Annabelle Gauthier, a senior at CSU majoring in psychology and theatre with a projection design and technology concentration, competed in the United States Institute for Theatre and Technology, Inc.’s 2025 Young Designers, Managers and Technicians awards and won the USITT Stage Management Award.

The USITT states on its website that its mission “connects performing arts design and technology communities to ensure a vibrant dialog among practitioners, educators and students.”

The YDMT awards are a way for USITT to “bring recognition and support to young designers, managers, and technicians at the beginning of their careers.” 

This competition is very competitive and a huge accomplishment for an undergraduate student, as many graduate students and professionals apply to it each year.

“Those that attend the conference are professionals in the field and students — so those that are the upcoming portion — and the award is basically honoring (the) development of skills, like professional potential and accomplishment in stage management students,” Gauthier said.

Gauthier explained the process that she took to be a part of this competition: applying with a resume, a personal statement, two letters of recommendation and eight plates of work. 

The only other recommended but not mandatory step in the process for this award is attending the USITT conference, which was held March 6 in Columbus, Ohio. At this conference, there were different workshops and training sessions that the attendees could test out, and the awards ceremony was also held.

Out of the eight plates that Gauthier presented in her application process, “Spelling Bee” was one of her favorites, as it was the first musical she had ever done and the first time she had ever stage-managed.

“I was surprised because I didn’t think that I would win, but it was an honor to be recognized for my work and reassuring to know that the people who have told me that they have confidence in me aren’t the only ones.” -Annabelle Gauthier, 2025 USITT Stage Management Award winner

“The one moment where I realized that she got it was … when she was calling ‘Spelling Bee‘ — watching her problem solve while getting kind of bombarded with problems from different directions and just very calmly going through each problem,” said Matt Grevan, theater instructor and production stage manager at CSU.  “Making sure each person knew they were heard was the moment where I knew it clicked and she got it.”

Gauthier expressed her thanks to her mentor, Grevan.

“Matt was the one who suggested that I should apply for the award, and he inspired me a lot by pushing me to do it and telling me that I have a good chance of winning,” Gauthier said.

When asked what winning the award meant personally for Gauthier, she said she was honored to be acknowledged at that level.

“I was surprised because I didn’t think that I would win, but it was an honor to be recognized for my work and reassuring to know that the people who have told me that they have confidence in me aren’t the only ones,” Gauthier said.

Similarly, Grevan expressed how proud he was of Gauthier. 

“(Her) hard work and (her) constant digging into trying to get better than (she was) yesterday paid off,” Grevan said.

Gauthier winning the USITT award makes this the second year in a row that a CSU undergraduate student has won.

“It’s not surprising to have two wins back to back, but it kind of feels like we’re David, where it is kind of the little small school that has come forward, and it’s unexpected but a nice surprise,” Grevan said.

Grevan noted what an honor it has been to work with Gauthier over the last four years. Gauthier is a humble and grounded person by character, and Grevan has been able to watch her grow over that period of time.  

“It is like working with someone who is incredibly skilled but also just the most humble,” Grevan said.

In turn, Gauthier recommended a piece of advice for those looking into applying for the award next year.

“Record what kind of goals you have set for yourself and whether you met them or not because it can really help with reflecting on what you did well or what you did poorly on,” Gauthier said. “I think a lot of what the award is celebrating is problem-solving and adaptability and your outlook on the job. So I think that it is good to have that kind of understanding of yourself through the process.”

To learn more about Gauthier’s work, visit CSU Theatre’s webpage.

Reach Madalyn Riess at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.