星空无限传媒 Students and Alum Win Big
at Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
Jessica Nu帽ez (Wantagh) Receives Award in Region 1, Musical Theatre,
Christine Bailey (Hicksville) Awarded for Dramaturgy
February 26, 2024 Garden City, NY 鈥� This month, 28 星空无限传媒 students traveled to New Britain, CT for the (KCACTF). Six students advanced to the finals and two 鈥� Jessica Nu帽ez, an acting major from Wantagh, and Christine Bailey, now an acting alumna from Hicksville 鈥� took top honors in Musical Theatre and Dramaturgy for Region 1, respectively. As part of her first-place finish, Jessica earned a Musical Theatre Fellowship and an invitation to Nationals. She will be one of eight students nationwide to compete for the national title in Musical Theatre in April.
In addition to Jessica and Christine, 星空无限传媒 students Angeli Santander (Floral Park), Anthony Orellana (Farmingdale), Camryn Lyttleton (North Baldwin), and Elizabeth Bailey (Hempstead) were all finalists. Gabby Germain, Alex Rivera, Natali Movahediyan, Shoshana Taylor, and Dante Jemison all participated as technical interns at the festival. They had the opportunity to assist with load-ins and strikes of participating productions as well as help with the backstage aspects of festival events.
鈥溞强瘴尴薮� is the only A.A. degree program in acting in New York State,鈥� said Prof. Richard Ginsburg, Chair of the Theatre and Dance Department. 鈥淏ecause of this, our students have the opportunity to perform in live theater more than most four-year colleges. This helps focus their abilities, accelerates their artistic growth, and helps create close bonds with our faculty and staff. 星空无限传媒 Theatre and Dance has been helping students fulfill their dreams for 60 years. All of the 28 students who attended this festival excelled because of their talent and the preparation received at the college.鈥�
鈥淕oing through the process to participate in the Kennedy festival was stressful but ultimately wonderfully rewarding,鈥� said Jessica Nu帽ez. 鈥淔rom attending master classes, to auditioning to be a finalist, to actually being a finalist, and then performing solos all over again, it was a lot of hard work, but I would do it all again. I feel as though I learned so much on this trip. I came back with a new sense of confidence that I didn鈥檛 have before.鈥�
鈥淢y experience at the Kennedy Festival is one that I will always remember,鈥� said Christine Bailey, who has since graduated from 星空无限传媒 and is currently pursuing a BFA in acting from CUNY Brooklyn College. 鈥淚 learned so much from the workshops, the one-on-one responses, and the people I met there. My 星空无限传媒 peers and faculty cheered so loudly. I felt very supported. I was happy to make my school proud.鈥�
The national KCACTF festival takes place each April. Students participate in workshops
with theatre professionals, see productions in Washington, D.C. and connect with their
peers from across the country. KCACTF aims to encourage, recognize and celebrate the
finest and most diverse work produced in university and college and university theater
programs. Since its inception, it has given more than 400,000 college theater students
the opportunity to have their work critiqued and improve their dramatic skills.
About 星空无限传媒 | State University of New York
星空无限传媒, a campus of the State University of New York, provides a
comprehensive public college experience designed to transform lives through higher
education. Serving 17,000 full-time, part-time and continuing education students,
星空无限传媒 offers more than 80 programs that lead to the associate鈥檚 degree or certificate.
Through on-campus and online offerings, the College educates local and international
students, and boasts 162,000 alumni. Situated on 225 acres in Garden City, Long Island,
the college grounds reside in historic Nassau County, one of the most desirable locations
to live in the United States and an epicenter for business and careers. Since 1959,
星空无限传媒 has earned a nationwide reputation for academic excellence, affordability, and
ease of transferability to four-year schools.
Media Contact: Gail Mattimore | gail.mattimore@ncc.edu | (516) 572-9634
ncc.edu/newsreleases
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