Dan Rogers, an associate professor of theater and speech at Bismarck State College, has a lot to say about his former theater students Kelsey Fredricks and Ian Knodel. "Kelsey is one of the most talented theater students I have ever come across, and Ian is one of the strongest I have seen in 30 years."

Fredricks and Knodel have pulled up their BSC roots and gone to Emporia State University in Kansas to pursue their theater dreams.

They have made their mark at BSC by performing in plays and working with the theater department. They both described their experiences at BSC as beneficial for Emporia and the rest of their future.

"If you have your mind set to something, BSC will help," Knodel said.

And it did.

"The theater classes at BSC are great. They've done a very good job at preparing me for different roles," said Fredricks. She performed many roles, such as lead roles in the BSC productions "Nickel and Dimed" and "Man of La Mancha."

"Before the opening of the performances, her character would just take over; that's something that can't be taught," said Rogers. Performing in the BSC productions gave Fredricks the chance to compete in the American College Theater Festival. With that, she was able to pursue an audition at Emporia State.

"Kelsey is the type of actor who knows what she is doing, and she is good at it,"said Brandon Coyle, a sophomore at North Dakota State University. He was active in theater with Fredricks during their high school years at Mandan High School.

Fredricks also was an assistant director of Shade Tree Players in Bismarck, which provides theater experiences for children.

Knodel describes the BSC faculty as very warm and friendly. "If you have your mind set on something, they (BSC faculty) will help," Knodel said. He played the lead role in four BSC theater productions. "He was a delight to work with," Rogers said.

One of the lead roles that Knodel played was in "Man of La Mancha." Rogers described his character role as very difficult, yet he had a unique speaking style that allowed him to step it up as the lead. "A lot of his (Knodel's) talent came naturally, and he worked harder than anyone during practices and rehearsals," said Klarissa Pudwill, who co-starred in "Man of La Mancha" with Knodel. Pudwill is in her third year at BSC.

He also was given numerous opportunities at BSC. As well as performing in plays, Knodel also participated in many school activities. He served as the event coordinator for the all-day musical festival "Rock the Lawn." He also was a student employee for the BSC theater department. Both of these jobs gave him a better insight on other aspects of the theater industry. "The more you know, the bigger threat you are to theater industry," Knodel said.

At the ACTF, Knodel really expanded his theater skills by directing a scene in one of the plays, and he also directed his own 10-minute play.

The next step for the both of them was the college decision.

"Emporia has a lot to offer as a college; it's full of talent,"said Fredricks. For her, though, it was a close call going to Emporia. The college is expensive and the scholarships weren't enough in the beginning, said Fredricks. Eventually, Emporia offered her a $10,000 scholarship, and she said it definitely played a large role in her decision. "(At her audition) Emporia saw exactly what I had been seeing: She's talented, she has strong work ethics and she's highly directable," said Rogers.

The situation was similar for Knodel. "I had a couple other acceptions, like the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, but Emporia gave me more confidence," Knodel said. He also said one of the biggest factors in his decision for Emporia was the ability for him to receive his bachelor of fine arts degree.

Fredricks and Knodel are now doing what they love theater.

Emporia and BSC may be about 13 hours apart, but Knodel said the small town feeling and education make him feel right back at BSC. "The settings are pretty different, but in a whole they both offer good education and opportunities for involvement," Knodel said. Fredricks said the theater programs at both schools provide comfort and a friendly atmosphere. "The teachers are great mentors and friends, and there's always that close bond with the cast,"Fredricks said.

Yet the intensity for both Fredricks and Knodel at Emporia, between practice, rehearsal and performance, has proven to be much different than BSC.

For both of them, auditions started on the first day of school. Knodel said practices and rehearsal at Emporia are both very quick. "At BSC we had only two shows, but at Emporia we will be having six different shows,"said Knodel. He also said that Emporia is a more focused school. "It's a whole world of theater here at Emporia,"Knodel said.

Emporia is already offering Fredricks and Knodel a wide variety of theater experience.

Fredricks has been cast in two Greek shows. One of the shows is "Trojan Woman," where she plays Helen of Troy. The shows run from Nov. 14-17 and Nov. 27 to Dec. 1.

Knodel is starring in the production of "The Little Shop of Horrors," where he plays a dentist and five other characters. "It's my first chance to play a bunch of characters in one show. It's a fun process finding personalities for each character," Knodel said.

Next stop, the future.

"I want to make the most out of my time here and get everything I can possibly get from theater," Fredricks said. She also hopes that Emporia will allow her to be a more well-rounded person in the theater industry and give her more confidence to go somewhere bigger. "It's always been my dream to be on Broadway," Fredricks said. "She's got the goods, whether she pursues herself in theater, film or both; she can make it," Rogers said.

The biggest thing for Knodel is for him to get his degree. He also hopes to get opportunities for all types of employment. "I want to be well prepared for the world,"said Knodel. Rogers hopes Emporia will take him to the next level in theater. "He's perfecting his craft and the experience will take him far in life," Rogers said.

Fredricks and Knodel appear to have a lot of talent that's paying off. Stay tuned: Their next stops could be on Broadway or Hollywood.