USF Theatre Wins Big at the Sioux Falls Stage Awards

By: Josh Werre

The USF Theatre Department made its mark at the Sioux Falls Stage Awards this past July, beating out Augustana University for both of the awards that the colleges were nominated for. 

Those unfamiliar with the Sioux Falls Stage Awards can think of them as something akin to the Tony Awards– but for Sioux Falls. Local theatre companies, performers, and technicians are nominated each June for their work from the past year. A month later, the community comes together to celebrate these nominees and see which individuals will take home the awards.

USF and Auggie go head-to-head every year in the Stage Awards’ collegiate categories which include Best Play or Musical and Best Performer in a Play or Musical. USF’s spring production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” was awarded Best Play. Sam Martin, who portrayed the show’s lead character, received Best Performer.

Martin, now a senior Media Studies major and Theatre Studies minor, never thought he would win the award. “I just thought for sure it was going to be someone from Auggie,” he says. “It was kind of an out-of-body experience… it’s definitely a highlight of my time here at USF.”

As an individual who was diagnosed with autism when he was 18-months-old, winning Best Performer was more than just a highlight for Martin. “[D]octors told my parents I probably wouldn’t be able to talk or tell them that I love them, let alone do anything that got me to that moment when I was nominated,” he says.

Although not explicitly stated in “Curious”, the character that Martin played, Christopher Boone, appears to fall somewhere on the spectrum of high functioning autism. Having the opportunity to bring this character to life on stage made for an extra meaningful experience. “It [the award] means that just like Christopher in the play, I can do whatever I set my mind to,” Martin says. “And anyone else who is neurodivergent can do the same.”

The next Sioux Falls Stage Awards are set to take place in July 2023. Whether or not USF can keep up their winning streak against Auggie is something only time can tell. And perhaps audiences will get to see Martin make a return as one of the nominees.