Tumbleson wins national dramaturgy fellowship

Sierra Tumbleson was recognized for her work as a dramaturg on Northwestern's production of "The Cherry Orchard," winning a national fellowship at the Kennedy Center.

Northwestern College senior theatre major Sierra Tumbleson was awarded first place in the dramaturgy category at the Region Five Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) in Des Moines Jan. 22 to 28. Tumbleson, honored for her work in last year’s Northwestern production of “The Cherry Orchard,” is one of eight regional winners selected to participate in an all-expenses-paid dramaturgy intensive at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in late July.

As the recipient of the LMDA (Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas)/KCACTF Fellowship for Region Five, Tumbleson will also participate in an April virtual convening with awardees from around the country, led by noted dramaturg Mark Bly.

“This is a thrilling honor for Sierra and for Northwestern College,” says Dr. Robert Hubbard, professor of theatre at NWC. “A panel of professional dramaturgs deemed Sierra’s literary and historical analysis of our projection of ‘The Cherry Orchard’ to be the very best such work in our seven-state region.”

Tumbleson, from Trimont, Minnesota, plans to pursue a doctorate in theatre at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in the fall.

Hubbard noted that throughout the week at the Region Five festival in Des Moines, Northwestern students entered 10 different projects in the design, production and dramaturgy categories, receiving excellent feedback and much praise. Northwestern’s Frances DeArmond, a sophomore from Pella, Iowa, earned an honorable mention for her sound design entry.

“We should be proud of these students,” says Hubbard. “They represented Northwestern so well.”

Regarded as one of the best Christian college theatre programs in the country, Northwestern’s theatre department features a collaborative, excellence-oriented environment committed to helping students develop their creative gifts for service in God’s kingdom. Study with Northwestern’s award-winning faculty in the outstanding facilities of DeWitt Theatre Arts Center.