Dori Bryan-Ployer honored with two awards from Kennedy Center
July 10, 2025
DORI BRYAN-PLOYER HONORED WITH TWO NATIONAL AWARDS BY KENNEDY CENTER AMERICAN COLLEGE THEATER FESTIVAL
MANSFIELD, Mass. ─ Dori Bryan-Ployer, the Mass Arts Center’s Education and Artistic Director, has been honored with two prestigious awards by The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) for her work on the musical “Alice by Heart.”
Bryan-Ployer choreographed “Alice by Heart” at Middlesex Community College, collaborating with her colleague Karen Oster, who directed the production. Bryan-Ployer received two awards: one for Distinguished Choreography or Movement Direction and another for Distinguished Intimacy Choreography or Fight Direction.
The spring performance was adjudicated by a Kennedy Center respondent, and shortly after, the production was invited to perform at the 2025 theater festival. The production was generously awarded, including recognition in direction and design.
“‘Alice by Heart’ was an inspiring piece to choreograph,” Bryan-Ployer said. “Challenging, humbling, and ultimately rewarding; the actors used their bodies as key storytelling instruments. Dance built on athleticism, emotional vulnerability, and ensemble expression pushed all of us to a level of performance we were excited to execute. Having the opportunity to share at the festival was an unexpected thrill.”
“Alice by Heart” follows the journey of Alice Spencer and her friend Alfred inside a subway station during WWII. Alfred is dying of tuberculosis, and in an effort to restore his joy and resilience, Alice begins to re-enact “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” a story they have both adored since childhood. Like a fragmented dream, Alice’s adventures occasionally differ from the story we all know and love; they darken at times to better match the grave circumstances Alice, Alfred, and their bunker mates face. Ultimately hopeful, “Alice by Heart,” by Steven Sater, Jessie Nelson, and Duncan Sheik, reminds us of the importance of friendship, innocence, and imagination, especially as countermeasures against fear, adversity, and grief.
The KCACTF hosted over 120 outstanding theater students at its annual festival from April 15–19, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The national awards recognized exemplary work from productions and individual student artists from colleges and universities nationwide. These awards celebrate outstanding achievement in categories such as overall production, direction, choreography, design, performance, and devising, acknowledging productions and individuals from the eight regional conferences.
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The Mass Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that runs the Reservoir Stage, the Morini Gallery, and the Academy at Mass Arts, providing a wide array of artistic programs, performances, and opportunities for aspiring and experienced performers, artists, and patrons from across the region. The Mass Arts Center benefits 40 towns in southeastern Massachusetts and accepts gifts of land, stocks and vehicles to support its programs. Programs are supported with grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the MCC Facilities Fund and the Local Cultural Councils of Mansfield, Attleboro, Foxborough, North Attleborough, Norton, and Sharon.
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