Theatre Memphis Receives AACT Award for Community Theatre

Theatre Memphis has been recognized for its most outstanding service to community theatre in the nation by the American Association of Community Theatres (AACT). The Twink Lynch Award specifically goes to the AACT member that has successfully completed major steps in new directions, expanded services to their community and has moved to the next level of organizational development. The award is presented annually and this year the ceremonies will be held in Rochester, New York, in conjunction with the national AACT festival competition, June 20-25. Twink Lynch is a past president of AACT and author of a regular column in the AACT newsletter on Boardsmanship. For many years she consulted with theatre boards all over the country to help them discover better ways to govern and run their theatres.

Theatre Memphis Executive Producer Debbie Litch says, "We have worked so hard to bring our artistic quality to a level that is again nationally noticed ... it is such a joy to see that our real efforts from an administrative level are just as recognized. This type of award comes to us because of the work of the staff as a team. I could not be more proud for our group to receive such an honor." According to Bea Miller, long-time Theatre Memphis Board Member and one of the founders of AACT, the nomination that she submitted was full of recent Theatre Memphis accomplishments. Miller states, "Twink Lynch is a lovely lady who has one of the few PhDs in the nation in Theater. Her specialty is in board leadership and she has written a definitive book on the subject. The award was created to encourage development and planning for community theatres and Theatre Memphis has made such progress in the past six or seven years ... it was time we crowed a little to the national organization." And according to Julie Crawford, Executive Director of AACT, the accomplishments were evident. "AACT is proud to recognize Theatre Memphis for its accomplishments in moving in new directions to revitalize itself and enhance its service to the community," says Crawford. "Although Theatre Memphis is a long established theatre, it is still a vital and vibrant contributor to the Memphis community."

Some of the achievements listed in the submission were the development of a long range strategic plan, a balanced budget for six consecutive years while increasing the operating budget by over 50%, consistent artistic excellence recognition for productions and staff from local, state and national organizations and adding additional staff for production consistency and quality. The focus on education and outreach to the community and the development of innovative projects to raise funds, patrons and awareness was also cited. Part of the outreach program included collaborations with local universities and establishing Stage Trek, a leadership program for corporate executives that utilizes stage skills to build confidence and experience in public speaking and team building.
A second national award from AACT this year will be given to Bennett Wood, long time volunteer at Theatre Memphis. He has been selected to receive the Robert E. Gard Superior Volunteer Award at the same convention in Rochester. This award is presented to individuals above the age of 65 who have faithfully served community theatre on a non-paid basis for over 25 years. Cited for his service of over 55 years to Theatre Memphis, Wood has acted, directed, served on the board of directors, the play selection committee, marketing committee and various other committees in that tenure. In 2008 Theatre Memphis honored his long-time service by having custom light fixtures designed by a local artist that now grace the Lohrey Stage auditorium. Wood had been a proponent for many years that the fixtures were needed and as an act of appreciation TM secretly raised funds to have the design, construction/creation and installation become a reality through David Lusk Gallery.

Theatre Memphis is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization located at 630 Perkins Extended (corner of Perkins and Southern) and is a community theatre whose mission is to provide outstanding theatrical experiences to enrich the lives of our audiences and participants.
Bennett Wood photo attached.

For more information, visit www.theatrememphis.org.