The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival honored Cuesta College’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time with 11 national awards and recognition, including Outstanding Performance by an Actor and Distinguished Production of a Play, at its National Awards Ceremony on April 22.
The cast and crew were recognized for their work in their production showcased at the KCACTF Region 8 Festival last February in Las Vegas.
The national awards and recognition include:
- The Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Award
- Distinguished Production of a Play
- Distinguished Director of a Play: bree valle
- Outstanding Performance by an Actor: Dylan Hahn
- Distinguished Performance by an Actor: Jordan Michel
- Distinguished Performance by an Actor: Harlow Winterfire
- Distinguished Performance and Production Ensemble
- Distinguished Production Design
- Distinguished Projection Design: Alex Woolum
- Golden Wrench Award: Richard Jackson, Gabe Zufall
- Performance Fellow: Dylan Hahn
Director bree valle says the ensemble is grateful for the recognition. “Our students, the designers, everyone who worked on this show deserves immense credit, but there is one award missing on this list – and that is ‘Most Distinguished Audience.’
“Our community rallied around this production,” she says. “They showed up. They were present. It sometimes sounds cliché, but we could not have mounted this show on a national stage without the help and monetary assistance of so many supporters.”
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, the Broadway adaptation of Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel, made its Cuesta College premiere in December 2022 to sold-out performances. The main character, 15-year-old Christopher, is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret daily life. He sets out to identify the true culprit when he is accused of a crime, leading to an earth-shattering discovery and a life-changing journey.
This is the fifth time since 2014 that Cuesta College Theatre Arts has represented the western region of the United States at KCACTF. In February 2021, bree valle received the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion, considered one of the top honors in theatre education.