Twink Lynch Award

2024 Honorees

The Mass Arts Center
Mansfield, Massachusetts

The Mass Arts Center provides a cultural home for artists, audiences, and aspiring performers of all ages. At its core is a rich schedule of theatre productions, performing arts education, art exhibits, and live entertainment. Beginning as a small company in 1993, today it includes the newly renovated 100-seat house of the Reservoir Stage, the Morini Art Gallery, and The Academy at Mass Arts, all housed in a large facility it acquired in 2020. The Center strives to present events that reflect and educate the broad nature of the surrounding communities.  The result is a wide array of education, programs, performances, and other opportunities for patrons from as far north as New Hampshire and as far south as Rhode Island and Cape Cod. Audiences know they will see exceptional productions on the Reservoir Stage at a fraction of the cost of a ticket in Boston or Providence. Programs are also supported with grants from Massachusetts Tourism, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and local cultural councils.

Studio 1
Burlington, North Carolina

A performing arts center located in Burlington’s Holly Hill Mall, Studio 1 takes pride in creating a culture built on encouragement, inclusion, and acceptance. Its intimate 100-seat black box theatre focuses on thought-provoking content and an immersive theatre experience, in tandem with transformative, performing arts education. The company has worked diligently to learn about its community and how it can partner, support, and reflect all those who live there. This has led to ASL Shadowed productions, free tickets for recently incarcerated women, and sensory-sensitive performances,  among other initiatives.  This mission-driven approach is indicative of the company’s philosophy that theatre is about coming together to create something larger than ourselves, and not just on stage. In the words of the theatre’s  Vision Statement, “Through the performing arts, we grow and stretch our own abilities. Taking risks in the classroom and on stage makes us better people. Through mentorship and collaboration, we give our community permission to take those risks.”

Previous Recipients

2023   Beaumont Community Players (Beaumont, TX)
            The Kettle Moraine Players (Slinger, WI)
            Market House Theatre (Paducah, KY)
2022   Stage Left Theater (Spokane, WA)
2021   Prescott Center for the Arts (Prescott, AZ)
2020   Shawnee Little Theatre (Shaw­nee, OK)
2019   Alton Little Theater (Alton, IL)
2018   Hale Center Theatre (Sandy, UT)
2017   Encore Stage & Studio, Inc (Arlington, VA)
           Theatre Lawrence (Lawrence, KS)
2016   Lincoln Community Playhouse (Lincoln, NE)
2015   Theatre Tulsa (Tulsa, OK)
2014   Aviano CommunityTheater, Aviano Air Base (Aviano, Italy)
           Mesa Encore Theatre (Mesa AZ)
           Tupelo Community Theatre (Tupelo, MS)
2013   Salina Community Theatre (Salina, KS)
2012   Amelia Community Theatre (Fernandina Beach, FL)
            Family Arts Center (Houston, TX)
            Manatee Players (Bradenton, FL)

2011  Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre (North Dakota-Minnesota)
          Theatre Memphis (Memphis, TN)
2010  Twin City Stage (Winston-Salem, NC)
2009  Venice Theatre (Venice, FL)
2008  SHAPE Performing Arts Center,  
           Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers
           Europe (Belgium)
2007  Stuttgart Theatre Center, Germany
2006  Chattanooga Theatre Centre
2005  Bay City Players (MI)
2004  Albuquerque Little Theatre (NM)
2003  Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy (KS)
           Quincy Community Theatre (IL)

Twink Lynch

This award is named in honor of Twink Lynch, who devoted her life to community theatre and to serving as a mentor to both individuals and community theatres across the country. She helped shepherd the national organization's transition from American Community Theatre Association (ACTA) to AACT, served on the Board for six years, including a term as President and VP of Education and on AACT committees for an additional 19 years. Twink managed Topeka (KS) Civic Theatre for many years, retired, then came back during hard times and guided the theatre back to a stable organization. Her passion was such that she earned three degrees in theatre; it is said, she is the only person to earn a Ph.D. in Community Theatre Management. Twink shared her knowledge and experience through consulting and through her "Spotlight on Boards" column in AACT's newsletter, which she wrote for 14 years. In 2000, she edited her columns into a book, Boards in the Spotlight, the proceeds of which benefit AACT. Her book still educates those who are managing and governing community theatres.