Alfred University theater students do well in the regional
Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
Spring 2005

For the fifth year in a row, Alfred University students won top honors at the Region II Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival

(KCACTF) competition, this year held at Muhlenberg College in Allentown , Pa. from January 4-8. One of them, Elizabeth (Betsy) Van Deusen, will advance for the second consecutive year to the national competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in April. Alfred University 's theater department was represented at the festival by fifteen acting and design/technical students and two faculty members.

Senior art and design major Betsy Van Deusen won the Region II Mehron Award for Excellence in Makeup Design for her work on last spring's production of Fiddler on the Roof. Her award was the sole regional honor given in that category. Ms. Van Deusen also received the alternate award for the Barbizon Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in Costume Design for last fall's production, Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill.

Other student successes at the festival included senior art and design major Jennifer Mc Clure and psychology major junior Theresa Honti. Ms. Mc Clure received the Region II Properties Artisan Award. Ms. Honti, who was invited to participate in the Irene Ryan acting competition based on her excellent portrayal of the role of Prudence in the fall production of Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang, reached the semi-final round of thirty-six actors, competing against approximately 275 other outstanding actors from the region.

“This continued success at the regional festival, as we compete against some of the best schools in the Northeast, points to the excellence of our students and the high caliber of instruction they are receiving”, said Stephen Crosby, professor of theater and chair of the Performing Arts Division. Crosby noted that Alfred University will receive national recognition for its accomplishments in publications that are sent to colleges and universities throughout the country. Region II of KCACTF includes New York , Pennsylvania , Maryland , New Jersey , Delaware and Washington , DC .

The purpose of the Mehron and 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 . Designs are appraised on the basis of quality, effectiveness, originality, and rendering techniques. Regional design respondents select one winner in each area: set design, costume design, lighting design, and makeup design, from the regional design entries.

Designs of the eight regional finalists in each category will be on display during the KCACTF National Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington , D. C. in April. A national winner in each area (set design, costume design, lighting design and make-up design) will be selected from regional finalists during the national festival. National winners will receive an honorarium of $500 and all-expenses paid trips to New York City , Las Vegas for workshops and opportunities to visit the studios of distinguished designers and the offices of either Mehron or Barbizon Inc., a premier theatrical supply house specializing in advanced lighting for professionals.