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HATTIESBURG
-The Southeastern Theatre Conference has awarded Sean Savoie, a
lighting design emphasis graduate of The University of Southern
Mississippi's theater program, with the Robert Porterfield scholarship
for graduate study. A strong Southern Miss contingent attended this
year's March conference in Arlington, Va.
Savoie, of
Marrero, La., competed for the scholarship award with other designers,
technicians and actors from across the Southeast. He said he planned
to use the scholarship for graduate study at the University of Cincinnati's
renowned Conservatory of Music.
"The Porterfield
is the biggest and most prestigious scholarship that SETC gives,"
said Denise Halbach, administrative vice president for the organization.
"There is only one given every year, and Sean is exactly the
kind of person who should receive this scholarship."
A member of
the selection committee for the award, Dr. Mark Malinauskas, of
Murray State University in Kentucky, said Savoie's "maturity,
focus, vision, creative abilities, experience and desire" made
him the ideal choice.
Southern Miss
theatergoers may remember the young designer. His work included
the lighting design for the production of Shakespeare's "A
Midsummer Night's Dream" and the Kennedy Center showcased,
award-winning "Rimers of Eldritch."
Frank Kuhn,
chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Southern Miss, sees
the award as a compliment to both Savoie and to the program. "We
are delighted for Sean and proud of our part in his development.
He's a very talented young man, and the theater program at Southern
Miss was able to recognize and nurture that talent."
After receiving
his bachelor of fine arts in the spring of 2000, Savoie worked as
a designer for Wayside Theatre, Theatre West Virginia and Shenandoah
University.
"As always,
it is enormously satisfying to us - the faculty - to see our students
succeed on a regional and national level," Kuhn said. "We
know our training and educational process here at Southern Miss
rivals the best programs available."
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