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Nine Salem State University theatre students won a total of eleven awards at the 2023 Region 1 Kennedy �鶹���˾�Ʒ American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), which took place in Hyannis, January 31-February 4, 2023. Awards were received in a range of competitions including acting, dramaturgy, design, technology and management.  KCACTF Region 1 includes colleges and universities based in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Northeast New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Salem State’s 2023 Region 1 KCACTF award recipients include:

Stephen Caliskan, ’23 of Acton is the Region 1 Finalist for the National Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship as well as the New England Theatre Conference Best Monologue Award. Caliskan will go on to compete at the National KCACTF Festival in April.

Bella Perez, ’24 of Everett is the Region 1 Finalist for The Randy Lutz Allied Design & Technology Award and will compete at the National KCACTF Festival in April and attend USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Inc.) in March.

Michelle Moran, ’23 of Framingham is the Region 1 Finalist Scene Partner and will compete at the National KCACTF Festival in April.

Rachael Schuster, ’23 of Jefferson, ME received the Dramaturgy Regional Recognition Award.

Sam Kiff, ’23 of Gloucester is the Region 1 Finalist for the KCACTF Excellence in Costume Design Award and will compete at the National KCACTF Festival in April.       

Destany Foley, ’23 of Hyannis received Honorable Mention in Allied Design and Technologies.

Lily Barnes, ’24, of Mansfield is the Region 1 Finalist for the KCACTF Excellence in Stage Management and will go on to compete at the  National KCACTF Festival in April.

Alyssa Fluet,’ 24 of Methuen is the winner of the Region 1 Classical Acting Award and the VASTA Award for Voice.

Jordan Mitchell, ’23 of Westwood is the Region 1 Finalist for the Stage Directors and Choreographers Directing Initiative Award and will compete at the National KCACTF Festival in April.

“I am so proud of our very talented students and our wonderful professors who mentor them,” said Jerry L. Johnson, chair of the theatre and speech communication department at Salem State University. “Go Salem State Theatre!”

Established in 1969, the KCACTF is a national theater program that recognizes and celebrates the “finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theater programs” and involves 18,000 students annually. A leader and champion of the performing arts, “The KCACTF honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, directing, and design."

Photo from back: Stephen Caliskan, Bella Perez, Michelle Moran, Alyssa Fluet, Lily Barnes, Rachael Schuster, Jordan Mitchell, and Sam Kiff.