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Theatre AUM students, faculty take spotlight and awards at regional festival

Theatre AUM students and faculty earned a long list of accolades at the recent Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) region conference in Greensboro, N.C.

Auburn University at Montgomery Theatre AUM faculty and students attended the recent Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival conference in North Carolina.
Auburn University at Montgomery Theatre AUM faculty and students attended the recent Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival conference in North Carolina.

Professor Val Winkelman earned the 2025 Gold Medallion, which honors an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the teaching and producing of theatre and has significantly dedicated their time, artistry, and enthusiasm to the development of the KCACTF.

Theatre AUM’s fall production of John Logan’s “RED” was one of the top five regional invited productions. Individual recognitions at the festival included:

  • Tyreanna Causey – Inaugural Regional Scholarship based on merit and essay, honorable mention for the Institute for Theatre Journalism and Advocacy
  • Dusti RW Levy – National Award for Outstanding Casebook and Dramaturgy
  • Aaron Rudnick – Vectorworks Award, a one-year subscription for the Spotlight computer program valued at more than $3,000
  • Ada Withers – Second place, SETC/David Weiss Award for Scenic Design and second place, SETC/David Weiss Award for Allied Crafts for Scenic Painting
  • Tiara Staples – Honorable mention in Sound Design, honorable mention in Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Directing Initiative Fellowship. Her directed scene included AUM students Michael James Pritchard, Aaron Rudnick and Jay Russell.
  • Jay Russell and Michael James Pritchard – The acting partners were semifinalists for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship

More than 60 students auditioned for the Student Playwriting Festival at KCACTF. Other honors included:

  • Grace Brennan was cast in a one act play, “Nuptial Mass” by Ben Abbott
  • Atticus O’Banner was cast in a 10-minute play, “We Meet at Ralph’s” by J. Harvey Stone
  • Dusti RW Levy served as dramaturg for the reading of “We Meet at Ralph’s”
  • Faculty member Michael Krek appeared in a one act play, “The Caregiver” by Stephanie Goldman
  • Krek and Neil David Seibel were invited to present juried conference presentations and group discussions

Students also participated in Stage Management, Design, Technology and Performance events. The regional festival includes representatives from nine states, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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