Theatre and Dance Faculty and Students Honored at Theatre Festival

From Connie Lester, Redfern: Faculty and students from the Theatre and Dance Department received multiple honors in the 41st New England Region I Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival held at Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Mass., Jan. 27–Feb. 1.

Keene State was one of five New England colleges selected from the 116 adjudicated for inclusion in the festival. Festival participants were selected based on the excellence of work in Theatre and Dance Department productions. Six students and their partners participated in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Awards auditions, and five attended for their work in technical design. All students were selected for their performance or work in last spring’s The Rolling Collection, directed by Ron Spangler, or the fall productions of Fat Men in Skirts, directed by Ron Spangler, or The Matchmaker, directed by PeggyRae Johnson.

For The Matchmaker production, Liz Panneton ’09 received honorable mention for the National Barbizon Award for lighting design, and the technical staff received the Golden Hammer Award (given to acknowledge the cooperation, organization, skill, and efficiency of the top production crew loading in and loading out their production). KSC theatre faculty member and technical director Craig Lindsay, assistant technical director and theatre major Alex Trombly ’11, and lighting advisor and touring assistant Jeremy Robarge led the cast and crew to this honor.

Gilly Clarke-Moon ’09 received the second-place National Sound Design Award for her work in Hot House, and Lauren Duffy ’09 received first place in the Regional USITT New England Award in Technical/Craftsmanship for her design and execution of shadow puppets in The Rolling Collection. KSC theatre faculty member Céline Perron received a Meritorious Award for puppetry design for her play The Rolling Collection.