Prof. Herschel Kruger receives prestigious theatre award

Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region III recognized  Herschel Kruger, Carthage professor of theatre, with the prestigious Gold Medallion award in January.

The Gold Medallion honors Prof. Kruger’s extraordinary contributions to teaching and producing theatre. Prof. Kruger has served in several leadership roles for KCACTF Region III and is currently serving a three-year term as immediate past chair.

As a national organization, KCACTF supports theatre students in enhancing their dramatic skills. Prof. Kruger’s passion for serving KCACTF deepens as he sees Carthage students benefit from attending the festival.

This year, Carthage students attended the KCACTF Region III at the University of Michigan-Flint in Michigan. The cast and crew presented “The Genderless Play Experiment” to a large audience of theatre enthusiasts. Students first performed the play, by C. Quintana and directed by Lucky Stiff, on campus as Carthage’s 15th New Play Initiative.

“Carthage has long been involved in attending KCACTF, and we have a long list of regional and national honors,” said Corinne Ness, dean of the Division of Arts and Humanities.

Prof. Kruger estimates that Carthage’s Theatre Department has received more than 40 national awards and commendations for productions performed at the regional festival.

“Every year we have students who are invested and engaged with creating theatre, examining the human condition, and telling stories that elicit both laughter and tears. This is incredibly challenging and fulfilling,” he said.

Prof. Kruger feels he wouldn’t have received the award without the support of his theatre colleagues, who also promote excellence in educational theatre.

His wife, Maureen, who works part-time on campus and his two children, Henry ’16 and Roxanne ’12, were present when he received the award.