SB ART & CULTURE
BPCC Chancellor Dr. Rick Bateman Jr. presents KCACTF Region 6 Gold Medallion award to Dr. Ray Scott Crawford. Photo: BPCC
DR. RAY SCOTT CRAWFORD: BRINGING HOME THE GOLD
A
s we close the book on another exciting Olympics, we applaud our fellow Americans who brought home medals. Think of the hours these athletes must spend training and honing their skills for competition. Making it to the Olympics is a proud moment and bringing home the gold is the highpoint of their career. Here in Shreveport-Bossier City, we have a gold medalist— and although he is not exactly an athlete, one could draw a parallel between what he does and that of a trained athlete. The similarities will amaze you. Bossier Parish Community College Dean of Communication and Performing Arts, Dr. Ray Scott Crawford, has been awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Gold Medallion for Region VI during the 54th Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). Crawford found out about the award through an email and the timing could not have been more perfect. After performing the National Anthem at one of the Mardi Gras Bals, Crawford, all alone in his vehicle, happened to check his phone, and there it was: the notification that he would be the recipient of this honor. “I was coming home from a Shreveport Mardi Gras event where at least a dozen of my present and former theatre students had worked as designers, technicians, and talent. I received the
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MARCH 2022
| SBMAG.NET
BY SEVA MAY
email announcing the award. I was happy and surprised for the honor, but mostly I was reminded of the wonderful opportunities that BPCC theatre and KCACTF have provided for our students,” Crawford recalls. This is the highest award the festival gives and is considered a great honor in theatre education. Region VI covers Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Each year, the eight KCACTF regions honor individuals or organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to the teaching and producing of theatre and who have significantly dedicated their time, artistry, and enthusiasm to the development of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. With theatre degrees from Louisiana Tech and Texas Tech University, and a dozen years of professional work in and around the Chicago area, Crawford has taught theatre performance, directing, management, and applied voice at BPCC for almost 24 years. He helped establish the Associate of Arts degree in Theatre, along with Stephen W. Slaughter, shortly upon his arrival at the school. The degree continues as the AA in Performing Arts (with concentrations in Theatre and Music) as the only two-year theatre degree offered in the state. He was promoted to dean of Communication and Performing Arts in 2012 but has continued teaching and directing plays and musicals for the school all during his tenure. For KCACTF, Crawford has served as a regional respondent, traveling to Arkansas, Texas, and within Louisiana to evaluate and respond to other college and university theatre productions hoping to be considered for presentation at the regional festi-
