Mort Clark Award

2024 Honoree

Theatre33
Bellevue, Washington

Theatre33 is a bilingual non-profit community teaching theatre, currently celebrating its 10th anniversary season. From contemporary plays to beloved classics, Theatre33 strives to challenge its volunteers and audience to tackle the complex matrix of human relationships. As a teaching theatre, it offers youth and adult drama classes throughout the academic year. Its special focus is providing a platform for transplanted immigrants and next-generation Americans to retain and maintain a connection to their history, literature, and language. They then share their rich cultural heritage with the community at large. Theatre33 incorporated in 2013, playing in living rooms and venues around the Seattle area for the first few years. In 2016, it leased its own 35-seat black box theatre, and in 2023, moved into its new performing arts facility in the heart of the BelRed Arts District. It offers new productions every month, with shows running almost every weekend September to July, plus free community events.

Previous Recipients

2022  Dr. Roger Ellis (Grand Rapids, MI)
2021  Annette Procunier (Ontario, Canada)
2020  Tim Jebsen (Midland, Texas)
2019  Murray and Lori Chase (Venice, Florida)
2018  Frank Peot (Sun Prairie, Wisconsin)
2017  Brid McBride* (Dundalk, Ireland)
2016  Eva Moore (Ontario, Canada)
2014  Kathie Maldonado (Alto, NM)
2013  L. Ross Rowland* (Muncie, IN)
2013  John Viars & Des Moines Playhouse (Des Moines, IA)
2009  Jim Sohre (Army Europe Command Entertainment)  
2008  The Cellario Family (Monaco)
2007  Hiroshi Koizumi (Japan)

          * Deceased

Mort Clark

This award is named in honor of Mort Clark, who began a 30-year career teaching Theatre and Speech at Westchester Community College in 1966. He served as department chair for a number of years and was instrumental in the design of the new theatre in the Academic Arts Building. But he is perhaps best remembered for establishing an annual International Theatre Festival, which brought community theatre groups from all over the world to the Valhalla campus for a week of non-stop dramatic performances.

He served as president of the American Community Theatre Association (AACT's predecessor) and later served many years on the AACT Board as the Region II Rep. He was always there to greet new board members and make them feel welcome. He was honored by AACT with the David C. Bryant Outstanding Service Award, the Art Cole Award, and designation as an AACT Fellow. He adjudicated festivals throughout the country.

His passion for community theatre took him all over the world and earned him scores of awards, honorary titles and degrees too numerous to mention.  He was a familiar presence at AACT meetings, festivals and conventions for many years. In 1993 Mort traveled to Monaco to be knighted by Princess Caroline on behalf of her father, prince Rainier. He was awarded the Chevalier Medal of Culture at Monaco's Princess Grace Theatre, and was thereafter entitled to be addressed as “Sir Mortimer”--an honor that delighted him thoroughly. Mort retired from Westchester Community College in 1997, and that year he made over 40 trips to teach and work with theatre groups around the world. He continued to travel and work until his death in 2007 at age 78.