The Kennedy Center Honors UR Technical Director with Prestigious Theatre Education Award

University of Richmond’s Phil Hayes, assistant technical director for the Department of Theatre & Dance, has been awarded a 2019 Medallion by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

The Kennedy Center Medallion is considered to be one of the greatest honors in theatre education and is only presented to eight individuals annually. Award winners are recognized for their extraordinary contributions to theatre education and production and for demonstrating a strong commitment to excellence in educational theatre.

“Phil is an extremely valuable and dedicated member of the department and plays a role in the creation of each and every departmental production here at UR,” said Sharon Feldman, interim chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance. “We are thrilled that his dedication is being recognized by the greater theatre education community.”

Hayes has worked at University of Richmond since 1998 joining the Department of Theatre & Dance full time in 2004. He has been the Technical Director for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival since 2012.

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Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center's founding chairman, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 20,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide annually. For 50 years, the organization has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. KCACTF has grown into a network of more than 700 academic institutions throughout the country.