Region 2 Festival 52 Awards & Recognitions
NATIONAL AWARDS & RECOGNITION
ASPIRE Arts Leadership Award – Isha Rao, Slippery Rock University
LMDA Award for Outstanding Dramaturgy – Freddie Miller, Pennsylvania State University, “Seeking a Coherent Existence: Sondheim and Wheeler’s A Little Night Music”
Allied Design and Technology – Dakotah Hall, Clarion University
Costume Design – Juliann Tallman, Montclair State University, Daughters of the Rebellion
Lighting Design – Myles Martin, West Chester University, Macbeth
Scenic Design – Louis Medrano, Montclair State University, Daughters of the Rebellion
Sound Design – Rachel Borczuch, West Chester University, Macbeth
Stage Management – Hannah Yankowitz, Towson University, Merrily We Roll Along
Irene Ryan Scholarship Award – Heather Legnosky, Suffolk County Community College
Theatre Journalism and Advocacy National Finalist – Mercedes Hesselroth, New York University
Musical Theatre Intensive Auditions – Julia Rakus, Binghamton University
Gary Garrison Regional Playwriting Finalist – Joel Horne, York College of Pennsylvania, Ada and Her Programming
Gary Garrison Regional Playwriting Finalist – Lorenzo Henriquez, Bowie State University, Every[Black]Man
John Cauble Regional Playwriting Finalist – Samantha Friskey, University of Pennsylvania, Rabbit
John Cauble Regional Playwriting Finalist – Isabella Ullmann, University of Virginia, The Art of Being an OK Person
National Partners of the American Theater – Hallie McPherson, Carnegie Mellon University, C*NTLOAF: Or the C-Word Play
SDC Directing Intensive Finalist – Des’ree Brown, University of Maryland, College Park
REGIONAL AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Honorable Mention for Dramaturgy – Emma Cummings, James Madison University, “Everybody”
Collaborative Dramaturgy – Anna Chichester, Kiersten Mickle, Brian Monahan, Daniel Monahan, Autumn Pollock, Ryan Benson Smith, SUNY Oswego, “Fun Home Dramaturgy: Welcome to our House on Maple Avenue”
Dramaturgy Note Award – Amanda Gydesen, SUNY Oswego, “Program Note: The Fantastics”
Devised Theatre – Bowie State University, “Da Struggle is Real”
Allied Design and Technology Regional Award – Madison Sawula, Montclair State University
Honorable Mention Allied Design and Technology – Rebecca Koch, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Costume Design Regional Award – Katerina Moser, James Madison University, Everybody
Honorable Mention Costume Design – Melissa Gargiulo, Montclair State University, Reefer Madness
Costume Design (Classwork Project) – Grace Wilson, Montclair State University, Cloud 9
Honorable Mention Costume Design (Classwork Project) – Lauren Brooks, Westminster College, Bonduca
Lighting Design Regional Award – Nikki Belenski, Montclair State University, Urinetown: The Musical
Scenic Design Regional Award – Jamie Mejia, Montclair State University, Urinetown: The Musical
Honorable Mention Scenic Design – Grace Easterday, Frostburg State University, Alabama Story
Stage Management Regional Award – Elizabeth Forrester, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Honorable Mention Stage Management – Nicole Milsson, Rider University, Assassins
Honorable Mention Stage Management – Kimmie Sandberg, Rochester Inst of Tech/Nat Tech Inst for Deaf, I & You
Honorable Mention Stage Management – Ashley Cabrera, James Madison University, Everybody
Sound Design Regional Award – Hannah Szarko, Montclair State University, Anon(ymous)
Sound Design (Class Project) – Michaela Pietrinferno, Montclair State University, The Woman in Black
Don Childs’ SILV Award for Cross Discipline Collaboration – Myles Martin, West Chester University, Macbeth
Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award – Louis Medrano, Montclair State University
Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award – Jamie Mejia, Montclair State University
Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award – Grace Easterday, Frostburg State University
Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award – James Oakry, Youngstown State University
Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award – Ali Srour, Westminster College
Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award – Justin Larabee, James Madison University
Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award – Madison Sawlua, Montclair State University
Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award – Nikki Belenski, Montclair State University
DTM First Time Presenter Award – Gillian Foy, Suffolk County Community College
DTM Heart of the Art Award – Lexy Ramos, Borough of Manhattan Community College
Vectorworks Award – Alondra Santos-Castillo, West Chester University
Stage Crew Showdown/Tech Olympics – Frostburg State University
Golden Handtruck Award – Bucknell University
Cold Read Award – Brenda Darcy, Binghamton University
Cold Read Award (Runner-Up) – Kamryn Rudolph, Youngstown State University
Games and Misdemeanors (Improv Show) – Dan Egan, Lycoming College, Cason Morgan, Lycoming College, Callia Byard, West Liberty University, Team CDC
Irene Ryan Award (2nd Place) – Anna Steuerman, Towson University
Best Partner Award – Gabrielle Allen, University of Maryland, College Park
Classical Acting Award – Kerinne Walls, Towson University
VASTA Award – Sierra Young, Howard Community College
Theatre Journalism and Advocacy Runner-Up – Alexandria Mitchell, Villanova University
Zachary Arlt, George Mason University
Musical Theatre Auditions (Runner-up) – Liam McGettigan, Stockton University
Dance in Musical Theatre Award – J’Quay Lamonte Gibbs, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Certificate of Merit (10-Minute Play) – Jordan Ramierz Puckett, Ohio University, A Crowded Train
Certificate of Merit (10-Minute Play) – Rachel Nitchman, Otterbein University, Night Shift at the Diner Off Interstate 70, Utah
Certificate of Merit (10-Minute Play) – Jarod Hanson, Towson University, Sweven
Certificate of Merit (10-Minute Play) – Lorenzo Henriquez, Bowie State University, Every[Black]Man
Certificate of Merit (10-Minute Play) – Joel Horne, York College of Pennsylvania, Ada and Her Programming
Certificate of Merit (10-Minute Play) – Conor LaRocque, The Catholic University of America, Twosome
Certificate of Merit (Full-Length Play) – Hallie McPherson, Carnegie Mellon University, C*NTLOAF: Or the C-Word Play
Certificate of Merit (Full-Length Play) – Phil Roony, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Certificate of Merit (One-Act Play) – Isabella Ullmann, The University of Virginia, The Art of Being an OK Person
Certificate of Merit (One-Act Play) – Amber Smithers, University of Maryland, College Park, Odessa and Her Dimensions
Certificate of Merit (One-Act Play) – Tracy Hoida, Carnegie Mellon University, The Origin of Kick Jab Girl
Certificate of Merit (One-Act Play) – Samanta Friskey, University of Pennsylvania, Rabbit
Cold-Read for an NPP Audition – Shalom Omo-Osagie, Bowie State University
Performance at NPP Monologue Slam! – Jon Bolds, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, Aly Tu, Howard Community College, Janeena Pinero, Montclair State University
Performance in a 10-Minute NPP Play – Emma Scholl, Adelphi University, Ryan Anthony, Bowie State University
Performance in a One-Act NPP Play – Lloyd Ekpe, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Shalome Omo-Osagie, Bowie State University
Student Director for a 10-Minute Play – Dylan Erdelyi, Rider University, Twosome
Honorable Mention SDC Directing Intensive Finalist – Jasmine A. Mitchell, University of Maryland, College Park
Drag Queen/King Award – Adeline Grace Riley, Indiana University of Pennsylvania – Peter Pansy
Region 2 Festival 52 Invited Productions
Music & Lyrics by Adam Gwon
Directed by Tommy Iafrate
Binghamton University
From one of musical theatre’s most exciting new composers, ORDINARY DAYS tells the story of four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love and cabs. With equal doses of humor and poignancy, it celebrates how 8.3 million individual stories combine in unexpected ways to make New York City such a unique and extraordinary home.
by Emma Goidel
Directed by Len Kelly
West Chester University
High school chemistry genius Diskit needs some friends who aren’t her dad. High school burnout Riley needs a new screamer for her metal band. The Zombie Fuel Energy Drink Wreak Ruckus Battle of the Bands could transform them both from high school losers into rock gods. But will that be enough to get them out of Tucker, Georgia? This provocative new work is playwright Emma Goidel’s scream rock fantasia about searching for big-time glory in a small-time town.
by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Andy Head
Rochester Institute of Technology & National Technical Institute for the Deaf
One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline’s door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass”, an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound due to illness, Caroline hasn’t been to school in months, but she is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic, sensitive, and popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. I AND YOU is an ode to youth, life, love, and the strange beauty of human connectedness. Utilizing two rotating casts, this production is performed simultaneously in American Sign Language and spoken English. Both the Deaf cast and the hearing cast will perform during each show, however, one cast will be the “primary” cast and one will be the “secondary” cast. To provide equal language accessibility, for each performance the actors will rotate who is primary and who is secondary.
a devised play
Directed by Anjalee Hutchinson
Bucknell University
A group of college students come together during a writing workshop under the guidance of a whimsical professor to reflect on how their different family structures and upbringings have created feelings of anxiety, loneliness and miscommunication in their college experiences. Unheard/Unspoken an inside look at the inner and outer worlds of current day students and an exploration on how undergraduates struggle to understand where they come from, who they are and how those two identities connect. UNHEARD/UNSPOKEN is a devised production created in the fall of 2019 as a collaboration between 27 students and 1 director.
by Anna Ziegler
Directed by Richard Kemp
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Two Princeton freshmen spend a night together that will alter the course of their lives. With lyricism and wit, Anna Ziegler’s ACTUALLY investigates gender and race politics, our crippling desire to fit in, and the challenging nuances of consent when there is more than one side to every story.
by Simon Stephens & Mark Haddon
Directed by Jeffrey Lentz
Albright College
Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone has an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor’s dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever.
A NEW play by Susan McCully
Directed by Eve Muson
University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus
In keeping with UMBC’s vision of New Ways and New Plays, GIRLS ON A DIRT PILE tackles events ripped from the headlines. The myth of Demeter and Persephone is a frame on which McCully hangs the tough questions: Are we doomed to repeat the sins of misogyny, or is equality possible? Equal parts low comedy and dystopian drama, McCully sends up patriarchy with her trademark irony and wit.
by Aaron Posner
Directed by Frank Kuhn
The College of Brockport
What’s with the fowl language? Posner has written a modernist take on a classic play – If you think “The Seagull”, great. If you don’t, that’s fine, too. Either way, you you’ll appreciate the family, friends, and lovers taking on life’s age-old contradictions: Old vs. New. Old vs. Young. Truth vs. Fiction. Show-biz vs. Reality. Parents vs. Children. Life vs. Death. And, of course, all caps. LOVE. All the while learning about LIFE, how to remain connected, and the passage of time.
