March 2024 College News

Jennifer Gonzalez won the Barbizon award for excellence in lighting design for Rent and the student choice award for lighting design for Big Love through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre festival. Jose “Pepper” Garcia won the National Randy Lutz allied craft and technology award for She Kills Monsters and the student choice award for properties through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Katelyn Hartnagel won the SPM Allied Craft Award for She Kills Monsters at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Kate Herlihy , Wallis Brown , Madison Christopher , and Casey Prowell all participated in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festivals Region 6 National Playwriting Program. Kate Herlihy was named a regional finalist and Wallis Brown and Madison Christopher were named National Semi- finalists. Casey Prowell was rewarded with his work on the Student Advisory Board for the region. Oscar Hough won the National Stage Management Fellowship and the student choice award for stage management with the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for their work on She Kills Monsters . Malia McLellan , Kelly Whitlow , and Hailey Truong performed an abbreviated version of the musical Ranked for the SXSW EDU conference. Brooke Sauerwein won the Barbican Award for excellence in sound design through the Kennedy Center American College theatre Festival for their work on She Kills Monsters . Paola Sordo won the regional excellence award in allied crafts for their Elizabethan Attifet. Quinn Kent won the regional excellence award in Allied crafts for their work on Pippin . DEPARTMENT ACCOLADES In late February the Texas State Department of Theatre and Dance opened their second annual Young, Gifted and Black Showcase . The performance featured performances by black students in the Department of Theatre and Dance performing material made famous by black artists. The showcase was directed and produced by Bobcats Cameron Thomas , Tyler Wesley , Al Igbinigie , Hailey Thomas , and Drew Barber . [2] ALUMNI ACCOLADES TJ Young’s play Sperm Donor Wanted (Or, the Unnamed Baby Play) opens at the Chain Theatre in April in partnership with Theatre 4the People. Preston Perez made his national touring debut as Hans in the musical Frozen . Lily Kren made her broadway debut in The Who’s Tommy in early March. Eden Witvoet performed in Cinderella and Into The Woods at the Link Theatre in March. Ben Toomer performed as Rafiki in the national tour of The Lion King . Anyae Anasia was cast was Ivana in Five: The Parody Musical at Theatre 555. This is Preston Perez in Frozen College of Fine Arts and Communication | 17 THEATRE Acting, Musical Theatre, Per formance and Production, Teacher Certif ication in Theatre, Technical Production, & Theatre FACULTY ACCOLADES Linda Nenno Breining 's opera, An Artist's Regrets , was performed as part of One Ounce Opera's Fresh Squeezed Opera Festival in Austin at the Museum of Human Achievement, February 23-March 3. Co-written with Nell Clowder, it was chosen for a production from over 50 submissions from all over the world. Nadine Mozon was featured in American Theatre . Richard Robichaux was invited to the Big Ideas podcast through Texas State University. The link for the podcast can be found here. Colin Shay won a National Partners in American Theatre Mentor Award at Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VI Festival for their mentorship of a Technical Direction working on Pippin . STUDENT ACCOLADES Amber Adamez is a current quarter finalist in ScreenCraft's 2024 Short Film Screenplay Competition with her original work Damage Gets Done . Elijah Kleinberg won the award for regional excellence in lighting design for their work in Got Here . Michael Gault won the Barbizon award for excellence in Scenic design for Rent and the student choice award for lighting design on Big Love through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Michael Gault , Paige Blackwell , Kelly Connaughton , Brooke Sauerwein , Jose “Pepper” Garcia , Madison Montagne , Kaitlyn Hartnagel , and Oscar Hough won the Don Childs Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration Award through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. [1] Bobcat students won the Don Childs Cross- Disciplinary Collobaration Award through KCACTF The cast of “Young, Gifted & Black: A Black History Month Celebration” rehearsed a curtain call at the Performing Arts Center Ben Toomer performed as Rafiki in The Lion King 1 2 3 16 | March 2024 | College News