Posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009
Dr. Scott Mackenzie, ¾¨Ó㴫ý associate professor of theatre, was awarded the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion for Excellence during the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region II Jan. 13-17 at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
The medallion is a national honor that has been awarded since 1972 and is "presented to those in the KCACTF who have made extraordinary contributions to the teaching and producing of theatre and to the development and quality of the Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival," according to Susan Shaffer, co-manager of KCACTF.
Mackenzie earned the award for his work as part of the Region II Leadership Task Force, particularly as workshop coordinator for the regional festival for the past three years. During his tenure in the region, Mackenzie served as a judge and respondent for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship auditions, responded to plays at participating colleges throughout the region, and was a workshop presenter at several festivals.
Also attending the KCACTF with Mackenzie were four ¾¨Ó㴫ý students:
Kirstyn Gecina, a junior elementary education major, is a daughter of Paul and Carrie of New Castle and a graduate of Shenango High School.
Shauna Oles, a senior communication studies major, is a daughter of Paul and Jill Oles of York and a graduate of homeschooling.
Lauren Ritter, a sophomore elementary education major, is a daughter of Joseph and Lorraine Ritter of Monroeville and a graduate of Gateway High School.
Jennifer Schindler, a senior communication studies major, is a daughter of David and Susan Schindler of Gibsonia and a graduate of North Allegheny High School.
Mackenzie, who has been with ¾¨Ó㴫ý since 2001, earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Dallas, a master of fine art in acting from Michigan State University, and Ph.D. from Wayne State University. He is a certified associate teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework who has acting experience in film, television, and theatre and has directed over 30 productions.
At ¾¨Ó㴫ý, Mackenzie directed A Midsummer Night's Dream; The Laramie Project; The Importance of Being Earnest; Once Upon a Mattress; and the English language premier of Traidor, inconfesso y martir by José Zorilla, translated and adapted by Dr. Jeffrey Bersett, ¾¨Ó㴫ý associate professor of Spanish.
Mackenzie co-wrote, produced, and directed Out of the Fire: Voices of the Holocaust for the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts. While on active duty with the United States Army Reserve, he directed Bigfoot Stole My Wife, the first show produced entirely by military and civilian personnel stationed in Baghdad's International Zone.
Contact Mackenzie at (724) 946-6238 or e-mail mackensa@westminster.edu for more information.
