The 2025 Department of Theater Arts Awardees

THE 2025 DEPARTMENT OF THEATER ARTS AWARDEES

The Department of Theater is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Arts Awards in Theater.

We congratulate each of these remarkable, talented, and dedicated students.

This years Arts Awardees were honored at the Arts at Dartmouth Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, May 27th in the Loew Auditorium, hosted by the Hopkins Center for the Arts. 

Eleanor Frost Playwriting Competition

This competition was established in 1950 by a gift from Eleanor Louise Frost, which has been supplemented by gifts from Professor Henry B. Williams. Mrs. Frost was a member of the Dartmouth community who enjoyed and wished to encourage playwriting. The competition is open annually to original, previously unproduced one-act plays written by currently enrolled Dartmouth undergraduates. The winning playwrights receive a cash award.

Eloise Langan '27

for her play Carnival of Animals

Eloise Margaret Langan is a performer and writer of plays, poems, and prose who believes in the power of the strange. In 2024, she won the Robert H. Nutt '49 Award and the Eleanor Frost Playwriting Competition. Her works have been performed by theatre companies in New York City, Atlanta, and here at Dartmouth College. She is also the vice president of Can't Sell Culture Comedy Collective's sketch troupe and the editor of the cartoon section for The Dartmouth. She loves beat poetry, baking bread from scratch, and chance encounters with ladybugs. More of her work can be found at eloisemargaretlangan.com.

Ruth and Loring Holmes Dodd Drama Prize

This award was established in 1969 by a bequest in the will of Clark University Professor Loring Dodd for the best original play by an undergraduate.

Dulce Cielo Silva '25

for her play El Señor Con La Guitarra

Dulce Silva (she/her) is a first generation student from Los Angeles, CA who is double majoring in Theater and English. She has recently completed her Senior Honors Thesis in playwriting Hasta La Raíz, a play about the generational divide among a Mexican-American family. Her recent credits include assistant directing The School for Lies (25W), assistant stage managing Hamlet (24F), and assistant producing and performing in Something Happy for Crying Out Loud. She serves as the senior student representative in the Department of Theater as well as working in the costume shop and the administrative office. She wants to thank the department for all the love and support throughout her time here.

CJ Tebben '25

for his play Tale Spin

CJ Tebben is a Dartmouth '26 double majoring in Economics and Cognitive Science. Outside of his majors, he has had a passion for creativity, writing, and acting, from a young age. He hopes to continue being creative wherever life takes him, and is grateful to the Dartmouth arts community for allowing him to explore his passions. He would like to thank his parents, his sister Casey, and the many incredible mentors that have shaped his voice as a writer.

Rodney W. Alexander Theater Fellowship

The Rodney W. Alexander Theater Fellowship Fund was established in 2001 to honor the memory and contributions of Rodney W. Alexander, Professor of Drama and Director of Theater at Dartmouth College from 1967 to 1985. It was established to recognize student achievements in stage directing, acting, and community service; to encourage professional dedication and cooperation; and to promote a deepening appreciation for the theater. T

Hannah Brooks '26

Hannah Brooks is a '26 pursuing a double major in Theater modified with Jewish Studies and Linguistics. Her recent Experiential Term at Northern Stage saw her performing in the ensemble of Waitress and serving as a BridgeUp teaching artist, among other projects. Favorite Dartmouth roles include Celimene (The School for Lies), Stephanie (POTUS), and Manson Trio/Dancer (Pippin). Hannah is involved with the Rude Mechanicals and Displaced Theatre Co., and she serves as a student representative for the Department of Theater. When not onstage, Hannah sings with/music directs the Decibelles, serves as the President of Dartmouth Hillel, and pretends to relax.

Alexander Adele Campbell '26

Alexander Adele Campbell (he/they) is a '26 majoring in Theater with a minor in Environmental Studies. He is passionate about directing and aims to create theater that entertains, empowers, and reflects diverse experiences. He is committed to making art accessible to all, while prioritizing work that encourages audiences to imagine better futures. His recent directing credits include The Late Wedding (Director), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Director), Hamlet (Assistant Director), Be the Boy (Staged Reading, Director) and Macbeth (Director). Alexander is also the Hopkins Center for the Arts Production and Company Management Fellow; and has served as Production Manager, Company Manager, and Artistic Director for the student-run Shakespeare troupe: the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals.

Benjamin & Edna Ehrlich Prize in the Dramatic Arts

This award was established in May 1989 by Michael Ehrlich '60 and John Ehrlich G'69 in honor of their late parents. It is presented annually to graduating seniors in the Department of Theater whose student career has demonstrated remarkable strengths in literature/criticism and theater production. The recipient of this award must also have the ability to work collegially and collaboratively, as this is an essential requirement for the professional world of theater. 

Gwendolyn Dae Roland '25

Gwendolyn Dae Roland is an artist, actor and director from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A Studio Art major and Theater minor, she finds joy in creating interdisciplinary and interactive art and performance. During her time at Dartmouth, Gwendolyn has served as the co-founder and company manager of Displaced Theatre Company and dances with Dartmouth Dance Ensemble. After graduation she plans to join the Arrowmont Center of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee as a work study student for the summer, and then has plans to travel and pursue art and performance.

Dulce Cielo Silva '25

Dulce Silva (she/her) is a first generation student from Los Angeles, CA who is double majoring in Theater and English. She has recently completed her Senior Honors Thesis in playwriting Hasta La Raíz, a play about the generational divide among a Mexican-American family. Her recent credits include assistant directing The School for Lies (25W), assistant stage managing Hamlet (24F), and assistant producing and performing in Something Happy for Crying Out Loud!. She serves as the senior student representative in the Department of Theater as well as working in the costume shop and the administrative office. She wants to thank the department for all the love and support throughout her time here.

David Birney Award for Excellence in the Theater Arts

The David Birney Award for Excellence in the Theatre Arts was established in 1980 by David Birney '61.  The award is given each year, according to the donor's specifications, "to the student making the most significant contribution to the theater at Dartmouth during the previous year…Two qualities are to be considered: (1) the student's contribution should embody, or aspire to, a standard of excellence, a deep concern for the quality of the craft; (2) since craft without passion is, I think, a dead thing, the student should evidence a genuine passion, a substantial emotional commitment to the art of the theater." 

Lily Easter '25

Lily Easter is a '25 at Dartmouth College graduating this Spring with a major in Theater modified with English. Recent productions include directing her senior Honors Thesis The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, as well as performing in Hamlet (Polonius), Instagirl (Mel), Matt and Ben (Ben), and Christmas Carol (Caroler). She is incredibly grateful for the honor of being awarded by the Department of Theater Faculty and Staff. She would like to thank her family, and her frequent collaborator Ari Rojas.

Luke Gerdeman '27

Luke Gerdeman is a Theater and Quantitative Social Science double major from Chester Springs, PA. He is a director, actor, and occasional stage manager. He has performed in readings with Northern Stage, worked at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and toiled away as a URAD Scholar. He is the production manager for the Rude Mechanicals (last term's artistic director), a member of the Displaced Theatre Company, and works in the Department of Theater's costume shop. This term, he co-wrote and co-starred in the play Two Girl Fridays with Lauren Mills '27 for the Hopkins Center's Hanunder Arts Festival.

George W. Schoenhut Service Award

Mr. and Mrs. George Schoenhut established a Service Award to be presented in recognition of outstanding contribution in the non-acting activities of the Department of Theater. The activities to be considered include stage management, scenic design and construction, costume design and construction, stage lighting, and sound engineering. George W. Schoenhut was Associate Professor of Drama emeritus, who served Dartmouth from 1942 until his retirement in 1968. He died in September 1990.

Lilla Bozek '27

Lilla Bozek is a '27 from Newmarket, NH, majoring in theater and biological anthropology. They work as a student props manager at the Department of Theater and the company manager of The Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals— the classical theater troupe on campus. In their spare time, they dabble in scenic design and nurture a real passion for bad playwriting. Their play Sprinkles! Sans Sundae. was produced by Displaced Theater Company last term. Once time travel has been invented, you should go back and watch it. 

Yifei Liu '26

Yifei [Ee-fay] is a double major in theater and studio art at Dartmouth College. Her practices in the arts on campus have been focused on lighting design, sculpture, dance, digital arts, and the interconnections between them. She is also a National Stamps Scholar of 2024, studying "Culture and Making of Contemporary Puppetry". She has been actively involved in productions at Dartmouth College and in NYC (lighting design: Donkey Deshui (2025), Femme 9 19 (2024), A Dream Play (2024); scenic design: The Wolves (2025) since her first semester.

Isaac Mullen '26

In high school technical theater was Isaac's "sport," now it's his job with the Department of Theater. As a student worker, Isaac does everything from hanging lights to running sound to painting the floor. His favorite tasks include making popcorn and running cables. His least favorite tasks include running cables and schlepping lights between buildings. Isaac is super excited for the Department of Theater to move back into the Hop.

Robert H. Nutt '49 Award

The Robert H. Nutt '49 Award, given in his memory by his daughter, Sarah Nutt Van Leeuwen '80 and Susan Gilman Nutt '81, is a true endowment established at Dartmouth to recognize excellence in writing related to the theater or other creative performance media. The award is given each year to a Dartmouth student who has written either the best play or script or the best paper that examines such work.

Eloise Margaret Langan '27

Eloise Margaret Langan is a performer and writer of plays, poems, and prose who believes in the power of the strange. In 2024, she won the Robert H. Nutt '49 Award and the Eleanor Frost Playwriting Competition. Her works have been performed by theatre companies in New York City, Atlanta, and here at Dartmouth College. She is also the vice president of Can't Sell Culture Comedy Collective's sketch troupe and the editor of the cartoon section for The Dartmouth. She loves beat poetry, baking bread from scratch, and chance encounters with ladybugs. More of her work can be found at eloisemargaretlangan.com.

Jonah Manso '25

Jonah is a playwright and screenwriter from Massachusetts. This past fall, his play To Love Alexander was workshopped and given a staged reading at Northern Stage. Jonah plans to keep writing plays and movies after he graduates, hopefully one day making a career as a dramatic writer.

Dulce Cielo Silva '25

Dulce Silva (she/her) is a first generation student from Los Angeles, CA who is double majoring in Theater and English. She has recently completed her Senior Honors Thesis in playwriting Hasta La Raíz, a play about the generational divide among a Mexican-American family. Her recent credits include assistant directing The School for Lies (25W), assistant stage managing Hamlet (24F), and assistant producing and performing in Something Happy for Crying Out Loud!. She serves as the senior student representative in the Department of Theater as well as working in the costume shop and the administrative office. She wants to thank the department for all the love and support throughout her time here.

Stanley Wallace Technical Theater Award

Established in 1999 by Margaret L. Tunnell '78  in honor of Stanley Wallace upon his retirement. Mr. Wallace was a carpenter in the Scene Shop for many years, building sets for countless Theater Department productions. 

Kevin Malcom Farell '25

Kevin Farrell is from Arlington, Virginia and is majoring in Economics and Classical Languages & Literature. He has worked in the Scene Shop since fall 2021, supporting productions including Rent, Pippin, Lost Girl, Hamlet, and The School for Lies. Elsewhere on campus he has spent much of time playing trombone in the marching band, running trivia at the Collis Center, and leading practices with the Timber Team. He extends his gratitude to Scott, Janine, Bethany, and all the faculty and staff of the department for their mentorship over the past four years

Alice Inácio Oliveira '26

Alice Inácio is a double major in Theater and Latin American Studies from Goiânia, Brazil. She is a multimedia, multidisciplinary artist. Her passion for social change is the driving force behind her art, including theatre, dance, and installation. Alice is interested in studying the Latinx Americas as a stage for social transformation, inspired by the works of Boal, Gómez-Peña, and other rebellious artists.

Matt Jachim-Gallagher '25

Matt is a '25 from Newport, NH majoring in Theater with a concentration in stage management. His Dartmouth credits include working on the Stage Management team in Rent (22W), Pippin (22F), Pretty Filthy (23W), Hamlet (24F), and The Wolves (25W). This past summer he spent abroad in London. Outside of theater, he is currently serving as the Senior Class Vice President. Next year, Matt will be attending graduate school at Columbia University getting his MFA in stage management. He would like to thank the department for this recognition, the costume shop for endless laughs and Kathleen Cunneen for all of her support these past four years.

Susan DeBevoise Wright Award

The Susan DeBevoise Wright Award is to be used to recognize student achievement in stage directing, acting, design, stage management, play writing, technical theater, dramaturgy or scholarship; to promote the continuing development of a personal artistic philosophy.

Alice Inácio Oliveira '26

Alice Inácio is a double major in Theater and Latin American Studies from Goiânia, Brazil. She is a multimedia, multidisciplinary artist. Her passion for social change is the driving force behind her art, including theatre, dance, and installation. Alice is interested in studying the Latinx Americas as a stage for social transformation, inspired by the works of Boal, Gómez-Peña, and other rebellious artists.

Yifei Liu '26

Yifei [Ee-fay] is a double major in theater and studio art at Dartmouth College. Her practices in the arts on campus have been focused on lighting design, sculpture, dance, digital arts, and the interconnections between them. She is also a National Stamps Scholar of 2024, studying "Culture and Making of Contemporary Puppetry". She has been actively involved in productions at Dartmouth College and in NYC (lighting design: Donkey Deshui (2025), Femme 9 19 (2024), A Dream Play (2024); scenic design: The Wolves (2025) since her first semester.

greyson xiao '25

grey is a trans-disciplinary artist and organizer who experiments with theater, acting, solo performance, drag, choreography, devising, poetry, and photography. As a '25 majoring in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and minoring in Theater, they're writing a senior honors thesis entitled "Furnishing the prison: Trans of color kinship as counter-performance." He was also awarded a fellowship with Brooklyn Art Exchange's EmergeNYC program for performance artists and activists. After college, she plans to take her studies to the streets as a professional propagandist against the US empire.

Warner Bentley & Henry B. Williams Fellowship

This award was established in 1988 by David Birney to acknowledge the passionate commitment by Warner Bentley and Henry B. Williams to the life of the theater at Dartmouth and in gratitude for the profound contributions made by both men to the lives of many students of the College. A fellowship is awarded to a student who has significantly enriched the world of theater within the Dartmouth community.

Eliza Erdrich '25

Eliza Erdrich (they/them) double majors in Native American and Indigenous Studies and Theater with a focus on costuming. At Dartmouth, they have worked as a stitcher in the Costume Shop on various productions from 2022-2025. They have served as wardrobe crew on Rent, assistant stage manager on The School for Lies, assistant draper on Lost Girl and Hamlet, and costume designing The Late Wedding. They were lucky enough to go on the 2024 London study abroad (shoutout to the Danimals). They would like to thank Anna and Bethany at the costume shop, and their cousin Hema for getting them into theatre in high school in the first place.

Lily Easter '25

Lily Easter is a '25 at Dartmouth College graduating this Spring with a major in Theater modified with English. Recent productions include directing her senior Honors Thesis The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, as well as performing in Hamlet (Polonius), Instagirl (Mel), Matt and Ben (Ben), and Christmas Carol (Caroler). She is incredibly grateful for the honor of being awarded by the Department of Theater Faculty and Staff. She would like to thank her family, and her frequent collaborator Ari Rojas.

Matt Jachim-Gallagher '25

Matt is a '25 from Newport, NH majoring in Theater with a concentration in stage management. His Dartmouth credits include working on the Stage Management team in Rent (22W), Pippin (22F), Pretty Filthy (23W), Hamlet (24F), and The Wolves (25W). This past summer he spent abroad in London. Outside of theater, he is currently serving as the Senior Class Vice President. Next year, Matt will be attending graduate school at Columbia University getting his MFA in stage management. He would like to thank the department for this recognition, the costume shop for endless laughs and Kathleen Cunneen for all of her support these past four years.

Clifford Gurdin '64 Memorial Prize

The Clifford S. Gurdin Award was established by gifts from friends and relatives of Gurdin, to acknowledge the best student director in a Department of Theater production during the year.

Lily Easter '25

Lily Easter is a '25 at Dartmouth College graduating this Spring with a major in Theater modified with English. Recent productions include directing her senior Honors Thesis The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, as well as performing in Hamlet (Polonius), Instagirl (Mel), Matt and Ben (Ben), and Christmas Carol (Caroler). She is incredibly grateful for the honor of being awarded by the Department of Theater Faculty and Staff. She would like to thank her family, and her frequent collaborator Ari Rojas.

HOPKINS CENTER AWARDS

Mark L. Lebowitz 1977 Memorial Prize in the Performing Arts

Matt Jachim-Gallagner '25

Marcus Heiman–Martin R. Rosenthal '56 Achievement Awards in the Creative Arts

Lily Easter '25

OTHER HONORS 

Pillar Recognition

The Pillar Recognition process was established in 2019 in ackowledgement and celebration of the fact that the energy, creativity, and dedication of our student body is the cornerstone, or the pillar, that supports and elevates theater at Dartmouth. The Department of Theater recognizes and honors the theatrical commitment of the following students this year:

• Dayaja George '27
• Amara Jones-Myers '25
• Maxwell Simba Owino '25
• Arly Celeste Sosa '25
• JR Tibbetts '28
• Sarah Grace Mun-Ying Williams '25