Harper theater director earns state award

Harper College Assistant Professor Kevin Long, a five-year veteran of the college’s theater department, is the recipient of the Illinois Theatre Association’s 2012 Award of Excellence in College/University Theatre, an honor recognizing exemplary contributions to the field. He accepted the award during the organization’s annual convention in Chicago in September.

Long, who studied under master acting teacher Angela D’Ambrosia at West Virginia University and taught acting at St. Patrick High School, in Chicago, before coming to Harper, heads up the college’s Acting I, Acting II and Public Speaking classes and serves as theater director, overseeing all on-campus productions.

“I am honored to have been selected for this award, because I know how many deserving professors there are in our state,” Long said. “I have always considered acting a passion, and to be able to teach it — and to help students succeed in an arena I love — is a gift. It’s wonderful for me to watch students have that ‘Aha!’ acting moment, when I know they really get it.”

Long, who was nominated for the award by the Illinois theater community, has seen his Harper students go on to prestigious university-level theater programs and work professionally onstage and in TV. This spring, he’ll direct students and community members in the college’s production of the hit musical “Parade,” one of his personal favorites.