# Prizes, 2024–2025

**Source**: https://bulletin.yale.edu/bulletins/drama/prizes-2024-2025
**Parent**: https://bulletin.yale.edu/bulletins/drama/message-dean

The *ASCAP Cole Porter Prize* is awarded to students of the School for excellence in writing. Awarded to comfort ifeoma katchy.

The *Edward C. Cole Memorial Award* is sponsored by the Technical Design and Production Class of 1983 to commemorate the contributions of Edward C. Cole to the profession of technical theater. The recipients of this award, selected by their classmates in the graduating class of the Technical Design and Production program, best exemplify the ingenuity, creativity, craftsmanship, and dedication to the art of theater that are the hallmarks of the theater technician. Awarded to Shawn Matthew Poellet.

The *Carol Finch Dye Prize*, funded by Charles Finch in memory of his sister Carol Finch Dye ’59, is awarded to a graduating Acting student in recognition of artistry and commitment. Awarded to Anna Leigh Roman.

The *John W. Gassner Memorial Prize* is awarded for the best critical essay, article, or review by a student published in, or submitted to, Theater magazine. Awarded to Daria Kerschenbaum and Georgia Petersen.

The *Bert Gruver Memorial Prize* is awarded to students of the School for excellence in stage management. Awarded to Adam Taylor Foster, Aura Michelle Dylke Magnien, and Colleen Marie Rooney.

The *Allen M. and Hildred L. Harvey Prize*, established by Jean L. Harvey to recognize superior work and writing by Technical Design and Production students, is awarded to the student author of the best article in Technical Brief and/or the best Technical Design and Production research thesis. Awarded to Tatsuya Ito and Rajiv Shah.

The *Alan Hendrickson Award*, established by Technical Design and Production alumni, is awarded to a student who exemplifies curiosity, artistry, ingenuity, and patience. Awarded to Shawn Matthew Poellet.

The *Lawrence and Rita Holder Lighting Design Award*, given by Donald Holder ’86 and Evan Yionoulis ’85 YC ’82 in memory of Donald’s parents, is awarded to a graduating student for excellence in lighting design. Awarded to Ankit Pandey.

The *Elizabeth Rhodes Holloway Prize* is awarded to an outstanding student in stage management. Awarded to Hope Binfeng Ding.

The *Pamela Howard Prize*, given by Peter Nigrini, is awarded to a graduating student for excellence in projection design. Awarded to Christian Nader William Killada.

The *Morris J. Kaplan Prize* is given to the graduating theater management student who most exhibits the integrity, commitment, and selfless dedication to high standards in the profession of nonprofit theater management that characterized Morris Kaplan’s twenty-year career as founding counsel to the League of Resident Theaters. Awarded to Maya Louise Shed.

The *Julian Milton Kaufman Memorial Prize*, established by Lily P. Kaufman in memory of her husband, Julian Kaufman, a 1954 alumnus of the Directing program who, through teaching at the secondary and university levels, touched the lives of countless young people, is awarded to a graduating directing student who has demonstrated talent in the chosen field of endeavor. Awarded to Juliana Morales Carreño.

The *Jay Keene and Jean Griffin-Keene Prize* is awarded to a student of the school who is studying costume design. Awarded to Micah Elizabeth Ohno.

The *Leo Lerman Graduate Fellowship in Design*, given by friends of the late Mr. Lerman and the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Inc., is awarded to students of costume design for the purpose of enabling them to study internationally upon their graduation from the School. Awarded to Rea J. Brown.

The *Dexter Wood Luke Memorial Prize*, established by Jane Kaczmarek ’82, is awarded to graduating students whose sense of curiosity and sense of joy have enriched the lives of their colleagues at the School. Awarded to Kino Alvarez and Roman David Sanchez.

The *Donald and Zorka Oenslager Travel Fellowship*, established in 1996 through an estate gift from Zorka Oenslager, is awarded to design students who wish to study internationally upon graduation. Awarded to Silin Chen and Pattida Panyakaew.

The *Pierre-André Salim Prize* is awarded to graduating students whose artistry, professionalism, collaborative energy, and commitment to the community have inspired their colleagues, and who show distinct promise of raising the standard of practice in the field. Awarded to Doaa Ahmed Ouf.

The *Bronislaw (Ben) and Laraine Sammler Mentorship Award*, established by the Class of 2000, honors graduating Technical Design and Production students who, through action, attitude, or inspiration, have motivated their fellow classmates. The honorees are selected by the first- and second-year Technical Design and Production students. Awarded to Steph Burke.

The *Frieda Shaw, Dr. Diana Mason OBE, and Denise Suttor Prize for Sound Design* is awarded to graduating students in Sound Design to recognize distinctive breadth of achievement, artistry, and leadership. Awarded to Minjae Kim.

The *Oliver Thorndike Acting Award*, established by Mrs. Nathaniel S. Simpkins, Jr., and supplemented by gifts from her son, Nathaniel Simpkins III, in memory of Oliver Thorndike Simpkins, whose stage name was Oliver Thorndike, is awarded annually to actors at the School who best exemplify the spirit of fellowship, cooperation, and devotion to the theater that characterized Mr. Thorndike. Awarded to Marlon Alexander Vargas Carrara.

The *George C. White Prize* is awarded annually to a graduating student whose work at the School most closely demonstrates the distinctive qualities of George C. White, including appreciation for the value of arts throughout the world, curiosity about the people and events shaping our cultural heritage, respect for creative production management, and congeniality toward colleagues. Awarded to Mikayla Michelle Stanley.

The *Herschel Williams Prize*, established by Mr. Williams, who was a member of the first class accepted in Drama at Yale, is awarded to acting students with outstanding ability. Awarded to Lauren Fallon Walker.

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