2020 Honorees
Kristi Gautsche (Hillsdale, Michigan) has been involved with Hillsdale Community Theatre (The Sauk) since 1983, when she began accompanying rehearsals and productions. In 1991, she served as musical director for the first time, and since then has been responsible for the musical direction of almost all of the Sauk’s musical productions. Kristi has served on the theatre’s Board of Directors multiple times, and has been the chair of the theatre’s play selection committee for the past three seasons. She has been named Hillsdale County Artist of the Year, and given the Hillsdale Exchange Club’s Book of Golden Deeds Award, for which she received two special tributes from the state of Michigan. “For me, being involved with community theatre has been a privilege,” she says. “I not only get to work in an art form I love, but I get to do it with a group of people who are multi-generational, from different cultures and lifestyles and who come together as family.”
Steven Helsel (Altoona, Pennsylvania) was for 31 years, until his death in 2018, Altoona Community Theatre’s “Mister ACT,” playing a number of roles. “From Box Office Manager to full-time Operations Manager, to flagship Executive Director, to the most beloved artist in our troupe, Steve carried us,” says the nomination. “Beyond our organization, he provided leadership and outstanding service to the local arts community, going far above and beyond his job description—making sure that ACT had a presence at the Blair County Arts Festival, the Altoona Curve, and the Mishler’s Family Theatre season.” Statewide, Steve was instrumental in building the Pennsylvania Association of Community Theatres. and was the driving force behind ACT’s presence at the state and ESTA regional theatre festivals. He was also responsible for bringing a piece of Altoona to the Third Yakumo International Theatre Festival in Japan in 2007. “Thousands admired his talents and creativity, his generosity of spirit, his work ethic, his integrity, and his ineffable presence and humor,” say those who nominated Steven.
Pamela Livingstone (Hickory, North Carolina) has worked as an actor, writer, teacher, and director in professional theatre, but found community theatre the place she calls home. During her time as the ‘artistic vision’ of Hickory Community Theatre (HCT), she created the RugBug Theatre and Hickory Community Theatre Endowment fund, and survived an extensive theatre remodeling. Because of her longtime passion for both new works and classic theater, new plays and Shakespeare are now regular offerings on the HCT stage. Pamela will be retiring after 20 years with HCT, noting that “Twenty years ago, there were virtually no people of color entering the theatre. Any script that wasn’t absolutely safe was not really considered, and our building was essentially the same configuration it was since it was built in 1921. Today we have a broad diversity of people participating at all levels, an incredibly wide variety of shows presented, and a renovated building that supports our needs and those of our audiences. We keep persisting because we know that theatre changes lives when nothing else can.”
|
1979 Norman Carver* (Kalamazoo, MI)
1980 Douglas Cook (University Park, PA)
1981 Henry Fonda* (Omaha, NE)
1982 David Gooder* (Downers Grove, IL)
1983 Bea Miller* (Memphis, TN)
1984 Alaska State Community Theatre
Association
1985 National Multicultural Theatre Association
of Canada
1987 Twink Lynch (Topeka, KS)
1988 Kalamazoo Civic Players (MI)
1989 Charles Jones* (Omaha, NE)
1990 Hiroshi Koizumi (Toyama City, Japan)
1991 Target Stores
1992 Paul Ebert (Oak Ridge, TN)
1993 Jon Kerkhoff (Omaha, NE)
1994 Theatre Midland (TX)
1995 Sherwood Lohrey* &
Theatre Memphis (TN)
1996 Steve Spiegel & Music Theatre
International (New York, NY)
1997 William Talbot (New York, NY)
1998 Stage Directions Magazine
1999 David Young (Gainesville, FL)
2000 Charles Jeffers* (Hickory, NC)
2001 Jim Sohre (US Army, Europe)
2002 Enid Holm* (Odessa, TX)
Harv Thompson (Madison, WI)
2003 Ohio Community Theatre Association
2004 Shirley Cockrell (Oneida, NY)
Hap Ryder* (Fairbanks, AK)
Pat White (Amherst, NH)
|
2005 Jerry Zimmerman (Ft Jennings, OH)
2006 John Rich (Pullman, WA)
2007 Morrie Enders (Kalamazoo, MI)
2008 Jim Buckley (Cambria, CA)
2009 Bonnie Daniels (US Army)
Andre Bruce Ward (Memphis, TN)
2010 Penelope Notter (Grand Rapids, MI)
2011 April Cochran (Paducah, KY)
Ginny Morrison (Seville, OH)
2012 Dennis Assaf & Jefferson Performing
Arts Society (Metairie, LA)
Linda McClane (Fernandina Beach, FL)
2013 Anthony Del Rosso
& Gwendolyn Whitney
(SHAPE Perf. Arts Centre NATO Base)
Carolyn Pitman (Whitefish, MT)
2014 Melanie Cornelison (Ashland, KY)
Lisa Garza (Houston, TX)
SCERA Center for the Arts (Orem, UT)
2015 Aubrey Dunne* (San Diego, CA)
2015 Oklahoma Community Theatre Association (OCTA)
2016 Jim Chervenka (Grand Rapids, MI)
Celia Couture (Tewksbury, MA)
Loween Getter (Webster City, IA)
2017 Alan Buxkemper (Stuttgart, Germany)
Dr. Alan D. Kaplan (Manchester, New Hampshire)
André Bruce Ward (Moscow, Tennessee)
Tacoma Musical Playhouse (Tacoma, Washington)
2018 Andrea Campfield (Sand Springs, Oklahoma)
Gai Jones (Ojai, California)
Dan LaMorte, U.S. Army IMCOM Europe
Mons, Belgium
2019 Debbie Litch (Memphis, Tennessee)
Volunteer Costume & Set Design Staff
of US Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM)
Europe Entertainment (Ansbach, Germany)
* Deceased
|