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The New Mexico State University Theatre Department and the American Southwest Theatre Company (ASTC) May 14 awards dinner at NMSU honored students for their work on shows during the 2025-26 season and for their leadership and during the year.
ASTC Bravo student awards (Presented by ASTC Board of Directors President Denise Welsh):
• Leadership: Delaney Dwyer
• Outstanding service: Katie Mayers
• Advocacy: Alex Smith
Theatre Department awards:
• Outstanding contribution to NMSU productions: Diego Lara
• Excellence in stage management: Diego Lara, for the Theatre Department’s 2026 production of “Into the Woods”
• Excellence as an assistant stage manager: Kiana Montoya
• Best student designer/wardrobe supervisor: Emily Glover, “Into the Woods”
• Excellence in hair and makeup design: Naty Oros, “Into the Woods”
• Excellence in lighting design: Abraham Martinez Alvarado, “Into the Woods”
• Excellence as a student assistant music director: Angelique Reagan, “A Christmas Carol”
• Excellence as a student technical director: Sydney Lopez, “A Christmas Carol”
• Excellence in acting in a leading performance: Emily Glover, “Sanctuary City”
• Excellence in acting in a supporting performance: Kartlen Friedrich, Jack, “Into the Woods,” and Rachel Maze, Snow White and Puppeteer, “Into the Woods”
•Excellence as an ensemble in a performance: The cast of “Into the Woods”
These awards were for the Theatre Department’s 2026 High Desert Play Reading Festival:
• Excellence in lighting design for a new play or play except: Kate Conrad for “Sitting Naked by the Phone”
• Excellence in acting in a new play/workshop production: Mario Montiel, Actor #6 in “A River, It’s Mouths”
• Excellence in acting in an excerpt written by a student: “Aslan Longoria, Rey, “Rey de la Luna”
• Excellence in directing a new play: Okalani Venture, “A Simple Boon”
• Excellence in playwrighting: Hyacinth Faye Panaganiban, “A Simple Boon”
• Excellence as assistant director: Sydney Lopez, “A River, Its Mouths”
• Scholarship recipients for the 2026-27: Abby Watkins, Alex Smith, Edward Leyva, Grace Mellen, Rachel Maze, Daniela Gallosa, Kate Conrad and Katie Myers
• Academic excellence award (graduating senior with at minimum 3.5 GPA who has made outstanding contributions to the Theatre Department during their time at NMSU): Emily Glover
• ASTC senior grants winners (graduating seniors who have defined a plan for the beginning of their theatre-related careers): Emily Glover and Angelique Reagan. Each receives a $1,000 grant
ASTC is the nonprofit created by Tony Award winner Mark Medoff and Bruce Streett, Ph.D. in 1984 to support the students of the NMSU Theatre Department.
“The NMSU Awards night is always a rewarding event, when faculty, staff and ASTC members honor the excellence that our students have achieved,” said Theatre Department Head Wil Kilroy, who was master of ceremonies for the dinner and awards. “We always invite our graduating seniors to speak, and this year’s speeches were inspiring and moved many to tears. I want to thank our patrons for supporting our shows – performing for you allows our students a professional experience both onstage and behind the scenes.”
Season tickets will be available soon for the NMSU Theatre Department ‘s 2026-27 season. For more information, visit theatre.nmsu.edu and click on “Performances and Events” and then click on “Ticketing and Box Office.”
