Announcement
Boston, MA —
Six Department of Performing Arts students at Emerson College received top awards at the prestigious Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) for Region 1, and Performing Arts Costume Design Advisor Rafael Jaen was recognized for his contributions to design. The award ceremony was held on January 28 at Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
Emerson Performing Arts student Juliana Gregori ’12 received the National KCACTF Award for Excellence in Costume Design for Cloud Nine; Kirk Miller ’11 received the National KCACTF Award for Excellence in Lighting Design for Robin Hood; Shanna Allison ’13 was awarded the the National KCACTF Fellowship for Excellence in Stage Management for She Loves Me; and Tierra Bonser ’12 received the LMDA/KCACTF National Award for Excellence in Dramaturgy for The Golden Age. These four students will go on to the national festival in Washington, D.C. in April.
Additional Emerson Performing Arts students recognized at the regional festival were Erik Skovgaard ‘12, who was awarded the National KCACTF Award for Excellence in Sound Design and received an Honorable Mention for The Hallway Plays: Paraffin and Nursing, and Alyssa Dillon ’12, who was awarded the Regional KCACTF Award for Allied Design and Technologies and First Place in the USITT Tech/Innovation & Craftsmanship Award for Man of La Mancha.
Emerson alumni and faculty also participated in the festival. Jared Bowen ’98, an Emmy-winning reporter for WGBH-TV’s Greater Boston, delivered the festival’s keynote address. Anne G. Morgan ’09 presented a workshop titled “Planning a Theater’s Season” for prospective producers, artistic directors, and literary managers. Anne received the LMDA/ATHE/KCACTF National Dramaturgy Award in 2009 for her work on Little Women. Natalie Kearns ’08 presented an information session on behalf of the Society of Props Artisan Managers (S*P*A*M) for aspiring props masters and artisans.
Emerson Performing Arts faculty members Debra Acquavella presented a specialized workshop for stage management students called “Calling Cues for Musicals” and Rafael Jaen ran a workshop titled “Digital Design-Tech Portfolios: Branding, Marketing and Social Media.”
In addition to receiving the Kennedy Center ACTF Region 1 Recognition Award for Outstanding Service in Design, Technology and Management, faculty member Rafael Jaen was honored by the publishing company FOCAL Press, who announced the Focal Press/Rafael Jaen SHOW CASE Award for Excellence in Theater Design Technologies.
Stacey Walker, Associate Acquisitions Editor, Theatre/Live Entertainment, said, “Rafael Jaen has been an author with us for six years, and it’s been a wonderful partnership. Rafael is a leader in the DTM field and has a truly remarkable portfolio. In fact, he literally wrote the book on portfolio design and management. Rafael and his new book Show Case embody exactly what Focal Press and KCACTF stand for: excellence, passion, putting your best foot forward, substance, and innovation. That’s why we’ve teamed together with Rafael to create the Focal Press/Rafael Jaen Excellence Award, to be presented to outstanding DTM student practitioners.” The award gives students credit to purchase books to further their education in the design-tech fields.
About Emerson Stage
Emerson Stage is the producing organization of the Department of Performing Arts at Emerson College. Its mission is to enhance the cultural life of Emerson College and the larger local community through the presentation of meaningful, diverse, and multicultural programming that upholds high artistic standards and a commitment to open-minded cultural exchange. Emerson Stage pairs Performing Arts students with top theater professionals, onstage and off, to bring theatrical events to life. The organization produces eight shows per year. Join us at emerson.edu/emersonstage, or follow us on Emerson Stage Facebook or Emerson Stage Twitter.
About the College
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city’s Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning. The College has 3,780 undergraduates and 670 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 90 student organizations and performance groups. Emerson is known for its experiential learning programs in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, the Netherlands, London, China, and the Czech Republic as well as its new Global Portals, with the first opening last fall in Paris. The College has an active network of 51,000 alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit Emerson.edu.