As much of the region was digging out from the biggest snowstorm in years, a group of Northern Essex Community College’s finest thespians and stage crew was loading up their recent production of “The Vagina Monologues.” On Tuesday, January 27, they traveled to Albany, New York, for the Region 1 American College Theater Festival (ACTF), an annual program that brings together hundreds of college theater students, professors, and professionals from New England and New York to showcase their work and share their expertise.

Cast, crew, and supporters of “The Vagina Monologues.”

The show was just one of five selected to be staged at the Festival. It features students Mirrorajah Metcalfe, Maggie Evans, Jenny Ngo, and Naima Eve. All four actors were also nominated to compete in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. Jessica Newey received award nominations for stage management, lighting design, and dramaturgy. The show is directed by NECC Professor Brianne Beatrice.

Their bravery in the face of adverse travel conditions paid off. “The Vagina Monologues” earned the Best Invited Production award. Evans, with scene partner Eve, won second place for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. And Beatrice was named the National Alliance Acting Teacher of Excellence. She will attend the National Alliance of Acting Teachers’ Conference at The Juilliard School in June with winners from the other seven regions.

These honors continue a long history of strong showings from Northern Essex at the Festival. “Hurricane Diane” was a Region 1 finalist in 2025. The show, its cast, crew, and Beatrice were then selected for a series of national awards from the ACTF. At the ceremony that spring in Washington, D.C., they took home 13 awards total, the most of any college, including many four-year private schools.

Beatrice will be notified in March if the play wins any national Festival honors. In the meantime, they’re staging a two-night-only revival of “The Vagina Monologues” at NECC.

Show times:

Saturday, February 7th at 7:00 pm
Sunday, February 8th at 2:00 pm

Tickets are available in advance here. A limited number of cash tickets will be available at the door at the Chester H. Hawrylciw Theater, located in the Spurk (C) Building on the Haverhill Campus.

Northern Essex offers a variety of theater and acting courses. Additionally, they stage several full productions and readings throughout the year. Anyone interested in learning more about NECC Theater or the audition process should email Professor Beatrice at bbeatrice@necc.mass.edu.

The American College Theater Festival is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide, which has served as a catalyst for improving the quality of college theater in the United States. More than 600 academic institutions participate in state, regional, and national American College Theater Festivals.