Dean College Shines at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
Dean College recently participated in the Region-1 Festival of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) held virtually January 24-31, 2021. The festival featured performances showcasing the outstanding work of the region, as well as a wide range of professional development opportunities in all areas of theatre.
For the past forty years, Dean College students and faculty have had a strong showing at the festival, representing greatness in areas of performance, design, stage management, technical theatre and arts administration.
“The KCACTF setting provides a chance for our students to spend time with like-minded peers at other institutions,” said Marc M. Arentsen, Dean of the School of the Arts at Dean College. “The festival also facilitates an exciting opportunity for them to measure their skills in friendly competition, to learn from regional faculty and industry professionals and to foster new relationships within the ecosystem of the Arts.”
This year ten students were selected by faculty and KCACTF representatives, who observed Dean’s performances over the past calendar year, to represent the College at the festival.
Students included:
- Matthew Alport
- Olivia Amaral
- Lucien Dimarzio
- Madison Gentile
- Madison Harrington
- Kelcie Haver
- Ethan Lazaro
- Nicholas Maloof
- Jean-Marie Neave ’20
- Lily Plummer
- Joshua Veilleux ’20
Dean College faculty members Ali Angelone, Jim Beauregard and Daniel Kozar helped prepare students over the winter break and were able to participate and observe throughout the festival.
“For me, the festival is time with theatre colleagues and friends away from my Dean family that reaffirms my passion for the arts and reminds me of how lucky I am to get to share that passion with our students,” said Associate Professor Jim Beauregard. “I love seeing our students shine.”
Awards and Recognition
The Richard Maltby, Jr. Award for Musical Theatre Excellence nominee from Dean College was Olivia Amaral, who went on to become the Region-1 winner and will represent Region-1 in the National KCACTF Festival that will take place in April. Dean College has won this award three times out of the last nine years.
Five Dean College students were nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. Students included:
- Ethan Lazaro
- Jean-Marie Neave
- Lucien Dimarzio
- Nicholas Maloof
- Joshua Veilleux
In this competition, Ethan Lazaro was a semi-finalist.
Students nominated for the Design, Technologies & Management Award for Stage Management included:
- Madison Gentile for La Bête
- Kelcie Haver for Thoroughly Modern Millie
- Lily Plummer for Werk Your Craft
In this competition Kelcie Haver was named a finalist.
Dean College’s production of La Bête, directed by Craig Handel, was recognized for Outstanding Ensemble.
In addition, Matthew Alport was selected by KCACTF Region-1 to participate as a Technical Intern for the third year in a row.
Congratulations to all students and faculty for their dedication in representing Dean College.
The KCACTF honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, directing and design. To learn more, visit www.kcactf1.org. Learn more about the School of the Arts at Dean College.