Distinguished Merit Award

Beth Domann (Springfield, Missouri) has served as Executive Director of Springfield Little Theatre for more than 30 years, guiding the organization’s growth from a small community troupe into a financially stable, multi-million-dollar regional leader in the arts.

A dedicated advocate for arts access and education, Domann has secured significant public support, expanded programming, and strengthened partnerships throughout the community. Her leadership has helped position Springfield Little Theatre as a cornerstone of the region’s cultural landscape.

Domann is widely respected as a trusted civic leader and a champion for the role of the arts in building vibrant communities. Through her vision and sustained commitment, she has helped ensure that community theatre continues to thrive as both an artistic and educational resource.

Melinda Pallotta (Woodland, Washington) is the owner and artistic director of Love Street Playhouse, a community theatre she founded in 2007. What began as a small, grassroots effort has grown into a thriving and highly engaged arts organization serving a community of approximately 6,000 residents.

Launching the theatre in a renovated 1940 church building with limited resources, Pallotta built Love Street Playhouse from the ground up with the support of dedicated volunteers and community members. Over nearly two decades, the organization has grown significantly, developing a loyal patron base of more than 3,800 and consistently selling out productions.

At the core of Pallotta’s work is a deep belief in the power of community. Through collaboration with local actors, designers, directors, playwrights, volunteers, and supporters, Love Street Playhouse has fostered a culture of shared purpose, generosity, and creative engagement.

Martha Cherbini and Louis Wagner (Tulsa, Oklahoma) have made lasting contributions to community theatre through leadership, artistic excellence, mentorship, and philanthropy.

Cherbini has been involved in community theatre since 1999, beginning in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where she quickly became engaged in both the artistic and administrative sides of theatre. Her work led to service on the Board of Directors of her local theatre, as well as involvement with the Oklahoma Community Theatre Association (OCTA) and AACT. She became a trained adjudicator in 2019.

As a director, Cherbini achieved national and international recognition when her 2011 production of The Gin Game advanced to the AACT National Festival in Rochester, New York, and was subsequently invited to perform at international festivals in Liverpool and Mont-Laurier, Canada.

Wagner brings decades of dedication to community theatre, with early involvement at Angelina Community Theater in Lufkin, Texas from 1975 to 1985. Since 2002, he has worked extensively as a set builder for productions at Muskogee Little Theatre and other venues in the Tulsa area.

Together, Cherbini and Wagner have traveled widely to attend theatre festivals across the United States and Canada, including consistent participation in international festivals in Liverpool since 2012. Their shared passion for community theatre has extended beyond artistic contributions, with Wagner donating more than $125,000 to community theatres and organizations supporting the arts across multiple states.