For an 11th consecutive year, a Clarion University student or faculty member received an Exellence in Design Award at the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival Region II competition.
Audrina Zaczyk received a Barbizon Award for design for the Clarion University production of "Mr. Happiness/The Water Engine." By winning at the Region II level, Zaczyk will advance to compete for the national award at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., in April.
Barbizon Inc. is a premier theatrical supply house specializing in advanced lighting for professionals. The purpose of the Barbizon Awards for Theatrical Design Excellence is to give outstanding student designers national recognition and the opportunity to exhibit their work at the Kennedy Center.
Zaczyk, a junior theatre major, is a daughter of Mary Zacyk of Yatesboro and is a graduate of West Shamokin High School.
Elizabeth Fisher won the Regional Design Award for Sound for her sound and multimedia design for "Skin Deep." Fisher, a senior theatre major, is from North Huntingdon and is a graduate of Norwin High School.
Samuel Levy was a finalist in Regional Sound Design and was awarded a certificate of merit for his foley (live sound effects) work for "Mr. Happiness/The Water Engine." Levy, a senior theatre major, is a son of Robert Levy of Shippenville and is a graduate of Clarion High School.
Fourteen additional Clarion University students also competed in the various events at the Region II event held at IUP, Jan. 12-16. Film star, stage actor, director, producer, and teacher Bill Pullman was the keynote presenter.
Theatre department faculty members, Robert Bullington, Marilouise Michel, and Robert Levy accompanied the students to the festival.
Competing at the festival were:
Danielle Winterhalter, Jamie Richard, Connor Mrozowski, Michael Jaworski, Ryan Jackson and Adam Huff, nominated for their performances during the past year, competed for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. Scene partners Shernee Bellamy, Lindsay Pingor, and Shawn Arnold assisted.
Since 1972, the Irene Ryan Foundation of Encino, Cal., has awarded scholarships to the outstanding student performers at each regional festival. The scholarships are made possible by the generosity of the late Irene Ryan, who is best remembered for her portrayal of Granny Clampett in
the "Beverly Hillbillies."
Winterhalter, a junior theatre major, is a daughter of Michelle Winterhalter of McDonald and is a graduate of South Fayette High School.
Richard, a senior film and theatre major, is the son of Randall and Gloria Richard of Reading and is a graduate of Exeter Township High School.
Mrozowski, a junior theatre major, is a son of John Mrozowski of Pittsburgh and is a graduate of Winchester Thurston High School.
Jaworski, a sophmore theatre major, is a son of Stephen Jaworski and Jean Grant of New Bethlehem and is a graduate of Redbank Valley High School.
Jackson, a senior theatre major, is a son of Lisa Jackson of Ambridge and is a graduate of Moon High School.
Huff, a senior theatre and mass media major, is the son of Roger and Marian Huff of North Huntingdon and is a graduate of Greensburg Central Catholic High School. This is his B.F.A. graduation project.
Bellamy, a senior theatre major, is a daughter of Jessica Bellamy of Erie and is a graduate of Central High School, Erie.
Pingor, a senior elementary education major, is the daughter of Darryl and Wendy Pingor of Delmont and is a graduate of Franklin Regional High School.
Arnold, a senior secondary education/social studies and theatre major, is a son of Mary Arnold of Philipsburg and is a graduate of Philipsburg-Osceola High School.
Designers, Victor Aponte, Ron Dante Johnson, Elizabeth Fisher, Audrina Zaczyk, Samuel Levy and Kevin Lichty, displayed their work and competed for the Barbizon Award and regional Design Awards.
Aponte, a senior theatre major, is a son of Luz Aponte of Erie and is a graduate of McDowell High School.
Johnson, a senior theatre major, is a son of Judith Miller of Mckees Rocks and is a graduate of Sto-Rox High School.
Lichty, a junior theatre major, is a son of Pat Lichty of York and is a graduate of York Catholic High School.
Nic Barilar and Shawn Arnold participated in the O'Neill Critics Institute.
Barilar, a sophomore theatre major, is a son of Tracy Smith of Punxsutawney and Al Barilar of Wilmington, Ohio, and is a graduate of Punxsutawney High School.
Region II of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival consists of Colleges and Universities in Western NY, NJ, DE, MD, PA, OH, WV and Northern VA.
KCACTF Region II includes Delaware, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Ohio Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Northern Virginia. Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center's founding chair, the KCACTF is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. The KCACTF has grown into a network of more than 400 academic institutions throughout the country, where theater departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by KCACTF adjudicators.
Clarion University is the high-achieving, nationally recognized, comprehensive university that delivers a personal and challenging academic experience.
