Ohio Educational Theatre Association
Gloria McIntyre, Chapter Director
an affiliated chapter of the Educational Theatre Association
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an affiliated chapter of the Educational Theatre Association
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1997 Charter Inductees  1998 Inductees
1999 Inductees
2000 Inductees
2001 Inductees
2002 Inductees
2003 Inductees
2004 Inductees
2005 Inductees
2006 Inductees
2007 Inductees
2008 Inductee
Biographies Jane S. Armitage recently retired as a long time theatre faculty member at Oberlin College where she served as Chair of the Theater and Dance Program. She has been active with Thespians for many years, beginning with Troupe 100 in Charleston, West Virginia. Jane served a three year term on the EdTA board, where she was chair of teacher development. Perhaps most visible to EdTA members are Armitage's many contributions to the International Thespian Festival. She founded and directed the scholarship program for student delegates and college representatives; she adjudicated shows under mainstage consideration; she directed two memorable All-Ohio productions for mainstage, The Crucible and Strider; she has taught a number of workshops for teachers and helped launch the Thespian Playworks program in memory of Doug Finney. Most recently she co-directed the California All State Thespian Play with Marie Glotzbach, long active in Ohio Thespians. Armitage has traveled as an official EdTA delegate to the People's Republic of China in l996. She was awarded the Educational Theatre Association's Founders Award in l986 and was inducted into the EdTA Hall of Fame in l995. Dale was a teacher and Thespian sponsor for 28 years at North College Hill in Cincinnati where he taught English, speech and drama. He took over Thespian Troupe 269 which had been started by Ron Longstreth. He received his degree from Anderson College in Anderson, Indiana, and worked on his masters at the University of Cincinnati. He served as Ohio State Thespian Director (with a board of three other people) for two years and hosted one of the first real Thespian State Conferences at Westerville South High School. He was promoted to Regional Director for Ohio and West Virginia and hosted the first Regional Conference at North College Hill. He served in this capacity for two years after which the International decided to do away with regional directors. He and a director from Illinois managed the boutique at Muncie for over twenty years and he served as the co-sponsor for all the evening International Hospitality nights at Muncie, which are no more. In 1982, he started Banks Floral and Theatrical Gifts which he still operates today from Clarksville, Washington. He still travels his boutique to the Washington and Oregon State Thespian Conferences. Dale Banks retired from teaching in 1985. He spent his entire teaching career serving Thespian students and sponsors. Michael F. Barile has served as assistant technical director and then technical director/director of stage crafts at Strongsville High School since 1986. He was instrumental in SHS's first trip to Conference in 1988. He has continually supported the activities of Thespians in Ohio without any compensation. He has transported stranded troupes who wished to return to the hotel before the shuttle bus service. He has rounded up and transported students whose sponsor was attending a hospitalized student. He has transported workshop presenters to and from the airport sometimes as far as 55 miles away/one way. He has loaned and transported set/prop pieces to schools who have asked to borrow SHS set pieces. During the former Chapter Director's five year term, he always attended to the SHS students so she could fulfill her role as CD for the state. He has attended every State Conference since 1990 (even without the sponsor who was hospitalized one year). He has attended area conferences and even screened one-acts when asked. He truly supports Ohio Thespians and is most deserving of this honor as an inductee into the Ohio Chapter of EdTA's Hall of Fame. Joe Belcuore Joe Belcuore first became involved with Ohio Thespians when the high school that his children attended was chosen as the host school for State Conference in 1995. He was a member of the parent booster group and was instrumental in making many of the site arrangements, especially physical site arrangements such as parking and load –ins and load-outs for performing schools. Joe then joined the board and took on the responsibility for site arrangements including transportation and security at the various State Conference sites throughout the state. He has continued to participate long after his own children have graduated from the school system. He willingly took his vacation annually so he could attend International Festival and chaperone all students from the Cincinnati area who wished to attend. He often could be seen shuttling kids to the airport along with All-Ohio show personnel. His dedication to Ohio Thespians, long after his parental ties to the school ended, is a testament to his dedication to theatre in Ohio. Sandy Belcuore first became involved with Ohio Thespians when the high school that her children attended was chosen as the host school for State Conference in 1995. She was a member of the parent booster group and was instrumental in making many of the site arrangements, especially meals. Sandy then joined the board and as school personnel changed, she became the sponsor. As Junior Thespians became a possibility for younger students, she chartered a junior troupe in the same school district. She was part of the planning committee for Ohio’s first Junior Thespian State Conference and has continued to participate long after her own children have graduated from the school system. She has assisted with hospitality rooms at various State Conference sites, and advised the State Student Officers for several years. She willingly attended and was the official chaperone for students from the Cincinnati area traveling to Lincoln for many years. Her dedication to Ohio Thespians, long after her parental ties to the school ended, is a testament to her dedication to theatre in Ohio. Parents, spouses, and other family members often play a large role in the activities of Thespian members and Thespian sponsors. It was from his family's involvement in a high school Thespian troupe that businessman, husband, and father, Dick Breneman, became a vital and forward moving influence on the Ohio ETA and Thespian State Board. When his two children were students in Newcomerstown and his artist wife Pat helped out with tech for the high school, it seemed natural that Dick, who was involved in theatre as a college student, would help out backstage too. Eventually, Newcomerstown Thespian sponsor and State Board member, Ron Little, recruited Dick to go as a parent to the State Conference at Beavercreek. By the following year, he was helping Ron run the Boutique at the first State Conference held at Ashland. At the Conference at Princeton in 1988 he worked again with Ron on food service. There, and again at Ashland in 1989, he started helping Mike and Herb Sprowls with computerizing registration and providing us with an on-site computer. The next year he was asked by Nancy Sprowls to serve on the 1989-90 Board as a businessman and a non-teaching member, a position that International recommended all states initiate on their Boards. His background in working with computer companies gave Ohio ETA and Thespians the technical skills and information needed to keep up with the growth of the organization. As a Board member, he worked actively in the area of Registration, gradually computerizing all our registration processes and forms, helping with officially printing our Constitution, By-Laws, Policy Sheet, and other documents using his own computer equipment. Eventually, he totally took over the complete pre-registration and on-site process for the Conference. He worked with Board member Steve Schauer to establish a calm, cool, and well-organized registration desk. His expertise moved us from "the early computer era of Apple 2e's and typewriters" into the present state-of-the-art computer age. Currently, Dick is with a small computer store in administrative and sales capacity. He and Pat have a married son and a daughter who will graduate from college in May. We have missed his expertise since he retired from the Board two years ago, and it is with great pleasure that we welcome him and honor him as a 1997 Inductee to the Ohio ETA Hall of Fame. Nancy Brown has consistently helped Ohio Thespians attend Festival. As various students have been selected for special trips such as Playworks or the Finney Scholarship, Nancy always made sure that there was someone looking out for them. She assisted Ohio when Edison Lite was chosen for the marathon, answering many questions to help make that show a success. After Ohio held its first Junior Thespian State Conference where a discussion was started about another level for Juniors sharing was introduced, Nancy has spearheaded the Junior Thespian regional Festivals which today are fulfilling that wish. Nancy continues to offer programming and assists each and every sponsor who needs assistance to attend these programs Her dedication to Thespians and to Ohio Thespians, is a blessing to all adults and a testament to his dedication to theatre. Neal Chapman Neal Chapman first became involved with Ohio Thespians and its annual State Conference when Anderson HS hosted State Conference 1996. As part of the parent booster organization he assisted with many of the logistics of the Conference. The following year he served as a chaperone for the troupe from Anderson HS. He continued to attend State Conference and took on the task of not only chaperoning but assisting his brother-in-law who was serving on the State Board as Security coordinator. And 11 years later he is still assisting with the task of keeping all of our delegates safe and keeping non-delegates away. His only compensation of standing out side in rain and snow has been his never ending coffee. His intuitiveness to potential problems as strangers, without a badge above the waist, would approach is remarkable. He has often made Board Members aware and received their assistance before anyone suspicious ever got close enough to an entrance. He has kept us safe for a decade and we acknowledge that with this recognition…and a cup of coffee. Virginia Chizer has had a long career as a teacher and Thespian troupe sponsor in Cincinnati. Ginny, as she is known to her friends and family, taught at Oak Hills High School for 24 years, serving as drama teacher, coach, and director for the last 15 years, and directing more than 50 productions. She built the drama department from one class per semester to three. She also created an "Advanced Acting" course. Ginny's troupe at Oak Hills was extremely active in all aspects of Thespians. Two of her students served on the state board. She had a student in the first All-Ohio show and had at least one student (and often two or three) in every Area and State show thereafter until her retirement in 1993. Two of Ginny's students participated in the International Thespian cast of A Chorus Line, performing mainstage at the International Festival. More than a dozen of Ginny's students went on to become teachers, most of them in drama. Ginny has attended the International Thespian Festival for the past seventeen consecutive years. While there, she served as a security person and has helped in smaller theatres and with workshops. She volunteered at EdTA headquarters after her retirement and, in 1994, worked there, organizing college auditions for the International Festival. Ginny has also attended EdTA national conferences in Las Vegas, New York City, and Toronto. She has also attended many conferences on the area and state level, teaching workshops, screening, and responding to performances. In 1980, Ginny was chosen as one of 40 teachers nation-wide for a scholarship to the Ancient, Shakespearean and Modern Drama seminar at Ohio Wesleyan University. A personal highlight of her career was being a "Citizen Ambassador" with the People to People Foundation, traveling with 27 other drama teachers and professional directors to China to visit theatre preparatory schools. Currently, Ginny is very active in community theatre. She has been a member of The Drama Workshop for 35 years, appearing in countless shows and producing and directing many others. She has been an adjudicator for ACT-Cincinnati for 11 years, and a responder for OCTA for 6 years. She has served on both ACT and OCTA boards many times, and in 1999-2000 was in charge of all workshops at the OCTA State Conference. Ginny is chairman of the 2000-2001 OCTA Guide/Respondent program. It is with great pleasure that we welcome Ginny Chizer into the Ohio EdTA Hall of Fame. Executive Director of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education (OAAE) Donna Collins and her staff work tirelessly to inform the Ohio Legislature about the issues that impact Ohio's students and arts teachers. Recently, they were the driving force behind having one full credit in the arts added for graduation added as part of the Ohio Core. Weekly updates compiled by Donna and her staff are sent to hundreds of people to keep them informed about the activities at the State House. This resource is a valuable tool to help inform school administrators about the latest education-based legislation. As a sponsor of Ohio Arts Day and the coordinator of Ohio delegates for National Arts Day, Donna and her staff have provided opportunities for adults and students to meet and talk with state and national legislators about the need to continue funding for the U.S. Department of Education's Arts in Education program, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Ohio Arts Council. Under Donna's leadership, OAAE sings the praises of our work, draws the picture of arts education in Ohio, dances its way through politics, and acts like it is second nature. We owe much gratitude to Donna and OAAE. All organizations are subject to change and need development as years pass. It was great good fortune when Della Ewalt became Ohio State Thespian Director in 1978 to lead Ohio Thespians into an era of rapid change and growth. Della served until 1982, initiating a period of stability after several years during which the organization changed state directors each year. Della's leadership contributions were many. She adopted financial policies that enabled the organization to operate with a comfortable bank balance. At the end of her term, Ohio Thespians were comfortably "in the black" and on solid financial ground, able to move forward to new activities. During her term she established a fully functioning adult board and reorganized the student board, eliminating titles such as "president," vice-president," etc., so that the student officers could function more effectively. Duties were shared by all the officers and assigned each year according to the interests and abilities of those students elected. Adult members were also drawn into working on particular jobs for the Conference. Regular state newsletters were published. By the end of her term as State Director in 1982, Conference attendance had doubled, the Conference program was more varied, and the first master class for students at the Conference had been established. Students who registered for the master class worked with a college director and presented a readers' theatre performance for all delegates before the end of the conference. In response to encouragement from Della, more and more Board members voluntarily attended the Festival in Muncie, where they regularly gathered for an "Ohio Meeting" she instituted. Ohio was consistently the state with the largest attendance. Her theatre activities extended to a leadership role in The Ohio Theatre Alliance, serving as president of that organization concurrently with several of her years as State Thespian Director, and at the same time continuing participation in community theatre activities and running a full theatre program at Lemon-Monroe High School. After her term as State Director, she continued to serve on the State Board until she retired from teaching. During that time she was in charge of organizing and running the first college scholarship auditions held at the state conference, working in cooperation with Dr. Bo Rabby from Ohio Wesleyan University who represented OTA. Today Della works for the City of Middletown as the supervisor of its Anti-Litter Program. Ohio Thespians and Ohio ETA are today established on the firm base that she helped create. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Della Ewalt for her dedication to theatre, and education, and Ohio Thespians! Corwin Georges's commitment has been to all of arts education in Ohio. Between the writing of the Comprehensive Model Arts Curriculum in 1996 to Arts Assessment Project to the initiation of the development of graduation content standards in the arts to the final revision of the Status Survey of Arts Education, Corwin has been an advocate for all Ohio arts students. As a theatre professor at Wittenberg University, he has always assured that theatre was at the table in all state level arts education endeavors. His ardent and tireless advocacy of theatre education across the state of Ohio has made it possible for Ohio theatre teachers and students to see their efforts recognized and legitimized in state curricular reform. If you look across the names listed for arts education, specifically theatre, committees that are advancing the effort to ensure qualified theatre teachers in the classroom and promote valid theatre curriculum in Ohio schools, you will invariably come across Corwin's name. He has served as a committee member for Project Start Id, the Ohio Arts Education Assessment Project, Expectations for Ohio's Schools, the Ohio Dept.of Education Licensure Committee, and the Comprehensive Arts Education Plan for Ohio. Corwin has been an arts education panelist for the Ohio Arts Council, the Cleveland Cultural Coalition's ICARE program, and Miami Valley Culture Works. Corwin served as a writing team member or contributing editor for Comprehensive Arts Education: Ohio's Model Competency-Based Program, The Power of Arts Assessment in Teaching and Learning: A Process Guide for Teachers in Ohio Schools, Status of Arts Education in Ohio's Schools-1996, Status of Arts Education in Ohio's School Districts-2001. In leadership positions, Corwin has served as president of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, president of the Ohio Theatre Alliance and chairperson of the State Arts Education Advisory Committee. Nationally, Corwin served on the National Governance Committee for the Kennedy Alliance for Arts Education Network for two years, one year as Chairperson. He remains a member of the Advocacy Committee of the KCAAEN. Corwin has been awarded the Wittenberg University Alumni Association's Distinguished Teacher Award and the Ohio Theatre Alliance's Outstanding Achievement in Theatre Award. Marie initiated the All-State show which we simply call the All-Ohio Show. Although she could not be here today, Marie Glotzbach did many other things that made and molded Ohio Thespians into what it is today. Credit Marie with the leadership for: -Dividing Ohio into Areas and giving each Area a Board representative responsible for that Area -Encouraging and assisting areas in developing Area Conferences -Expanding the role and responsibilities of State Student Officers -Establishing a scholarship given by the SSO's -Establishing a program of college/university scholarship auditions in cooperation with The Ohio Theatre Alliance -Securing a liaison position for a Thespian Board representative on the OTA Board -Increasing the number of Playbill editions and establishing Marquee for sponsors -Enlarging the size, involvement and responsibilities of the adult Board and establishing the yearly retreat weekend for the Board -Developing written policies and guidelines for all Ohio Thespian activities -Expanding the possibilities for schools to perform at Conference -Expanding workshops at Conference Add these things together and what do you get? Thespian participation and a conference that grew by leaps and bounds into the event we know today. Marie was an inspiration to Ohio Thespians all over the state and a tireless friend and co-worker of all Thespian sponsors. We are delighted to induct Marie Glotzbach into the Ohio ETA Hall of Fame. Using the cassette analogy from "Quilt" let's look at our Hall of Fame 1997 inductee Ric Goodwin. Ric Goodwin was, more or less, born into a high school theatre tradition. His mother, Genevieve, was a high school English teacher and director for 30 years, spending a majority of those years at Brunswick High School. His earliest memories are being dragged to play rehearsals at Brunswick and being bored to tears. Then, at age 8, he went with his Mom to see a production of Macbeth at Stan Hewitt Hall, and when Macbeth's head was brought out on a sword at the end, Ric was hooked. Fast forward-- Still at Medina High School, Ric was more interested in sports than theatre until his senior year when a football injury forced him to miss wrestling season. Once again bored to tears, Ric decided to audition for The Mouse That Roared, and the rest, as they say, is history. After 2 more plays that year, he was voted Best Thespian, and became a lifetime Thespian. Fast forward-- More theatre at Ashland University, then the University of Akron where he got his Masters and finally, Wayne State University where he received his M.F.A. in Acting. Wrapped around his education were high school teaching and directing positions in Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, and California. While in California, Ric also was a film and commercial actor as well as a stuntman. Fast forward-- The Actors' Strike - Ric applies for some college teaching positions and winds up at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls. After 4 years there, Ashland beckoned Ric to come home. He is now finishing his 13th year at Ashland University where he is Artistic Director and Professor of Theatre. Pause: Rewind: Then Ric attended this thing called the State Thespian Conference at Rocky River. He talked to Marie Glotzbach about hosting the conference. Fast Forward: 1987, 1989, and 1997. He served as host for the conference; in 1987, 1992, 1996, and 1997 he directed the All-Ohio Show. The 1992 production of Godspell was invited to open the International Conference in Muncie. Since that first conference he went to, and around those he hosted or directed, Ric was at all the others, conducting workshops or responding to productions and auditions. New Reel: Ohio E.T.A. knows that if they ever need a conference site or All-Ohio director, all they have to do is ask him and Ric will do it. Many know Joan Hahn for her years of work with the International Thespian Society. She is a past International Director of Thespians and served as a troupe sponsor for almost 30 years in Utah. She has presented workshops around the country and at International Festivals and was inducted into the EdTA Hall of Fame in 1990. Joan currently operates Travel Passport from her home in Salem, Utah, and it is in this role that she has become a true friend of the Ohio Educational Theatre Association. Joan has provided travel services to the Ohio delegation for travel to Lincoln the past four years. It is because of her that we are able to take so many delegates. Being a former sponsor, Joan understands the necessity of chaperones traveling with students. She gets the best fares possible, but never at the expense of students traveling without an adult. She has accommodated all sorts of requests for early departures for weddings or medical needs, as well as late arrivals because of other activities. In 1999, she assisted with the travel for the musicians and All-Ohio director on different days. She helped us (when we lost all the tickets in the US Mail) to get the delegation on flights without tickets. She has assisted with getting reimbursements from airlines when flights were delayed and part of the delegation missed a day of the Festival. Last year when there were no seats, she found a hotel that had shuttle service, a pool, and a children-friendly staff for our extra night stay. Additionally Joan assists with the arrangements for our presenters at State Conference. No matter what our request, she tries to get whomever needs to be wherever at a reasonable price - and all this without any deposit. She understands Thespians and shares in our excitement with our own state conference and attendance at International. It is for these reasons that we would like to honor Joan by making her a member of The Ohio Educational Theatre Association Hall of Fame. David Hinds has been devoted to Thespians for 15 years. As a Thespian sponsor, long-time member of the Ohio EdTA and State Thespian Board of Directors, and former Ohio Educational Theatre Association President and State Thespian Director, David has gone above and beyond the call of duty for our organization. David's first productions at Olentangy High School were presented "behind prison bars" so to speak. Olentangy High School did not yet have a stage of its own and performances were held in a correctional facility in Delaware. This did not hinder David from developing a full-scale theatre program and offering his students quality instruction in spite of the lack of facilities. He willingly accepted an invitation to accept a position on the Ohio Educational Theatre Association Board. As a state board member, he worked in many different areas of responsibility. He worked with SSOs, coordinated All-Ohio Shows, and was the first chair of Individual Events. As an Area Rep., he worked on many area Conferences and hosted board meetings in his school. He attended International Conferences in Muncie with his students. He enrolled at Chicago's Roosevelt University's three year summer program and obtained his Master's degree in Theatre. As an All-Ohio Show coordinator, he took on many extra responsibilities when the show's college director became ill. He helped to direct Strider and get it on the mainstage at the International Festival. David has "retired" from Thespians to become an administrator, but we know his devotion to theatre continues. He is more than deserving of being inducted into the Ohio EdTA Hall of Fame. Thomas Humphrey Tom Humphrey served as State Director of Ohio Thespians from 1975 through 1978. He oversaw the establishment of the first Ohio Thespian State Conference, held in February 1976. The State Board consisted of only Mr. Humphrey, three other adult troupe sponsors, and four State Student Officers. That Board planned and operated the Conference, which is remarkable, considering today’s State Board numbers thirty people. The Conference, held at Newark High School and hosted by Mr. Humphrey, featured three full length performances, a one act play marathon, twenty-four workshops, a boutique, troupe displays, a dance and swim party, and an election of new State Student Officers. Tom also served as founder of and producing director for the Young People's Theater in Cincinnati and the Weathervane Playhouse in Newark. Tom left Ohio for California in the late 1970s, where he became producing artistic director for the Center Repertory Company. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in directing from The University of California, San Diego, where he worked under the Tony Award winning director Alan Schneider, master acting teacher Arthur Wagner, and the renowned Shakespearian and character actor Eric Christmas. In addition, he was producing artistic director for the Center Repertory Company in Walnut Creek, California. Tom served as visiting faculty at The University of California, Santa Cruz and California State University, Monterey Bay. He spent seventeen years as the artistic director of The Western Stage, a TCG constituent theater in Salinas, California. In January 2002, Tom moved to North Carolina to become Head of the Department of Theatre at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, a position he still holds. Tom has directed over 250 plays and musicals in his career, including the acclaimed three-part world premiere adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Even though Jimmy began as an art major long ago, he found his true calling in the theatre. Jimmy has served as Technical Director/Designer for two All-Ohio productions, has presented countless numbers of workshops at both area and State Thespian conferences, has served as a responder in tech IEs, and has helped develop the stage management IE. Jimmy is always available to help Thespians whenever they ask. Each and every student that has worked with him has walked away happy and richer for the experience. He takes time to teach every student involved in a production or a workshop something new and valuable to add to his/her repertoire of theatre skills. He often spends time after sessions with them answering any and all questions put to him. Jimmy actively promotes quality high school theatre opportunities. He is an advocate, a role model, a mentor, and an incredibly talented theatre professional. His enthusiasm for the work we do is contagious and uplifting. Thespians are lucky to count him as one of their friends. Michael’s connection with Ohio Thespians began in 1975 when he became the Troupe Director (the sponsor) of the Thespians at Reading HS, a capacity in which he served until 1986. His next Thespian position was at Newton County HS in Conyers, Georgia where in served until 1990. The next decade was spent at the Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Georgia and the new millennium took him to the state of Texas where he has served at two different schools. Michael served on the Ohio Thespian State Board from 1983 until 1986. While on the State Board he served as State Student Officer liaison and hosted what eventually became an area conference. He was also instrumental in the concept of the area show. He served as workshop coordinator for two state conferences and assistant directed The Crucible, an all-Ohio show which was featured on the main stage at Muncie. Michael was a regular at International Festival in Muncie and served on security while there. Many of the events which Ohio EdTA hosts today began while Michael was part of the Board and as part of the early beginnings we recognize him now as a member of the Ohio EdTA Hall of Fame. Carl Krauskopf finished his 30 year teaching career at Northmont High School in 2004. During his tenure at NHS he taught Advanced Placement English and was responsible for the lighting of NHS productions. Most recently NHS performed Les Miserables at State Conference 2003 at Strongsville HS. When Northmont was the host for State Conference 1998, Carl was part of the Northmont faculty who assisted with most phases of the Conference. When NHS sponsor Margie Strader was unable to represent NHS at Board meetings, Carl was in attendance. When Conference was over and Northmont was no longer expected to attend Board meetings, Carl volunteered to serve…and ten years later he is still serving. In the last decade, Carl has staffed the Info Table, and took over the responsibility for Individual Events which today is almost as large as the event at International Festival. He has overseen the creation of new categories which allow Ohio Thespians to compete in categories not even recognized by Home Office. He has willingly attended most area conferences giving a lighting workshop and moderating an Adult Concern workshop. The Board yearly relies on Carl’s spatial ability to develop a workable plan for all of our Conference activities so that everything has a space that is conducive to its needs. In 2003 Carl was elected to the position of Trustee of the Ohio Educational Theatre Association. Jennifer Krauskopf was part of the adult staff of Northmont HS when it was the host site of State Conference 1998. She attended Board meetings with her finance, Carl, and participated in discussions until she was appointed as a Board member in 2000. Jennifer has supervised the Info Table, assisted with Individual Events, made goodie bags for our guests and has taught workshops ever since. With Carl, she has traveled to most area conferences teaching dance workshops. She currently serves as the SW area representative and oversees the screening, invitations and scheduling of performances for State Conference. Her willingness to pitch in no matter what the circumstance is admirable and has always been much appreciated. No Ohio ETA Hall of Fame can be complete or even valid unless Ron Longstreth is counted among its membership. In recent years, we have all come to associate him so closely with the international level of our organization in his position as ETA Executive Director, that we fail to recognize Ohio has a legitimate claim on him as one of our own. Early in his career, Ron taught theatre at North College Hill High School and at Reading High School in Cincinnati and served as Ohio State Thespian Director. He directed Inherit the Wind at the Ninth National Thespian Festival. He served as the Chairman of the Cincinnati District of The Ohio High School Speech League. Ron was elected to the International Thespian Society Board of Trustees in 1966. Through his efforts the word "international" was added to the Thespian organization name, and he guided the organization through the incorporation process. When a count was taken several years ago, he had already "attended and evaluated more than 160 state Thespian conferences and observed over 2,500 secondary school theatre productions." Who knows where that count would stand today! His work in theatre, Thespian activities, and ETA has covered many areas. A partial list of his experiences would include: editor of Dramatics magazine, assistant executive secretary-treasurer of the Thespian Society, and the co-chair of the Thespian Festival in 1968. It was also in 1968 that he became Executive Director of ITS. Ron has been a major force in the development and the structure of the Educational Theatre Association. As we know it today, in 1998, it has extended real and needed professional services to teachers of theatre, as well as continuing to provide the direct benefits it has always offered to students. Ron has also represented us well in other theatre organizations, having been a member of the American Theatre Association and having served in the past on the Secondary Schools Theatre Association Board for two years. Ron Longstreth has received the ITS Founders Award, awarded in 1978, the International Director's Award in 1983, and he was inducted into the Educational Theatre Association Hall of Fame in 1992. Perhaps, above all, Ron Longstreth has served this organization by being a steady, calming leader, who has offered all of us in the field, the guidance, perseverance, and vision to move us into the exciting but often insecure world of the future. Thank you, Ron Longstreth, for being the leader we have needed. Over the course of the past decade, an important facet of the growth of Ohio Thespians has been the evolution of the Area Conferences into highly successful components of state activities. Among the Area Conferences which have experienced tremendous growth in size and quality is the Ohio ETA Area 3 Thespian Conference. A major role player in that scenario has been the gracious host of the event, Dr. Robert MacClennan of Sinclair Community College in Dayton. Acting on the request of Area Board Representatives - first Dawn Tignor, then Jhon Marshall, and recently David Leist - Dr. MacClennan has provided an invaluable service to Area 3 and consequently to Ohio Thespians by hosting the Area Conference. He has done this for ten out of the last 11 years - a string broken only by his taking the only sabbatical he has taken in 22 years. Dr. MacClennan, Chairperson of the Theatre Department at Sinclair, has taught at Sinclair since 1973. As conference host, he has offered the facilities at Sinclair for use. He has also provided adult and student staff to teach workshops, act as guides, and perform technical duties for the performing schools. He has also attended every one of the conferences and offered his support and expert advice. He has offered all of these services freely and generously, with special attention to the needs of Thespian sponsors and students in Area 3. Dr. MacClennan has also hosted OTA regional play festivals that are part of the OTA High School Play Festival. His college theatre classes serve students of all ages, and he often casts high school students, many of whom are Thespians, in his Sinclair productions. In 1996, Dr. MacClennan was named the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival Medallion Winner. He was designated to receive the medallion as a symbol of his dedication and achievement, his commitment to students and their educational experience, and his ongoing support of ACTF. For these reasons we pay tribute to a true friend of theatre education and of the Ohio ETA. His commitment has done much to add to the service we offer students and teachers. Jhon was a high school Spanish and drama teacher for 30 years, 15 of which he served as Thespian sponsor at Princeton High School. During that time he directed 128 student productions including two Area Thespian shows. He was a member of the State ETA/Thespian Board for 6 years and twice hosted the State Conference. During that time five Princeton students served as S.S.O.'s. Between 1986 and 1996, students under his direction: ...presented cuttings or full-length presentations of twelve shows at State Conference. ...presented five marathon presentations at the International Thespian Festival at Ball State and the University of Nebraska. ...had five shows receive Superior ratings and three receive Excellent ratings from the Ohio Theatre Alliance High School Play Festival. ...won nine individual Excellence in Acting awards from the Ohio Theatre Alliance. ...won six individual Excellence in Acting awards and an excellence in Ensemble award at the Miami University Theatricon. ... won five solo or duet acting awards and were three times runners-up at the Northern Kentucky University high school performance competition. The records obviously show the extraordinary number of productions Jhon Marshall has mounted during his career and the numerous awards he and his students have won at festivals and competitions. Indeed, these accomplishments are enough in themselves to make him a worthy member of The Ohio ETA Hall of Fame, but there is more to be said of his commitment to this organization. Jhon has given freely and generously of his time and energy to share with fellow theatre educators his wise insight as he worked as a valued member of the Ohio Thespian State Board and the successful host of two State Thespian Conferences. His intelligent understanding of problems was always tempered by his marvelous sense of humor. His dedicated commitment and love of the theatre were an inspiration to us as much as his practical sense of what could reasonably be done and what could not. That wonderful combination of a sense of humor and practical, common sense kept many meetings and projects headed toward successful completion. Jhon Marshall is also an accomplished actor in his own right in community and professional theatre productions in Cincinnati. He has been twice nominated for the Post-Corbett Award in Cincinnati in the performing Artist category. In recognition of his retirement, May 24, 1996 was named "Jhon Marshall Day" in Cincinnati, and May 20 was designated "Jhon Marshall Day" in Sharonville and Springdale. Jhon Marshall has been tireless in his efforts to offer to his school, his community, and Ohio Thespians, the very best of contemporary education in theatre, and we honor him as a 1997 Inductee of the Ohio ETA Hall of Fame. Betsy Martin has done many things in her life to promote theatre at the local, state and international levels. She began teaching theatre at New Lexington High School in 1972. She also took over the position of Drama Club advisor and became a Thespian Troupe Sponsor. At New Lexington she directed a play and a musical each year. After a few years of absence, she took another teaching position at Southern Local Schools. She continued directing shows and being at part of thespians at this school. In 1986 she returned to New Lexington and her position as theatre director. As theatre director Betsy introduced her students to a whole new world by taking them to area, state and international conferences. During her career at New Lexington she had nine students in All-Area Shows (she directed the 2001 All-Area show) and five students in All-Ohio shows. Five of her students served on the board as student officers and one of them was an International Student Officer. Throughout her years at New Lexington Betsy has directed many shows which have been performed at state conference. Some of them were original scripts written by her. Betsy has held many positions at the state level. In 1974 she served as an assistant state director for the OEdTA state board. From 1982-1987 she served as a member of the board and then again in 1993-1999. During her final term on the board she helped plan the very first OEdTA Junior Thespian Conference. Betsy and a few of her students traveled to Florida to attend the Florida Junior Thespian Conference. There, she learned about Junior Thespians and brought the idea back to Ohio. Betsy was appointed by the governor to serve on the Ohio Arts Advisory Committee for the state of Ohio. She was an arts assessor/presenter for the Ohio Department of Education. Many students in Southeastern Ohio don't always have an opportunity to experience life outside of their small community. Betsy changed that for many people. If a student couldn't afford to go to a conference, she made sure that money was available to get them there. Students at New Lexington would work hard for two years to raise enough money to go on the biannual trip to New York City. Not only did Betsy take students places to experience theatre, she also brought theatre to her school. Over the years she has arranged for different theatre groups to perform for her school and the community. Betsy is currently retired from teaching theatre. She is on sabbatical leave from New Lexington and is teaching at Ohio University. But anyone who knows Betsy knows that she can never truly leave theatre. While at Ohio University she is taking a playwriting class to help her enter a new chapter in her life. No one would have expected, including Jane "Jo" McKeown herself, that when she started to work for the Thespian Society in 1954, she would still be working for the same organization 44 years later. Her first day in fact was June 7, 1954, the day after her high school graduation. And, although she officially retired from her post in November of 1998, her last day of work has yet to take place, as she intends to return later this spring to once again assist with the preparation and registration for the yearly International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska. During her years of service to ITS, Jo has outlasted her share of executive directors, witnessed more than one move from building to larger building, and has experienced the expansion of the Thespian Society to the International Thespian Society and then the development of the Educational Theatre Association and its many services and branches. Through all the changes, Jo was always a constant and a friend to many Thespian sponsors and leaders throughout the country. In particular, she was especially good to the many Ohio State directors and sponsors who served the organization and whom she served in return. Annually she made sure that the Ohio delegates could be registered together for Festival, even when the registrations trickled in from many sources with many different postmarks. Oftentimes, she looked out for our group to ensure that we had prime seating. All of this she did while handling hundreds of registration forms and thousands of registrants. For nearly four and a half decades, Jo literally was in the building "every time the doors were open" and many times when she had to open the door herself to work alone late hours and weekends. For these many years and hours of service and dedication to students and sponsors both in Ohio and across the world, Ms. Jane "Jo" McKeown is nominated for induction into the Ohio Chapter of the Educational Theatre Association Hall of Fame. For over two decades, Bobbie Newcomer actively fought for arts education in Ohio. While a music teacher by certification, she never neglected theatre/drama education. She was actively involved in Ohio Theatre Alliance events and made sure that Ohio Thespian sponsors were always invited and included. Later, as a consultant for the Ohio Department of Education, she kept theatre "in the loop." When licensure requirements were being reviewed, Ohio EdTA was invited to send a representative to be a part of the teams that decided the validity of curriculum offerings for theatre educator licensure. When the academic content standards were being written, once again Bobbie contacted Ohio EdTA for applicants to serve on those writing teams. Without Bobbie looking out for theatre education in this state and coming to Ohio EdTA for assistance, theatre may not have been an equal with the other performing arts. Theatre educators in Ohio owe a lot to Bobbie, who has always included us and fought for theatre to be at any table where other performing arts were present. Her diligence throughout the past two decades is not forgotten by those who have watched theatre education grow in this state. Ohio EdTA is thankful for her diligence in fighting for all the arts and honor her with induction into the Ohio EdTA Hall of Fame. Many Ohio sponsors know Ron Nocks from his many years of work as a Thespian sponsor at Westerville South High School where he was recognized for the fine quality of his productions. Others will also recall that Ohio has shared him with the International organization, where he helped focus attention on a global perspective for Thespians and strongly advocated certification for theatre teachers. He served as Assistant International Director and International Director after being elected and serving on the International Board as a Trustee. Many, many of his productions have been seen, not only at Ohio State Conferences, but also at six consecutive International Festivals in Muncie. Ron also served, not only as one of our Ohio State Thespian Directors, but also as a Regional Director for Thespians in what was then Region Eleven, consisting of the two states of West Virginia and Ohio. In those two positions, he hosted both State Conferences and Regional Conferences, often at his own school. As a conference host he was able to initiate cooperative projects with Otterbein College and its theatre staff to enhance conference offerings for both students and teachers attending the conference. According to Ron, his undergraduate dreams, as an Ohio State student, of becoming a professional actor were discarded the moment he finished teaching his first class. At that moment, he realized the impact he could have as a teacher, and he never thought about the professional theatre again. Even though he retired from full time teaching in 1995, Ron still serves ETA as a screener for Mainstage performances at the International Festival, traveling all over the country as needed. He has also served on several ETA/ITS committees furthering the work of the organization. Ron was inducted into the ETA Hall of Fame in 1997 in Toronto. Although he no longer directs high school performers, he is busy as both director and performer with Grandparents Living Theatre Company of Columbus, a touring group which performed at the Columbus Area Thespian Conference this past year. Ron is positive proof that dedication to this organization and to its commitment to theatre education is inspiring and can be a life-long goal. We are fortunate to be able in Ohio to claim Ron Nocks for our own. Carol Patterson was the long-term Thespian sponsor and drama director at Athens High School. During this period she also served nearly ten years as a member of the Ohio Thespian state board of directors where her enthusiasm and expertise are well documented. Ms. Patterson was chosen by and trained by the Thespian home office to be the original State Advocate for Ohio. She helped introduce the Individual Events segment to our State conferences and served as coordinator during the initial years. She also served as cast coordinator for several All-Ohio productions and traveled with our production of Romeo and Juliet to the International Festival at Ball State University. Several of her students have served as State Student Officers while others have participated in various All-Ohio productions. Over the years, Conference audiences have been delighted and entertained by several full-length productions presented by Athens High School under her capable direction. Since her retirement from full-time teaching, Ms. Patterson has been instrumental in forming a junior troupe at her former school. She continues to be a valuable resource to students in her area and currently serveson the Athens city council. In addition to 28 years of technical work in his home school, Steve Schauer served many terms on the Ohio Thespian/EdTA State Board. As a Board member he served with distinction in many capacities from 1985 to 1993. He was known for his sound judgment and compassion and his pleasant, friendly disposition. Steve was Board Secretary for many years and served with extreme efficiency in that capacity, even tape recording meetings so he could check his minutes for accuracy. He screened many, many shows for state conference, often traveling well across the state outside his Area. He attended the International Festival in Muncie regularly. He worked on several tech crews for All-Ohio Shows, including The Crucible, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Strider, which was performed on the Mainstage in Muncie. Steve also handled the Registration Desk at State Conference. There, his calm, friendly, and always pleasant manner was an example to other teachers and students alike. In dealing with the hectic, the unpleasant, and the unexpected, he was a model teacher and a model human being - an ideal representative of his profession and a person of whom Ohio Thespians and the whole Educational Theatre Association should be extremely proud. His other board responsibilities in different years included: presenting tech workshops, being in charge of displays, SSO elections, and even scheduling. In short, he served in many areas and had a broad understanding of board duties that made him a knowledgeable colleague. Even after leaving the Board he has remained active at Edison High School and just last year helped us out at the state level by helping chaperone students at the Playhouse Square performance of the cutting from the All-Ohio Show, Edison Lite. The Ohio Educational Theatre Association is honored to induct Steve Schauer into our Ohio Hall of Fame. Herb Sprowls began his membership in Thespians as a junior in high school and has never been able to get out of the theatre. He followed his life-time Thespian membership, begun on the stage as an actor, with college backstage crews and a part or two, which earned him a membership in the college/university theatre fraternity - Alpha Psi Omega. These credits earned him high school directing jobs in the very first two years of teaching. In those days, the principal simply said to a teacher "You WILL direct the following shows." When he changed schools, he could not keep his construction skills a secret, and he was soon right hand man to an experienced and talented director who immediately knew that his tech person understood the difference between a set bridge that was functional, not just set decoration, and would build one that would not collapse with people on it, as had happened in a nearby school. By the end of those years, he turned into the chief babysitter for his wife, the high school director, as well as the scenery builder who stepped in in a pinch. Then, being a fine typist, came the programs and the proof reading. Why not, when you are an English major as well as a math major? Soon The International Thespian Society called again. "The wife" organized a local Thespian Troupe in her high school, and then became active in the State Thespian organization. More programs, more proof reading, (curriculum proofing as well) and new "children" to care for, worry about, and DRIVE to conferences - conferences all over Ohio, and eventually in Indiana, Michigan, and Nebraska! As the husband of a state Thespian Director, additional jobs were miraculously created. Assigning seats to a thousand delegates in Princeton High School's auditorium, assisting with other chores of registration, more proof reading, more taking kids to conference, more help with scenery, more phone calls, and more driving to conferences, more driving to screen shows for conferences. Retirement offered the freedom to travel to regional conferences: New York, Chicago, that Virginia resort where the movie "Dirty Dancing" was filmed, Las Vegas. And we must not forget travel to the national conventions: San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Indianapolis, San Diego, New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, and so on. What? No students to drive in the car? New passengers appeared. Guest speakers, famous authors and workshop presenters who needed to get from the airport to the conference and back. This award was first instituted to honor those "Friends of Thespians" who have made the work of sponsors easier, and who thereby have made the life of students richer. For over 50 years, Herb has been a Friend to The International Thespian Society, Ohio Thespians and OEdTA. Nancy Sprowls' "immeasurable dedication and support of high school theatre, Ohio EdTA, and arts education are without peer." Before her retirement from full-time teaching in 1994, she taught theatre, speech, and debate and served as English Department Chair at Brunswick High School. She directed the co-curricular program in speech and theatre, directing three major productions each year, as well as directing festival plays and coaching the speech team. She also taught creative dramatics for the City of Brunswick Recreation Department and directed children's plays in a Summer Theatre program. She has directed community theatre productions for 14 years. Her students participated in and performed at many state conferences from 1972 until 1994. She has been active for over 23 years on the Ohio Educational Theatre Association/Ohio Thespian State Board of Directors, first through State Student Officers who were her students, and then through serving as a member of the Board herself beginning in 1980. From 1987 to 1990 she served as State EdTA President and State Thespian Director. From 1992 to 1996 she served as ETA Territory 10 Director, representing EdTA in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada. As Territorial Director, she chaired the Region IV Conference in Cleveland in October 1995. She worked for 11 years as a rehearsal assistant for mainstage productions at the International Thespian Festival at Ball State University and at the University of Nebraska. In 1996, she was elected to the Educational Theatre Association Hall of Fame. Her personal membership in Thespians dates back to her own years in high school at Wheeling High in Wheeling, West Virginia. In college, she earned membership in Alpha Psi Omega, the theatre honorary. While in Columbus working on her master's degree, she was employed as the Business Administrator of Columbus Junior Theatre of the Arts. She later completed additional graduate work in theatre supervision and management at OSU and other universities. Her theatre involvement was not limited to Thespains and the Educational Theatre Association. From 1961 to 1997, she served as Theatre Education Chair of the Ohio Theatre Alliance. She also completed a six-year term on the board of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education. She was the secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Magical Theatre Company of Barberton for 4 years and is currently secretary and Artistic Director of Brunswick ACT community theatre company. She is on the Board of Trustees for Medina County Arts Council and recently completed a term as President of the Medina County branch of The American Association of University Women. Nancy served as president of the Speech Communication Association of Ohio and was Ohio's 1988-89 Speech Teacher of the Year. She was inducted into Ohio High School Speech League Hall of Fame in 1995. Bob Vance began his love of technical theatre in high school. After a stint in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and several years as an Ohio Highway Patrol trooper, he returned to his true interest. During the twenty-seven years he has been at Brite Lites Inc. in Columbus, Bob has been a true supporter of local theatre teachers - answering questions, offering advice, lending a helping hand, and keeping rental charges down. He has included Thespian literature and flyers in his business mailings and always has some sort of blurb on all of his customer's invoices about supporting high school theatre. Bob has loaned equipment to Ohio Thespians for conferences over the years. Last year he trucked the All-Ohio set, which was built in Columbus, to the conference site in Cincinnati. This year, he is providing some equipment to the conference at nominal charge and other equipment at no charge. He also did this for the 1991 and 1994 conferences. He has also taught workshops at several area conferences. Finally, Bob is the supportive spouse of an active theatre teacher whose involvement in Ohio Educational Theatre Association and Ohio Alliance for Arts Education as a board member would not have been possible over the past 15 years without his loving and tolerant demeanor. Paul Vincent Since 1978, Paul Vincent and Vincent Lighting Systems have provided sales, service and rentals of theatrical equipment to the theatrical community at large in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. There is scarcely a single school district in the entire state of Ohio that has not had one or more auditorium, cafetorium, gymnasium stage, multipurpose room, black box theatre, or TV studio outfitted, upgraded, supplied and/or serviced by Vincent Lighting Systems at one time or another. Under Paul’s leadership and guidance, Vincent Lighting Systems has provided Ohio Thespians with workshop presenters, affordable rental gear and immediate on-site assistance for nearly two decades of State Conferences. Paul was instrumental in preparing and presenting a Professional Development workshop to the Educational Theatre Association in 2002 and has always been supportive of the efforts of the state’s schools in presenting high quality theatrical productions. As an employer, Paul Vincent has always been a friend of Thespians. Vincent Lighting Systems has sponsored summer internships for several Thespian students over the past several years. Paul’s employees have served Thespian schools on their own time as guest designers, directors and technical directors with Paul’s full blessing and support. There are currently three lifetime Thespians working for Vincent Lighting Systems including one current OEdTA Board member and the daughter of one former troupe sponsor. Robert (Bob) Winters is retired from Ohio University where he served as a theatre instructor for 42 years. He has been involved with Ohio Thespians since the FIRST Ohio State Thespian Conference at Newark HS in 1976. Not only did he present a workshop in set design, but he also brought a performance from the nationally proclaimed APPALACHIAN GREEN PARKS PROJECT founded by Winters and directed by his wife Connie. Bob Winters stayed directly connected with Thespians. He has presented numerous workshops at conferences as well as supported the college auditions when they were held at State Conference. He was the director of two All-Ohio Shows: Caucasian Chalk Circle and Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Winters also contributed to theatre education. He was instrumental in hosting the state discussion groups back in 1984-85 which lead to state mandated certification in theatre in order to teach it in public schools. Prior to this time, theatre was usually “given to” an English teacher or to anyone who showed interest. He also spearheaded a group entitled T.E.A.C. (teacher education advisory committee) which worked on ideas for training/curriculum for theatre education. This was comprised of high school teachers and college instructors. Ohio University also hosted several Ohio Theatre Alliance Play Festivals. Mr. Winter’s work in the field of theatre can best be described by one of his very own most quoted lines: “That is a thing of beauty and a joy that will last forever!” |
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