TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Donna Meester, associate professor in The University of Alabama’s department of theatre and dance and director of costume design/production, has been awarded The Kennedy Center Golden Medallion for her service to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
Meester served as vice-chair of design for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for three years before becoming design chair for the region (Region IV of eight regions in the country). In her capacity, Meester judged student work at these festivals and performed portfolio reviews. She has also acted as a regional respondent and guest lecturer for festival events.
Started in 1969, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide, which serves as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theatre in the United States. The festival has grown into a network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country, where theatre departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by festival respondents.
An active member of the United States Institute for Theatre Design/Technology, Meester is serving as jury chair for the Costume Poster Session. She holds a Bachelor of Science in apparel technology from Purdue University and an Master of Fine Arts in stage design from Southern Methodist University. Additional information on the department of theatre and dance can be found online at http://theatre.ua.edu.
Contact
Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782; Donna Meester, 205/348-9032, dmeester@as.ua.edu
Source
Christopher M. Montpetit, 205/348-3844, cmmontpetit@as.ua.edu;