Bryan Howard, a senior English, Theatre Arts and Human Behavior (Interdisciplinary Studies) major in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film from Howell, New Jersey, has received the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) Dramaturgy Fellowship at the national festival of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), April 14-18 in Washington, D.C.
Howard was one of four national fellows attending the festival. He had previously won first place in the LMDA/ KCACTF student dramaturgy competition at the Region V festival in Minnesota in January.
Sponsored by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) and the LMDA, the Dramaturgy Award acknowledges Howard’s significant contributions and points to his potential for impact in the 21st century.
“While we are proud of the accomplishments of all of our students and alumni, Bryan Howard’s recent award is truly a highlight,” said Paul Steger, director of the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. “This accolade speaks volumes for Bryan's undying commitment to excellence in all aspects of the theatre. The Dramaturgy Fellowship at the Eugene O'Neill Playwright's Conference will engage him with some of the best new playwrights and is a stellar accomplishment and a testament to Bryan's work as a researcher, actor, director and writer.”
As part of the award, Howard will intern this summer at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, in their Playwrights’ Conference Literary Office. Founded in 1964 by George C. White, in honor of America’s only Nobel Prize-winning playwright, the O’Neill pioneered play development and stage readings as a tool for new plays and musicals. It is also home to the National Theater Institute.
“I’m still in disbelief,” Howard said. “Going to the national festival itself was an incredible honor and meeting and talking with peers and professionals was a humbling experience. The fact that I won—I still don’t quite believe it. I’m absolutely ecstatic, though, and cannot wait to intern at the O’Neill and explore new play dramaturgy at one of the very best places in the nation to do so.”
Howard will offer literary support to help the O’Neill’s various conferences run smoothly.
“I’ll be assigned to serve as a Literary Representative specifically for at least two weeks of rehearsal, which means working with either two new plays or one new musical,” Howard said.
Howard will graduate from UNL in May. He also recently earned a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Grant for the 2015-2016 school year. Following his internship at the O’Neill, he will travel to Indonesia.
Howard said he hopes to create a space for communal cultural and theatrical sharing through exploring Western theater and Indonesia's traditional wayang puppet drama. Howard plans to continue his education through a graduate program in dramaturgy to pursue his plans to work as a freelance dramaturge and professor.
“Bryan exemplifies all the qualities of an individual who will indeed make a national and international impact for years to come,” Steger said. “This award, in conjunction with his recent Fulbright award, his leadership of the student organization Nebraska Masquers, his numerous contributions to the University Theatre and the Nebraska Repertory Theatre are what I imagine to be just the beginning of a long and successful career in the theatre. We are so very proud to call him one of our own.”