Editor: Keith Davis Writers: Alex Dippold, Dave Maley Publisher: Office of Public Information Volume 22, No.17  June 5, 2000

Theater Graduate Wins National Design Award Jennette Kollmann, from Manassas, Virginia, capped off her senior year by winning the Barbizon Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in Lighting Design for her work on the Ithaca College Theatre production of Eric Overmyer’s Dark Rapture. Her design was selected as best in the nation from among the eight regional finalists that were judged at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. The competition was held in April at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The judge, Tony and Obie Award–winning lighting designer Beverly Emmons, selected Kollmann’s design based on its quality, effectiveness, originality, and excellence. The purpose of the Barbizon Awards, which are also given for set and costume design, is to give outstanding student designers national recognition and the opportunity to exhibit their work at the Kennedy Center. Kollmann will receive an honorarium of $500 and an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City for seven days. During this week she will have the chance to meet some of the profession’s top lighting designers as well as visit the offices of Barbizon, Inc., one of the largest suppliers of theatrical and photographic lighting equipment. Kollmann graduated in May with a bachelor of fine arts degree in theatrical production arts and a concentration in theater technology. While studying at the Ithaca College London Center, she held internships in lighting design at the Pentameters Theatre and Vari-Lite Productions. She has also trained as a stage technician at Walt Disney World. Gordon Strain, also a May graduate in theatrical production arts, was a finalist in the scenic design category but was not selected for a national award. His designs were also done for Dark Rapture, which was staged at Ithaca College last fall. Started in 1969, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide. It has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. See Three Students Win Regional Theater Awards

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