Outstanding Service Award
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2022 Honoree
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Previous Recipients
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| 2021 Donna Fisher (Casper, WY) 2020 Norm McPhee (Racine, WI) 2019 Bayless Eugene Irby (Artesia, NM) 2018 Jerry Brees (U.S. Army IMCOM Europe Entertainment, Italy) Michael Spicer (Salina, KS) Lynn Nelson (Tupelo, MS) 2017 Joan Luther (Naples, New York) Jon Douglas Rake (Tacoma, Washington) 2016 Tom Cordingley (Helena, MT) Zada & Earl Jahnsen (Bulverde, TX) 2015 Victoria Hanrahan (Ansbach, Germany) 2015 Lou Vander Have (Grand Rapids, MI) 2014 Harriet Friedman (Waltham, MA) Dotti Peek* (New Palestine, IN) 2013 Christi Thomas (Sidney, OH) 2012 Paul Nelson (Olean, NY) Ron Paoletti* (US Army, Europe) 2011 Dennis Gilmore (Athens, TX) 2010 Dwight Martin (Honolulu, HI) 2009 Dane Winters (US Army, Heidelberg) 2008 Vanita Rae Smith (Honolulu, HI) 2007 David Allen (Memphis, TN) Nick Credgington (Fort Belvoir, VA) Ginger Heath (Charlotte, NC) 2006 Steve Walpert (Fort Gordon, GA) 2005 Norm Small (Winter Haven, FL) 2004 Eleanor Smith (Columbus, OH) |
2003 Dawn Enders* (La Crosse, WI) 2002 Ginny Winsor (Omaha, NE) 2001 Jeanne Stein* (Los Alamos, NM) 2000 Bill Razo (Hobbs, NM) 1999 Jerry Paquette (US Army) 1998 Donna Norberg (Minneapolis, MN) 1997 JoAnne Nissen (Racine, WI) 1996 John Viars (Des Moines, IA) 1995 John Wills* (Spokane, WA) 1994 Charles Chesnut* (Chappaqua, NY) 1993 Sandra Karnack (Minot, ND) 1992 L. Newell Tarrant* (Raleigh, NC) 1991 Shirley Harbin* (Detroit, MI) 1990 Bea Miller* (Mempis, TN) 2019 Bayless Eugene Irby, Artesia, NM 1989 Al* & Elise King (Clinton, IA) 1988 Mort Clark* (North White Plains, NY) 1987 David Gooder* (Downers Grove, IL) 1985 Twink Lynch (Topeka, KS) 1984 Kay Fliehr* (Edina, MN) 1983 Betty Tomlinson* (Spokane, WA) 1982 Robert Plumb* (Broken Arrow, OK) 1981 Jeanne Adams Wray* (Stillwater, OK) 1980 John Wray Young* (Shreveport, LA) 1979 Art Cole* (Midland, TX) 1978 Robert E. Gard* (Madison, WI) * Deceased |
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Susan Harrington (Roslindale, Massachusetts) holds multiple degrees in Early Childhood Education and has been involved in community theatre for over 40 years. Currently serving as the Board Secretary for the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres, she has also served as the EMACT representative to NETC and AACT. She is a member of EMACT’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, and works diligently to promote diversity, equity and accessibility for Eastern Massachusetts theatre groups. Susan is also actively involved with the Arlington Friends of Drama, The Lexington Players, The Hovey Players and The Footlight Club, and serves as a Distinguished Achievement and Special Honors consultant, assisting companies through evaluation and education. As a state festival team member, she provides a unique level of expertise, freely sharing her knowledge and working tirelessly to ensure that groups in eastern Massachusetts have the tools they need to achieve success.
The David C. Bryant Outstanding Service Award was established in 1978 to honor one of the original founders and the third President (1965-68) of ACTA (later AACT). Dave was the Artistic Director of the Sheboygan (WI) Community Players from 1957 until his death in 1971. Under his influence in Sheboygan, according to its 50th anniversary book, "more people were involved onstage, backstage and in the audience. There was a marked liveliness to the theatrical fare. Even the printed playbills of the period reflect creativity, individuality and a sense of panache." Dave instituted the production of a musical every year and was instrumental in the design of their new thrust stage in order to provide "closer visual, auditory and emotional contact with the actors." His influence in Sheboygan was so powerful that when a new Artistic Director joined the staff in 1981, 10 years after Dave's untimely death, "Dave was all I heard about, even though there were four Directors of Theatre between us."
