2013 KCACTF Region 1 Honors Suffolk County Community College Students

Suffolk County Community College theatre students were selected to receive many major awards at this year's Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Suffolk Theatre majors captured multiple awards in numerous areas of the theatrical discipline, including performance, design, technology, and management. The competition attract students from colleges offering Associate, Bachelors in Fine Arts and Masters of Fine Arts programs from Region1, which includes theatre training programs in New England and New York.

Spencer Batho, a resident of West Babylon, won the regional Barbizon Award for Best Sound Design for his work on The Foreigner, performed last semester in the Theatre Arts department. Mr. Batho also won the Don Childs Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas (SILV) Award, through which he was awarded a full scholarship to attend SILV this summer. He was also invited to compete at the National Festival in Washington, D.C., which will take place at the Kennedy Center.

Oya Bangura, a resident of Copiague, won the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition. This competition had more than 250 candidates. As a regional champion, Ms. Bangura was invited, along with her acting partner, Bryan Nee, to compete at the National Festival in Washington, D.C. She also won Best Performance of a Classical Work, for her riveting portrayal of Lady Macbeth. Professor Steven Lantz-Gefroh was given special recognition as her mentor. Katarina Lugo, a resident of Shirley, secured the position of 2nd runner-up in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition.

Robert Doyle, a resident of Westhampton Beach, won the regional Barbizon Award for Best Costume Design for his work on As You Like It, produced by Suffolk's theatre department in the spring semester 2012. Mr. Doyle will represent the College at the Kennedy Center in April.

Jillian Brunner, a resident of North Babylon, was awarded an Honorable Mention by the Barbizon Company for her Stage Management of As You Like It.

James O'Connor, a resident of Sayville, was awarded Certificates of Merit for the Fight Choreography of both Extremities and As You Like It, produced in the spring and fall semesters 2012.

Suffolk's Theatre Arts department was also invited to perform a revival of its fall 2012 production of The Foreigner, to an audience of over five hundred people, filling the festival theater to capacity. Like the College's performance of The Icarus Project, which was performed at the festival last year, The Foreigner was one of only five productions invited to perform from among the institutions located across the entire region.

"We are very proud of these students and their spectacular achievements," said Dr. Shaun L. McKay, President of Suffolk County Community College. "With their drive and creativity, they are destined for continued future success. I also applaud our exceptional faculty members who lead this outstanding program at the College."

Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) is the largest community college in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, enrolling approximately 26,000 students at its three campuses in Selden, Brentwood and Riverhead. SCCC offers the Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Science (A.S.), and Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees, as well as a variety of certificate programs. Offering affordable college tuition, a highly respected Honors program, extensive extracurricular activities, championship athletic teams, and numerous transfer programs, SCCC is a first-choice college for Long Island students. Visit us online at sunysuffolk.edu.