Fine Arts Professor Recognized With Prestigious Kennedy Center Gold Medallion Award
The KCACTF Gold Medallion award is considered one of the great honors in theatre education and recognizes individuals or organizations who have made extraordinary contributions to the teaching and producing of theatre and who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the values and goals of the KCACTF.
“The Gold Medallion Award is one of the most prestigious regional awards given by the KCACTF,” said Mollman. “It means a lot to have been nominated by a theatre colleague in the first place. It is a great honor for me to be recognized by the Region 5 KCACTF leadership and my colleagues in theatre education for the service I have given to the academic industry.”
Mollman received the award from Region 5 of the KCACTF, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Mollman will be recognized for his award at Region 5’s Festival 56 in Des Moines, Iowa, from Jan. 16-21.
Mollman has dedicated his time and talents to the advancement of the KCACTF, teaching various workshops at the festival and previously serving as the co-coordinator of the professional portfolio review and the workshop co-coordinator. For the last five years, Mollman has served on the Regional Advisory Board as the workshop coordinator, a position that involves scheduling between 100 and 140 various workshops throughout the conference.
“This festival is important to me,” said Mollman. “It allows students from our region to gain new perspectives of training for their craft. It’s also wonderful to see our alumni become colleagues as they take on leadership roles in the current KCACTF leadership teams.”
As a professor of theatre in the USD College of Fine Arts, Mollman takes a hands-on mentorship approach to teaching, encouraging his students to put the classroom experience into practicality by working side-by-side with them in the scenic studio. Mollman also leads by example, completing the same types of tasks he commonly asks them to accomplish.
“I want my students to be empowered to say, ‘Yes, I can do that’ when it comes to thinking outside of the box and solving problems,” said Mollman. “And if they don’t know how to solve a problem, I give them the tools they need to research or ask questions to figure out what they do not know.”
In 2016, Mollman received the Knutson Distinguished Professor Award – the College of Fine Arts’ highest faculty honor recognizing on-going, notable and consistent research or creative scholarship.
“Working with the students in the scenic studio and seeing the growth they demonstrate during their tenure here at USD is my favorite thing about being a theatre educator,” said Mollman. “Staying in touch with former students and hearing about and observing the great work they are doing around the country – and around the world – brings me great joy and sense of accomplishment.”
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