Students win honors at regional theatre festival

Several Ripon College students were honored at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region 3, held Jan. 8-13 in Madison, Wisconsin.

• DeShawn Thomas ’20 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, advanced to the semi-final round of the Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions, for his performance in “Paragon Springs” in the fall of 2018. He performed with his acting partner, Dakota Marlega ’21 of Waupaca, Wisconsin.
• Crystal Fercy ’19 of Appleton, Wisconsin, advanced to the finals of the Design, Technolgy and Management (DTM) competition and won an honorable mention for her scenic design for the play “Paragon Springs.”
• James Balistreri ’19 of Plymouth, Wisconsin, advanced to the finals in the DTM competition and won the Stage Management Fellowship. He will attend the national festival in Washington, D.C., later this year. He won for his work on “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

Also participating were Bailey Jerrick ’20 of Stoughton, Wisconsin, and Thomas Phillipsen ’19 of Waupaca, Wisconsin, for their performance in “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” in the spring of 2018; and Savannah White ’19 of Carol Stream, Illinois, and Courtney Hall ’20 of West Allis, Wisconsin, for their performance in “Silent Sky” in the fall of 2018.

Ken Hill, professor of theatre and the Doreen L. ’73 and David I. Chemerow Chair in Theatre, is the mentor to the Irene Ryan Scholarship nominees from Ripon. John Dalziel, associate professor of theatre, is the mentor for the DTM project.
(Photo, left to right, are some of the nominees and their acting partners: Ethan Freiermuth ’19 of Prairie Farm, Wisconsin; Race Rohde ’20 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Madeleine Craig ’20 of West Bend, Wisconsin; Bailey Jerrick ’20 of Stoughton, Wisconsin; James Balistreri ’19 of Plymouth, Wisconsin; Thomas Phillipsen ’19 of Waupaca, Wisconsin; DeShawn Thomas ’20 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Mackenzie Swart ’20 of Brookfield, Wisconsin.)