KU Theatre & Dance 2023 Award and Scholarship Recipients
The Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Kansas recognized 59 students for academic merit and contributions to Departmental performances at its year-end awards ceremony in May.
“Scholarships make a tangible difference in students’ lives and their ability to learn and grow,” said Henry Bial, professor and chair. “In addition to helping defray the rising costs of college attendance, scholarships and awards give us the opportunity to recognize and encourage outstanding performance. We are grateful to all those who have chosen to invest in the future of theatre and dance through their gifts to our various scholarship funds.”
The Kilty Kane Award, given in recognition of outstanding contributions made to the University Theatre, was presented to Diego Rivera-Rodriguez, a Lawrence native who completed his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance and in Film Production. The Kuhlke Humanitarian Award was presented to Asher Suski, an Ames, Iowa, native who completed Bachelor of Arts degrees in Theatre Performance and Linguistics, for humanitarian service to the Department. Both awards are named for actors (Jerome Kilty and Emeritus Professor William Kuhlke) credited with memorable performances as guest artists in Murphy Hall.
The Key Collaborator Award, given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the University Dance Company, was presented to its inaugural recipient Anna Hastings, of Olathe, who completed a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. The Elizabeth Sherbon Award, named for the retired KU professor who established the dance major at KU, was presented to an outstanding dance student. This year’s recipient was Cullen Krishna, a Bellevue, Neb., native and KU dance and ecology double major.
The awards and scholarships listed include financial support totaling over $200,000.
Scholarship and award recipients are as follows:
Kansas
ShonMichael Anderson, Wichita, Charles "Buddy" Rogers Scholarship, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Giavonni Armstrong, Topeka, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
Katelyn Arnold, Topeka, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
McKenna Bizal, Overland Park, General Dance Scholarship
Morgan Blanton, Wichita, General Dance Scholarship
Elliot Bowman, Topeka, Julie Damron-Dittmer Scholarship
Quintin Castro, Larned, Brian Ten Eyck Davis Award
Renee Cyr, Lawrence, Donald and Betty Dixon Scholarship in Theatre, Susan Tisdall Niven Scholarship, Ethel Hinds Burch Outstanding Returning GTA Award
Hayden Daugherty, Wathena, Gerhard Zuther Memorial Award for Dramatic Scriptwriting, Loren Kennedy Ambassador, Alexis and Craig Stevens Performing Arts Scholarship
Johnny Dinh Phan, Overland Park, Jump Start Award
Sofia Dunkelberger, Wichita, General Dance Scholarship
Sydney Ebner, Shawnee, Lee Family Scholarship in Dance
Zoe English, Mission, John David Lentz Memorial Scholarship
Coy Garrett, Lawrence, Loren Kennedy Ambassador, Sally Six Hersh Memorial Scholarship
Sophia Harrison, Topeka, Dance General Scholarship
Anna Hastings, Olathe, Jump Start Award, Key Collaborator Award
Cooper Holmes, Overland Park, New Theatre Guild: Don Knotts Scholarship
Olivia Laycock, Wichita, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
Edmund Ludlum, Topeka, Claire Reinhold Scholarship in Theatre, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
India MacDonald, Topeka, Jack B. Wright Award
Connor Maloney, Wichita, Friends of Theatre & Dance Reese Saricks Scholarship, Loren Kennedy Coordinator, Loren Kennedy Scholarship, Moxie Talent Agency Scholarship, Glenn Bickle Award
Knox McClendon, Topeka, Marilyn Hunt Scharine Award, Allen Crafton Memorial Scholarship, Julie Damron-Dittmer Scholarship, Stephanie Ann Smith Memorial Scholarship
Olly G. Mitchell, Maize, Dorothy and Benjamin Glick Scholarship, New Theatre Guild: Jackie and Curtis Stokes Scholarship
Alexis Mullen, Wichita, Donald and Betty Dixon Scholarship in Theatre
Jordan Nevels, Overland Park, Loren Kennedy Ambassador, New Theatre Guild: Dodie Myers Brown Scholarship, Social Activism Award, Kari Wahlgren Theatre Scholarship
Katie Noll, Overland Park, Lee Family Scholarship in Dance, Dance General Scholarship
Gretchen Ott, Derby, Adah Hagan Clarke Scholarship in Theatre
Jordan Ray, Topeka, Alexis and Craig Stevens Performing Arts Scholarship, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Ella Rhuems, Pittsburg, Claire Reinhold Scholarship in Theatre
Molly Richardson, Lenexa, Janet Hamburg Dance Scholarship
Diego Rivera-Rodriguez, Lawrence, Kilty Kane Award
Eliana Rundus, Lenexa, Juanita Strait Scholarship
Anna Shelton, Hesston, Lee Family Scholarship in Dance, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Jordan Stoehr, Cheney, Margaret Bushong and Suzanne Calvin Scholarship
Jonathan Wall, Iola, New Theatre Guild: Dennis D. Hennessy & Richard Carrothers Scholarship, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
Maya Welde, Overland Park, Dorothy and Benjamin Glick Scholarship, Margaret Bushong and Suzanne Calvin Scholarship
Lolly Winsor, Junction City, Julie Damron-Dittmer Scholarship
Other States and Countries
Marzi Ashrafian, Iran, Susan Tisdall Niven Scholarship, Theatre General Scholarship, Graduate Studies Scholarship
Sergio Alicea Roman, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Theatre General Scholarship, Graduate Studies Scholarship
Sara Baird, Tulsa, Okla., Ethel Hinds Burch Outstanding New GTA Award
Sofia Bilbao Bardier, Montevideo, Uruguay, Julie Damron-Dittmer Scholarship
Tiffani Brooks Hagan, Spartanburg., S.C., New Theatre Guild: William and Penny Gamm Scholarship, Susan Tisdall Niven Scholarship, Ethel Hinds Burch Outstanding New GTA Award
Cherish Diamond, Grandview, Mo., Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
Allison FitzSimmons, Lincoln, Neb., Loren Kennedy Ambassador, Richard Kelton Memorial Scholarship
Jonah Greene, Fayetteville, Ark., Adah Hagan Clarke Scholarship in Theatre, Donald and Betty Dixon Scholarship in Theatre
Stephanie Hartz, Orwigsburg, Pa., Janet Hamburg Dance Scholarship
Myles Hollie, Richmond, Va., Alexis and Craig Stevens Performing Arts Scholarship, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Alex Hunt, Farmington, Minn., Edna Bulkeley Dance Scholarship
Cullen Krishna, Bellevue, Neb., Elizabeth Sherbon Award, Patricia Joyce Ellis Scholarship
Taiane Lacerda, Florianopolis, Brazil, David E. Blackwell Scholarship
Bella Lind, Solvang, Calif., Shirley and Tom P. Rea Memorial Award
Webster McDonald, Jamaica, Ambrose Saricks Family Scholarship, Sally Six Hersh Memorial Scholarship, Joseph R. Roach Dissertation Research Award, Theatre General Scholarship
Cailan Niswonger, Flower Mound, Texas, Harry B. Craig Dance Scholarship, Bernadette Robinson Scholarship
Molly Robinson, St. Louis, Mo., Barbara Nordling Dance Scholarship
Sloane Smith, Littleton, Colo., Loren Kennedy Ambassador, Betty Joe Lorbeer McMillen Ballet Scholarship
Asher Suski, Ames, Iowa, Kuhlke Humanitarian Award
Rory Sweedler, Louisville, Colo., Elizabeth Sherbon Scholarship
Farrukhbek Varisov, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Margaret Bushong and Suzanne Calvin Scholarship, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
Lindsay Webster, Novi, Mich., Laura Louise Pryor Award, Ethel Hinds Burch Outstanding Returning GTA Award
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