selected to be performed at the KCACTF Region 5 festival in 2023.

He is currently rehearsing the title role in William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” which will be performed at Northwestern College in April.

MacGregor said his heart is pulled in three directions where theatre is concerned, but one direction has won.

“I love acting, scenic designing, and props designing. I’m content working backstage and being onstage, but I find more fulfillment in working with my hands backstage on the sets and props,” he said.

“I’ve designed scenery for two student projects, a one act festival, and two mainstage productions at Northwestern. I’ve also designed props for two mainstages and assistant designed props for two other mainstage productions. I’m also a work-study in the scene shop, props master for my department, and a teacher’s assistant for one of my theatre professors.”

His mission in theatre is to help a story come to life.

“Yeah, it’s fun to have the cheap thrill of being in the spotlight, but that’s defeating if the audience isn’t impacted by the story,” MacGregor said. “Theatre can show the brokenness of our world, as well as the beauty and redemption that can happen, if we fight for it at least.”

That’s what he wants the world to see with his designs and creations.

Although he would love the opportunity to take on acting roles on the side, MacGregor’s dream is to get a Master of Fine Arts degree in Scenic Design.

“I hope to be a scenic designer in theatre, as well as design exhibits for museums,” he said. “I might become a professor somewhere, but I haven’t decided yet. We’ll see in a few years.”

Follow us on Facebook for the latest news and updates