The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Yale and SCSU students, faculty receive college awards
In December 2021, the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts hosted its annual honors gala, where it recognized honorees including "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels, Motown founder Berry Gordy and singersongwriter Joni Mitchell, among others. But this month, the Center recognized students and faculty from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University and Southern Connecticut State University in its American College Theater Festival.
Yale and SCSU students and faculty were part of more than 125 theater students from colleges and universities around the country that participated in a virtual event that was
part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, according to a press release. All students in virtual attendance were
“recognized for their outstanding work from the eight regional festivals that were held Jan. 5 through Feb. 27, 2022.” The Kennedy
Center American College Theater Festival program involves 18,000 students each year from colleges and universities nationwide and aims to recognize and encourage diverse productions in college theater programs, its website notes.
Yale received six awards from the Kennedy Center. The play “Manning,” by Benjamin Benne received several awards, including distinguished achievement for both the Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award and the Paula Vogel Award in Playwriting, as well as second place for the Kennedy Center Latinx Playwriting Award.
The play “Love I Awethu Further” by A.K. Payne received the first-place award for the David Mark Cohen National Playwriting
Award and second place for the Rosa Parks Playwriting Award. Second place for the “Hip Hop Theater Creator Award” was given to "littleboy/littleman" by Rudi Goblen.
Southern Connecticut State University also received six awards from the Kennedy Center’s college festival. The original play “Out of Bounds” received all six of the school’s awards, earning a Kennedy Center Citizen Award, as well as special achievement distinctions in production design, scenic design, projection design. The awards for scenic design and projection design were both awards to Douglas J. Macur.
It also received a special achievement in direction by faculty artists distinction, which was awarded to Gracy Keirstead and Sarah Bowles. The final distinction received by “Out of Bounds” was for special achievement in the production of a devised or company-generated work.
All of the awards, along with other awards that were determined during the national festival process, will be presented on May 21 during the virtual ceremony from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.