Rising Star Wins Multiple Acting Awards
Imani Brissett, ’23 in the role of Flick in the production of “Violet” at University Theatre. Photo courtesy of Kip Shawger
After high school, Florida native Imani Brissett, ’23, was all set to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, but while participating in a community theatre production, he found his passion in musical theatre. He swiftly switched gears and headed to Ball State University to major in musical theatre and perfect his craft.
And perfect he did.
In April, Mr. Brissett took first place in the Irene Ryan National Acting Scholarships with help from his acting partner, Sawyer True, ’23. He also received the Mark Twain Scholarship for Comic Performance. And he was awarded the prestigious College of Fellows Jane Alexander Fellowship Award for Acting. The fellowship recipients were selected from the Irene Ryan Scholarship national finalists at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
“The KCACTF is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our University’s best and brightest Theatre and Dance students, and this is the 19th year we’ve done so,” said William Jenkins, department chair of Ball State’s Department of Theatre and Dance and a professor of Theatre. “I am so proud of Imani for this much-deserved recognition, and I am excited for the opportunities ahead of him.”
