SUNY Plattsburgh Students Honored at Theater Festival

SUNY Plattsburgh theater students brought home honors from the Region I Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Hyannis, Mass., this January.

The group, accompanied by SUNY Plattsburgh Assistant Theater Professor Shawna Mefferd Carroll came home with two Certificates of Merit and a first place in the Tech Olympics. 

The design team for “Red Death” received a Certificate of Merit for its work in creating a Rich and Varied World, and the ensemble of “The Winter’s Tale” received one for an Outstanding Ensemble Creation.

Dana McLaughlin of Whitehall, N.Y.; Klynt Ramjattan of Monroe, N.Y.; and Marlie Jeanlus of Spring Valley, N.Y., also participated in the Tech Olympics at the festival. McLaughlin took first place in properties and received a certificate and prizes for his endeavors.

Six students were also nominated for Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions: 

Cassidy Herman of Ravena, N.Y., and Kendall Tamer of Plattsburgh, for their performances in “Red Death,” March 2013.

Jazmine Kendrick of Selden, N.Y., and Will Simone of Plattsburgh, for their performances in “The Winter’s Tale,” April 2013.

McLaughlin and Ramjattan for their performances in “The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee,” November 2013.

Students Lucas Haight of East Meredith, N.Y.; Nina Tendy of Yorktown Heights, N.Y.; Tyyani Torres of Yonkers, N.Y.; Antony Watkins of Norwalk, Conn., and Tim Wagoner of Champlain, N.Y., served as acting partners for the nominees. Haight, Tendy and Wagoner were nominated the previous year.

In addition, Mark Dawson of Bolton Landing, N.Y., was nominated as a Richard Maltby Jr. Musical Theatre Showcase participant for his performance in “Spelling Bee.” He was one out of 26 students in the region nominated and invited to participate in the festival’s showcase performance.

Meanwhile, Tendy and Jeanlus were nominated to participate in the Design, Technology and Management Exhibition for their work on “Spelling Bee” — Tendy for her makeup design and Jeanlus for her stage management work. Maria Dominguez of East Meadow, N.Y., was nominated to participate in the Dramaturgy Exhibition for her work on the same production.

Caitlin Krahn of Coldstream, British Columbia, and Dominguez were invited to participate in the Institute for Theatre Journalism and Advocacy.