Phone: 330-672-2004
E-mail: performingartslibrary@kent.edu
or chat below...
The Performing Arts Library is located at D-004 in the Center for the Performing Arts. Find more information about our hours.
The Performing Arts Library Colloquium Series' Excellence in Research Awards recognize accomplishment in student scholarship, and are presented annually at the conclusion of the spring semester for the past academic year. Awards are based on scholarly excellence in each category (undergraduate and graduate), and consist of a certificate and cash prize. Certificates of Merit may also be presented to selected additional entries. These awards are open to all Kent State University students who present original research papers as a part of the Colloquium Series, and must relate to theatre, dance, and/or music.
Students wishing to be considered for the research awards must submit an electronic version of their research to the Head of the Performing Arts Library no later than one week after presentation. Selected award-winning papers are published in the journal, Excellence in Performing Arts Research.
Judges will be comprised of Kent State University faculty.
This program is supported by University Libraries and the College of the Arts.
Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research ($250)
Winner: Phoeby Trask – Bell, Book and Candle and Lesbians: A Look into LGBTQ+ Lives Through the Work of John Van Druten (Bio & Abstract | Paper TBA)
Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($250)
Winner: Sarah Deskins – Motivational Factors and Gender Differences in the Successful Completion of Music Education Doctoral Programs: A Pilot Study (Bio & Abstract | Paper TBA)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research ($50)
Winner: Chantrell Lewis – Addressing Bisexuality, Gender Non Conformance and Performativity through The Color Purple by Alice Walker (adapted for stage by Marsha Norman) (Bio & Abstract | Paper TBA)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($50)
Winner: Nicole Muffitt – Performing Desi: Music and Identity Performance in South Asian A Cappella (Bio & Abstract | Paper TBA)
Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research ($250)
Winner: Mackenzie Wells - Dvořák’s Aria (Bio & Abstract | Paper TBA)
Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($250)
Winner: Sarah Mattern - General Music Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Development (Bio & Abstract | Paper TBA)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($50)
Winner: Laura Weidenfeld - From the Ground Up: The Philosophical Underpinnings of Orff-Schulwerk (Bio & Abstract)
Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research ($250)
Winner: Jensen Hykes - Then and Now: A Study of Radicalism in "The Normal Heart" and "Clit Notes" (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($250)
Winner: Rachael L. Fleischaker - Accumulating Capital in Music Education: A Content Analysis of the Music Educators Journal from 2011-2016 (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research ($50)
Winner: Ren J. Harris - Polyamory Under a Constructionist Lens (Bio & Abstract)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($50)
Winner: Maya Brown - "Jump Jim Along, Jim Along Josey": Musical Borrowings from Minstrel Song to Children's Song (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research ($250)
Winner: Libby Jackson - The Interchanging Development of Sexuality: Laumann's Theory in LGBTQ Texts (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($250)
Winner: Xiaorong Yuan - Authenticity in Chinese Minority Popular Music: A Case Study of Shanren, a Multi-Ethnic Indie Band (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research ($50)
Winner: Peter Fields Gould - Discovering the Origin of Gay Identity in Larry Kramer’s "The Destiny of Me" (Bio & Abstract)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($50)
Winner: Mark Alan Rhodes II - Performing History: Remembering Paul Robeson and the Peekskill Riots through Tayo Aluko’s Call Mr. Robeson (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research ($250)
Winner: Rosemary Heredos - Lily Pons: The Littlest Lakmé (Bio & Abstract)
Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($250)
Winner: Kristin Coen-Mishlan - Gender Discrimination in the Band World: A Case Study of Three Female Band Directors (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($50)
Winner: Bryan Helsel - To Tour or Not to Tour: A Case Study in Music Education Ensemble Travel (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($50)
Winner: Darren LeBeau - Taking Charge: Looking at Student Leadership in the High School Band Room (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research ($250)
Winner: Rosemary Heredos - The Many Disguises of Susanna: A Comparison of the 1786 Premiere and the 1789 Revival of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($250)
Winner: Rachael Fleischaker - Student Assessment in the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES): Is it improving instructional practices in the music classroom? (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research ($50)
Winner: Marcia Custer - Bauhaus and Meredith Monk’s Elevated Post-modernism (Bio & Abstract)
Honorable Mention, Award for Excellence in Graduate Research ($50)
Winner: Deanna Nebel - Reviving Scottish Fiddling in the United States (Bio & Abstract | Paper)
Today's Hours: 
Ask Us
My Library Account