On May 29, Ryan Shanahan ’22 took home the top prize in Dramatic Performance at the NCFL Grand National Tournament in Washington D.C. In a highly competitive field of his peers, composed of the top dramatic speakers in the United States, Shanahan was awarded first place after two days and many rounds of performances.

In the Dramatic Performance category, students stage an interpretive rendition of any previously published work of fiction or nonfiction, which may span from prose writing to screenplays. In his remarkable run at this year’s tournament, Shanahan performed a fictitious monologue by Tennessee Williams excerpted from Charlotte Chandler and Ray Stricklyn’s Confessions of a Nightingale.

For Shanahan, the achievement marked a gratifying culmination to four years on the Hearn, a significant portion of which was restricted to virtual competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I'm tremendously grateful to have received this recognition, especially at my first in-person tournament in over two years,” Shanahan said. “Getting to share and celebrate this news with Coach and my teammates was really, really special. A great way to close out four incredible years with the Hearn!"

As a senior at Regis, Shanahan served as the Hearn’s speech Co-President. This coming fall, he will be enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he plans to study acting.