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Eight Lycoming College theatre students participated in this year’s American College Theatre Festival (ACTF), Region II, held in Columbia, Md., Jan. 13-17. The theatre department takes a group of students to the conference each year to provide them with the opportunity to showcase their talents, present their work, compete with students from more than 50 other universities and colleges in the nine-state region, and attend workshops led by theatre professionals.
Students who attended and participated in various programs in acting, musical theatre, directing, design, and stage management included:
- Gabriella Fugon ’26 – musical theatre major with a minor in photography
- Bry Jones ’27 – performing arts management major with a minor in business administration
- Faith Okereke-Mba ’27 – political science major with minors in French and theatre performance
- Adriana Seiberlich ’27 – triple major in theatre acting, theatre directing, and anthropology
- Joshua Sellers ’27 – psychology and theatre directing double major with a minor in music
- Evelyn Stong ’26 – double major in theatre design and technology with a minor in German
- Olivia Weaver ’29 – undeclared major
- Chayton Wesneski ’26 – creative writing major with a minor in theatre performance
Stong brought home the highest regional recognition in her area at the conference earning the National Finalist ACTF Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in Scenic Design for her work on “Rumors.” This prestigious honor recognizes her exceptional work and qualifies her to attend the National Festival where she will spend a week in hands-on workshops, meeting professionals in the field, and touring theatres in the Washington, D.C., area. The digital version of her exhibit will be displayed at a virtual national gallery. She will also receive the URTA Candidate Award, which provides free registration for the URTA Auditions and Interviews, including free admission to continuing education sessions and other programming. Previous national awardees from Lycoming College include Alexandra (AJ) Marusko (Stage Management) in 2025, Mitchell Kelly (Arts Leadership) in 2022, and A’Feyah Smith (Directing) in 2019.
Other theatre students were also recognized for their excellent presentations at the conference: Wesneski was one of the 16 finalists in the region for the Irene Ryan acting scholarship audition and was also selected to perform in the Musical Theatre Intensive “Cabaret” performance at the closing of the festival. Seiberlich was recognized by The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Directing Intensive program for her directing of a 10-minute play as part of the National Playwriting program at the conference. Stong received another recognition for her participation in a Devised theatre project at the conference along with students from other institutions. Weaver and Fugon presented their work in the Musical Theatre Intensive program, and Wesneski performed at the National Playwriting Program monologue slam competition. All Lycoming College attendees attended a variety of professional workshops during the five-day conference.
“The continued regional and national recognition of our students speaks to their talent, commitment, and professionalism, as well as to the strength of the training and mentorship within our department. We are proud to support their work and to create meaningful opportunities to present, compete, and engage at annual conferences and other events,” said Biliana Stoytcheva-Horissian, Ph.D., professor of theatre and chair of the department.