Apr 10, 2024
COM Theatre actors outside in trees.
Actors pictured from left are Heidi Franco, Chloe Paulson, Shyla Fellows, Hannah Habisreitinger, Devon Baxa, Audra Klinger, Mario Sweeney, Cole Buzbee, Jacob Meza, Noah Bryant, Justin Taylor, Zariah Crowder, Bri Delaney and Angel Purl.

The College of the Mainland (COM) Theatre was recently recognized by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) during the KCACTF Region VI Festival held in March. The KCACTF is a national theater program that works to improve the quality of college theater in the United States through a network of more than 700 academic institutions throughout the country. The program honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, dramatic criticism, directing and design.

Led by theatre director, H. Russ Brown, COM Theatre received top honors and took home one regional-level and one national award. COM Theatre majors, Mario Sweeney and Bri Delaney also advanced in the Musical Theatre Initiative (MTI) to the top 18 finalists over hundreds of young musical theatre artists from across the five-state region. Sweeney went on to win MTI’s highly coveted Comedic Performance Award.

Additionally, six COM Theatre majors and their scene partners finished in the top 55 in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition. Brown was also selected as one of seven acting teachers by fellow educators from across the nation to be honored with the first-ever National Alliance Acting Teacher of Excellence award by the National Alliance of Acting Teachers.

To learn more about COM Theatre, visit www.com.edu/theatre.