Senior English major Caleigh Boniger, senior technical theatre major Emily Smallwood and freshman technical theatre major Thomas Feather earned distinction at the Regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Cleveland. Nineteen Clarion students attended the 47th annual event, marking the 20th year that Clarion has participated.
Boniger, of Girard, received the regional Theatrical Criticism award from the Institute for Theatre Journalism and Advocacy, qualifying her to attend the national festival in April in Washington, D.C.
Smallwood, of Dallas, Pa., won a scholarship to the Las Vegas Stagecraft Institute, where she will spend a week this summer taking technical theatre classes. She also won the regional award for Allied Design and Crafts and will attend the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, conference for professional and student theatre technicians. Her honors came from her work with puppet design for Clarion's "Story Theatre" production.
Feather, of Windber, won the Focal Press award for his sound design for Clarion's "The Taming of the Shrew" production.
Several Clarion professors were involved with this year's Kennedy Center festival, including: Marilouise Michel, Ph.D., theatre; Robert Bullington, Ph.D., theatre; Drew Leigh Williams, theatre instructor; and Ralph Leary, Ph.D., English. Robert Levy, Ph.D., theatre, also attended.