The 2020 Department of Theater Arts Awardees

THE 2020 DEPARTMENT OF THEATER ARTS AWARDEES

The Department of Theater is immensely proud to announce the recipients of the 2020 Arts Awards in Theater. We congratulate each of these remarkable, talented, and dedicated students.

The 2020 Arts Awardees will be honored at the Arts at Dartmouth Awards Ceremony on Tuesday May 26 @ 4:30 pm, hosted on YouTube by the Hopkins Center for the Arts via YouTube. Event details available HERE.

Rodney W. Alexander Theater Fellowship

Stella A. Asa '22

Stella A. Asa is humbled and grateful to be recognized for the Rodney W. Alexander Theater Fellowship. Stella is set to graduate in 2022 with a degree in Theater and African and African American studies and would love to use her passion for the arts and her drive to see social change to perpetuate stories that are often unheard and erased. Stella recently wrote and starred in her autobiographical play Bla(n)ck Piranha at Dartmouth. She has performed in the MainStage production of Eclipsed and the student production Dance Nation at Dartmouth, as well as a staged reading and the subsequent world professional premiere of Citrus at Northern Stage. She also played Cordelia in Northern Stage's King Lear in January 2020. It is an honor to be nurtured and creatively supported within Dartmouth's Department of Theater and Stella continues to look forward to cultivating and collaborating with new and inspiring projects on campus. This award is a signification of the hard work, dedication, passion, and utmost respect Stella has for the craft and production of theater, and the delegation of such an award is a confirmation that her efforts to pursue theater in her post-grad career are not just a dream but a heartening reality. 

Kate Budney '21

Kate Budney is a theater major with an education minor from Hanover, NH. At Dartmouth, Kate has acted in seven productions and worked as props master on two. She is also the shop's props manager and a peer advisor for the department. Kate spent her off-terms interning at Target Margin Theater in Brooklyn, performing in The Sound of Music at Northern Stage, and working as an E-Termer at Northern Stage where she performed in King Lear, assistant directed a teen production of Metamorphoses, and led a group of friends in creating her first devised piece, Egg. Kate has so much love for the Dartmouth Department of Theater and cannot wait to be back on campus soon to work together again.

Lexi Warden '21

Lexi is a modified major from Seattle, WA studying theatre and African and African American studies. Roles with the Department of Theater have included 'This Lady' in Citrus (18S), 'The Narrator' in Into the Woods (19W), and a member of the ensemble company for The Radical Joy Project (21W). She also worked as an assistant stage manager for Eclipsed (18F) and as assistant director on Faith, Hope, and Charity (20F). Beyond Dartmouth, Lexi continued her involvement with Citrus at Northern Stage as a member of the cast during its New Works Now reading in 2019, and subsequently as the assistant director and choreographer for its world premiere in 2020. An extensively trained dancer, Lexi was also involved with the Dartmouth Dance Ensemble's productions of Petrushka (18S) and Unfurl (19S).

 

Benjamin & Edna Ehrlich Prize in the Dramatic Arts

Eleanor Mitchell '20

Eleanor Mitchell is a theater and history major. During her time at Dartmouth, she has been greatly involved in the theater department. She has been in many performances and has been passionate about theater history and research. This past summer, she went to London to study at the London Academy for Music and Dramatic Arts. Currently, she is writing a thesis on disability in theater. After Dartmouth, Eleanor plans to go to law school and will continue perusing the study of theater in her personal life.  

Sophia Therese Kinne '20

Sophia came to Dartmouth College unsure what she would study, but quickly found the open arms of the theater department. The department provided many opportunities, including a theater-education experience in the Marshall Islands, the E-Term at Northern Stage, and the London FSP this past summer. Sophia is grateful for the relationships and skills she has gained through opportunities on and off campus. She would especially like to thank the faculty and staff who have allowed her to make her Dartmouth theater experience her own. She is extremely grateful and appreciative of their faith and support.

 

Clifford S. Gurdin 1964 Memorial Prize

Adam Jay Riegler '20

Adam Riegler is a theater modified with film and media studies major and a computer science minor and he could not be more happy or grateful to receive this recognition. With the Department of Theater, he has acted in 1984, Sigh No More, and The House. Adam has directed two productions for the department, Mr. Wolf (19W) and Red Speedo (19F). Most recently he was the assistant director of the 20W MainStage production, The Sweet Science of Bruising. Outside of Dartmouth, Adam appeared as an actor on Broadway in The Addams Family Musical and Shrek the Musical. Adam is extremely thankful to the department for all of their support and guidance and to Professors Jamie Horton and Peter Hackett for their excellent wisdom and mentorship. Adam is also extremely appreciative of the wonderful students and faculty who have been his cast and crew on these productions. Dartmouth has allowed him to not only learn and gain experience but to grow and adapt as an artist and as a human being. Thank you again to the department and to friends and family!

 

David Birney Award for Excellence in the Theater Arts

Mychaela Anderson '20

Mychaela Anderson is an anthropology major and theater and education double minor from Honolulu, Hawai'i. She has worked in the costume shop since her freshman fall and has worked on several MainStage and student shows, most recently designing costumes for Red Speedo and The Ideal Candidate this year. She is especially grateful for all the students, faculty, and staff that she has had the pleasure of working with and getting to know these past four years, and she would like to thank Jenn Bilbo, Anna Winter, Joan Morris, and Laurie Churba for their guidance, patience, and love for baguettes.

Maya Frost-Belansky '20

Maya Frost-Belansky is a history major and is planning to attend law school after graduating from Dartmouth. On campus, she works as an EMT for Dartmouth EMS and as an undergraduate advisor in her housing community. Maya has stage managed five productions at Dartmouth and served as the Wardrobe Supervisor for both MainStage shows this year. She has absolutely loved her experiences in theater here at Dartmouth and is so grateful to the department for providing opportunities for her to grow as a stage manager and as a person. She would like to thank the theater department staff for their unwavering support, advice, and encouragement.

 

Eleanor Frost Playwriting Competition

Armond Epps Dorsey '20

Armond is a first-generation student and graduating senior at Dartmouth College pursuing a major in music modified with neuroscience and a minor in African and African-American studies. Armond not only graces the stage as a spoken word poet and classically-trained clarinetist but also writes for the stage as a playwright and composer. Dartmouth has been a world of artistic firsts for Armond--where he first received clarinet lessons and first began writing. As a musician, Armond aspires to design music therapies to spread the joy and healing of music. As a writer, Armond creates original poems and plays centered on storytelling, Black masculinity, sexuality, and being. After Dartmouth, Armond intends to study in the United Kingdom, attaining his MA in Music at the University of Birmingham.

Savannah Miller '21

Savannah Miller is a theater major and english and russian double minor from Windsor, Virginia. While her start was in acting, Miller finds herself drawn to the more literary aspects of theatre, specifically playwriting and dramaturgy. At Dartmouth, she has had two original plays produced through the Department of Theater: Eleanor Frost Playwriting Contest Winner The House (Summer 2018) and Trivia Champion (Summer 2019). She also has experience with stage management, working as an assistant stage manager on the theater department's Cabaret (2017) and stage-managing "Dartmouth Idol" with the Hopkins Center for the Arts this past winter. As a theatre artist, Miller has worked with different theatrical organizations, including the New York Theatre Workshop, the Smithsonian's Discovery Theater, the Stratford Festival, and the Virginia Theatre Association. Outside of the arts, she writes for the student newspaper on campus, is a tour guide and undergraduate advisor, and is an active member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority. She also considers herself a connoisseur of bad puns and "dad jokes." After Dartmouth, Miller plans to attend graduate school for playwriting and pursue a career as a writer and arts educator.

Honorable Mention: Mia Nelson '22

Mia Nelson is studying english and biology at Dartmouth. Her poetry is most recently published in The American Poetry Review. She has a national Gold Medal in Fiction from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Her poetry has been recognized by Princeton University, Columbia College, The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum, and The Foyle Young Poet of the Year Award, among others. At Dartmouth, she received honorable mention for The Ralston Prize, awarded for the most outstanding student in an introductory creative writing class. She is indebted to Moss Kaplan and Azar Kohzadi of Denver School of the Arts, the best teachers you could ask for. 

 

George W. & Sarah Schoenhut Service Award

Nathaniel Stornelli '21

Nathaniel Stornelli is from Rochester, NY, majoring in both theater and classical languages and literature. Nat takes pride in fostering community in the spaces that they inhabit on campus, especially as a member of Within, the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals, and Amarna Undergraduate Society. They are deeply grateful to be a part of such a wonderful Department of Theater, deeply fortunate to have so many opportunities to learn and grow as a theater student, and deeply honored to be given this award.

Yijin (Brandy) Zhang '22

Brandy Zhang is a sophomore majoring in music and psychology and minoring in theatre. She has been involved with several productions at Dartmouth, including assistant stage managing for The Living (19F) and operating the lighting board for The Sweet Science of Bruising (20W) this past year. She has taken courses in technical production, scenic design, and lighting design. Brandy is very honored to be receiving this year's George W. and Sarah Schoenhut Service Award, and she is excited to work more closely with the theater department in the future. She would like to thank her professors and colleagues in the Dartmouth College Department of Theater, and her friends and family for supporting her adventures in the world of theatre.

 

Robert H. Nutt '49 Award

Nicholas Gutierrez '20

Nicholas Gutierrez is a senior from Miami, FL. He is a film and media studies major, a theatre modified with anthropology and geography major, and a linguistics minor (he's also rolling his eyes). He is the director of the Dartmouth Film Society, a Hopkins Fellow, a UGA, and holds various other odd jobs around campus. Over his time at Dartmouth, he has participated in a number of shows, including Hair, First Year, The House, and The Living. He has also staged three original plays that he has written over his time at Dartmouth: Gallery, The Ideal Candidate, and Tires of a Dream. He has interned at NALIP, The Old Globe, and Cherry Lane Theater in literary positions, and has plans after graduation to go into screenwriting and playwriting.

Savannah Miller '21
See bio above, under "Eleanor Frost Playwriting Competition"

Ruth and Loring Holmes Dodd Drama Prize

Naomi Lam '21

Naomi Lam is a history and theater double major. She was born and raised in Miami, FL. In high school, she joined the drama club to confront her fear of public speaking. She's been in love with theater ever since. Outside of participating in theater department productions, Naomi is involved with the Dartmouth Glee Club, the Office of Pluralism and Leadership Ambassadors, First-Year Undergraduate Advising, and Epsilon Kappa Theta. She would like to thank her parents for taking her to shows as a kid.

 

Stanley Wallace Technical Theater Award

Robert Alter '21

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Robert Alter is a biology major and theater minor from Mamaroneck, NY. He has enjoyed working in various aspects of technical theater, serving as a lighting designer, scenic designer, stage manager and stagehand for department productions. Outside of academics, Robert is a student employee in the scene shop and active in his housing community as an Undergraduate Advisor for first years and house council co-chair.

Gabrielle Mitchell '22

Gabrielle Mitchell is a sophomore at Dartmouth College and comes from Norwalk, CT. She is planning on double majoring in biology and african and african american studies while also being on the pre-med track. On campus she works in the scene shop and has worked with the stage management team for various productions. She also serves as a tour guide and receptionist for the Admissions Office and is on the executive board for Dartmouth Alliance for Children of Color and the Minority Association for Pre Med Students.

Evan Schafer '22

Evan Schafer is from Clear Lake, Minnesota, majoring in government and religion. On campus he works at the scene shop and acts in the campus Shakespeare group.

 

Susan DeBevoise Wright Award

Naomi Agnew '20

Naomi Agnew is a senior film and media studies major from Haysville, KS minoring in theater and environmental studies. Naomi has been involved in several theater productions since her freshman fall, including: Intimate Apparel, Trifles, Away This Night, Medea, Citrus, Eclipsed, Dance Nation, The Glass Menagerie, Tires of a Dream, and most recently, as the director of The Ideal Candidate, written by Nicholas Gutierrez '20. For all of the incredible theater productions Naomi has gotten to be a part of, she is forever grateful to her family, the theater department faculty, her peers, and her best friends for constantly uplifting her to create pieces of art with others that will stick with her in her heart forever.

Giovanna "JoJo" Boyle '20

JoJo Boyle is a theater modified with english major and a human-centered design minor from Montclair, NJ. She is passionate about how the emotional connection created by art can be leveraged to promote positive social change in the world. At Dartmouth, she has been grateful to participate in theater productions as a work-study in the Scene Shop, an actor in various productions, a stage manager, a costume crew member, and a student in other areas. She would like to thank the wonderful faculty in the Department of Theater for being inspiring, encouraging mentors who truly care about their students. 

Millenah Lima Nascimento '21

Millenah Nascimento is a theater major and an aspiring stage manager with a passion for theatre as a means of educating, inspiring, storytelling, and exhibiting the stories of all people. She has served as a stage manager for multiple productions, and recently completed her E-Term at Northern Stage, where she was assistant stage manager on two productions this season: King Lear and Citrus. On campus, she works at the Dartmouth Child Care Center where hopes she can make a small difference in "her kids'" lives. Millenah would also like to thank Dr. Monica White Ndounou and Milena Zuccotti for their unwavering support, guidance, and care for her and so many other students within the department and beyond.

 

Warner Bentley & Henry B. Williams Fellowship

Sophia Therese Kinne '20
See bio above, under "Benjamin & Edna Ehrlich Prize in the Dramatic Arts"

Kerrigan Quenemoen '20

Kerrigan Quenemoen first gained recognition for her acting when she won the Houston area UIL Best Actress Award for her role as Elizabeth in the state-recognized production of When the Rain Stops Falling. Since coming to the Hopkins Center Stage, she has held lead roles in Dartmouth productions of The Sweet Science of Bruising (Violet Hunter), The Living (Sarah Chandler), 1984 (Julia) and Circle Mirror Transformation (Lauren) and in two Dartmouth student-written shows, the musical First Year and a Shakespeare adaptation Away This Night (Rosalind). Additionally, she has been in Dartmouth productions of Cabaret (Fritzie), Hair (Adult Female/Ensemble), and Dance Nation (Zuzu).

Samantha Ann West '20

Sam West has been a theatre major since the moment she stepped onto this campus. In her time at Dartmouth she has participated in numerous mainstages and student productions as an actor, director, and sound designer. She went on to intern with Northern Stage her junior fall, attend the London FSP the following summer, and complete a senior thesis in the department. Now more than ever, she is so grateful for every single faculty member who has pushed her, helped her learn and grow, supported her ambitions, and been kind faces, mentors, and friends; and especially dedicating their expertise, resources, time, and energy to her success. Thank you.

 

Department of Theater Award for Special Recognition

Hannah Haile '20

Hannah Haile is a performer and choreographer studying pre-health and theater from Budd Lake, NJ. Her senior thesis is on dance and choreography that highlights the work of black female choreographers on Broadway and the lack of representation for black women in the industry. Hannah hopes that her thesis will create space for black artists at Dartmouth and in theater as a whole. Hannah was the President of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students, the Treasurer of Chi Delta, and a member of Fusion Dance Ensemble. Acting credits: 1984 (Ensemble), Hair (Hud), The Living (Elizabeth Finch); King Lear (Ensemble) at Northern Stage.

 

HOPKINS CENTER AWARDS

Mark L. Lebowitz 1977 Memorial Prize in the Performing Arts

Brooke Elizabeth Bazarian '20

Brooke Bazarian is a Theater mod. History major from Falmouth, Maine. At Dartmouth, Brooke acted in a number of Mainstage and student-led productions, as well as some student films. She was also the President of The Dog Day Players, Dartmouth's long-form improv comedy group, from 2019-2020. After graduation, Brooke hopes to receive her MFA in Acting and pursue a career in theater performance. Brooke is elated and honored to receive the Mark L. Lebowitz 1977 Memorial Prize. She would like to thank the entire faculty and staff of the Dartmouth Theater Department for their unwavering support and mentorship throughout the past four years.

Holden Gerard Harris '20

Holden Gerard Harris is a theater modified english major who has spent his four years taking advantage of the many theater opportunities available to him, such as acting classes, abroad programs and even a transfer term for 14 weeks of training. He has written stories, collaborated with other artists, and worked behind the scenes to bring theater to the Dartmouth community. His goal has, and always will be, to tell stories that explore all the intricacies that humanity has to offer, no matter how challenging. Holden is honored and humbled to receive the Mark L. Lebowitz 1977 Memorial Prize and thanks Dartmouth for its unending support for the Arts.

 

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

Sophia Therese Kinne '20

Sophia came to Dartmouth College unsure what she would study, but quickly found the open arms of the theater department. The department provided many opportunities, including a theater-education experience in the Marshall Islands, the E-Term at Northern Stage, and the London FSP this past summer. Sophia is grateful for the relationships and skills she has gained through opportunities on and off campus. She would especially like to thank the faculty and staff who have allowed her to make her Dartmouth theater experience her own. She is extremely grateful and appreciative of their faith and support.

The Pillar Awards
The Pillar Awards were 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.

Lucy Biberman 23
Jonathan Briffault '21
Jared Cape 21   
Jenna Gallagher '21
Zack Gottschall '20 
Matt Haughey '21 
Lila Hovey '23 
Isabel Wallace '21