Carolyn Reed Award - Acting

The Carolyn Reed Award was established in 1984 by The Theatre Arts Department and is given to the Best Actress.

Carolyn Reed was San José State’s finest actress while she was here in the late 1950’s and early 60’s. She displayed her brilliance in such diverse roles as Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer, Margo Channing in All About Eve, Belissa in Garcia Lorca’s Love of Don Perlimplin, Mrs. Smith in Ionesco’s Bald Soprano, and particularly, her triumph as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet—a performance heralded by critics and public alike as "astonishing in its subtlety and power, a deeply moving theatrical experience, vastly surpassing any expectations on the professional stage, a Juliet to be compared favorably with the great ones of history."

Past Recipients

2015 Jennifer Hernandez
2014 Jessica Luc
2013 Liz Bilson
2012 Claire Hein
2012 Sheryl Sims
2011 Vanessa Alvarez
2010 Cristal Gonzales
2009 Elizabeth O'Hara
2008 Caitlin Dissinger
2007 Cecily Ryan
2006 Abby Wittmayer
2005 Megan Yenchik
2005 Mandy Manousos
2004 Lauren Plaxco
2003 Melissa Navarro
2003 Sandy Ziviani
2002 Sandy Ziviani
2001 Charisse Loriaux
2000 Lillian Small
1998 Kathleen Dobbs
1995 Stacy Stafford
1994 Whitney Pintello
1993 Rachael Haws