LYNN — Laura Chipman, of Lynn, received a SILV (Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas) Award at the 2021 Region 1 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), which took place virtually January 24-31.
The SILV award includes an invitation to an intensive training program at The Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas.
Chipman also received a Merit Award honoring her work on Salem State University’s (SSU) 2020 adaptation of Paula Vogel’s “The Long Christmas Ride Home,” which reimagined how to produce and deliver a theatrical performance during the pandemic.
Chipman is a class of 2021 Salem State University theater student, pursuing a Bachelor of Art degree in technical theater with a concentration in scenic design.
Four other Salem State students won regional awards, two of them advancing to the Kennedy Center national festival in the categories of acting and lighting design.
Fernando Barbosa, class of 2022 from Everett, received the New England Theater Conference (NETC) Best Comedic Actor Award. Isaac Goldbaum, of Amherst, received the Region 1 Achievement in Scenic Design Award, the Vectorworks Award, and a SILV Award.
Rémani Lizana, also in the class of 2022 and from Springfield, was named Region 1 finalist for the National Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship and will compete at the KCACTF national festival in April.
Hunter A. Mountz, class of 2021 from Leesport, Pa., received the Region 1 Excellence in Lighting Design Award, and will compete at the KCACTF national festival in April. He also received a SILV Award.
“I am so proud of our very talented students and our wonderful professors who mentor them,” said Jerry L. Johnson, who is the chair of the theater and speech communication department at Salem State University. “Go Salem State Theater!”
Salem State also won the Tech Trivia Championship and will run the Tech Olympics at the 2022 KCACTF Region 1 Festival.
KCACTF Region 1 includes colleges and universities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, northeast New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The KCACTF is a national theater program that involves 18,000 students annually from colleges and universities across the country. Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, KCACTF has since given more than 400,000 college theater students the opportunity to have their work critiqued, receive national recognition and improve their dramatic skills. More than 16 million theatergoers have attended approximately 10,000 festival productions nationwide.
