Blue Masque Hall of Fame
ANNUAL BLUE MASQUE HALL OF FAME CEREMONY AND RECEPTION
The purpose of the Catawba College Blue Masque Hall of Fame is to recognize and perpetuate the noteworthy theatre tradition of Catawba College by honoring and memorializing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to this tradition.
Whether you were a Theatre Arts major or simply enjoyed performing or helping backstage, we know the time you spent at the theatre played an important role in your time at Catawba. We hope you'll plan to join us for this annual induction ceremony as we celebrate the achievements of these outstanding individuals.
2023 Hall of Fame Induction
Past Inductees:
The Catawba College Theatre Arts Department held a very special joint ceremony to induct artists and alumni into the Blue Masque Hall of Fame for both 2020 & 2021.
2020 Honorees include:
- Scott Burrell, Class of ’94, Director of the Dear School of Creative and Performing Arts, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA.
- Rae Geoffrey, Class of ’95, Managing Director of the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, Asheville, NC.
- William Gilmore, Class of ’85, a Los Angeles-based story Producer, Writer, Editor and sometimes Cinematographer.
- Christopher Zink, Catawba College Theatre Arts Professor.
2021 Honorees include:
- John Starmer, Class of 1997, Director of Production for New York City based Jazz at Lincoln Center
- Jim Lally (d), Class of 1995, remembered fondly as a charismatic, keenly intelligent, caring, larger than life individual who was loved by everyone he came in contact with.
The Catawba College Theatre Arts Department will induct four artists and alumni into the Blue Masque Hall of Fame at an event on Friday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
As the new theatre season begins at Catawba each year, the Theatre Arts Department selects its Hall of Fame recipients to acknowledge the alumni, faculty or staff who have made outstanding contributions to the world of theatre.
To be honored for outstanding careers are Lisa Ray Stafford ’90, Paula Barnhardt Baldwin ’77; Tiffany Yvonne Cox ’07; and Justin Dionne ’07.
Stafford is a freelance Equity stage manager based in New York City. At Catawba, she majored in theatre arts with minors in English and psychology. After receiving a Master of Theatre Education Degree from UNC-Greensboro, she taught high school theatre in North Carolina for almost 23 years. Since arriving in New York in October 2016, she has stage managed 17 productions or readings, including the developmental production of Allen Knee’s Little Women, The Man Who Was Peter Pan, and The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit. In January 2018, she made her Off Broadway debut as the Production Stage Manager for the new play, The Chekhov Dreams. She also serves as a production assistant for the Broadway Stage Management Symposium, founded by Broadway Stage Manager Matthew Aaron Stern.
Baldwin graduated Magna Cum Laude from Catawba and earned a Master of Fine Arts in Acting/Directing from UNC-Greensboro in 1979. She was a professional actress for 16 years in various venues in the Southeast and Midwest. A Cabarrus County native, she returned from New York City to Charlotte in 1995 and began a 24-year teaching career with Charlotte/Mecklenburg Schools. In 2014, her students were recognized with the Distinguished Play Award at both the regional and state North Carolina Theatre Conference Play Festivals. In 2009, she was the recipient of the Metrolina Theatre Association Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama for her portrayal of Annie Nations in Foxfire. She has appeared in several productions at Central Piedmont Community College Summer Theatre and directed The Mousetrap there in 2018.
Cox graduated from Catawba College with a BFA in Musical Theatre. As a professional actress, she has performed at the American Players Theatre, The House Theatre and CPCC, and on many television shows, including Chicago Fire, Jane the Virgin, Adam Ruins Everything, and Grey’s Anatomy.
Dionne studied Theatre at Catawba College and at graduate school at Florida State University. While in Salisbury, he helped to build The Norvell Theater and spearheaded efforts to renovate a 1920s warehouse into a performing arts center which became Lee Street Theatre. He serves as the Executive Director for the Cain Center for the Arts, which will bring a $25 million arts and community center to the Lake Norman region of North Carolina. Justin has spent the last 10 years developing his passion for arts/nonprofit leadership and the opportunities that exist for strengthening communities through the power of the arts.
Catawba Theatre Arts students will provide entertainment at the beginning of the evening, and the ceremony will be followed by refreshments.
11TH ANNUAL BLUE MASQUE HALL OF FAME CEREMONY AND RECEPTION
Catawba College’s Blue Masque inducted four accomplished theatre professionals into its Hall of Fame on October 19, 2018.
Those inducted included David R. Latham, professional lighting designer, master electrician, and technical director; Mia Self, current director of acting, directing, and academics at North Carolina State University; Linda Kesler, former Catawba College professor of theatre education and theatre management; and David Pulliam, long-time Catawba College professor of scene design and visual art.
David R. Latham '86 has worked in technical theatre with theatre, dance, music and opera companies for the past 32 years. A 1986 theatre arts graduate from Catawba College, Latham’s technical theatre expertise and design work have won acclaim in America and abroad.
Mia Self '92 is a Catawba theatre arts graduate. Also holding an M.F.A. in directing from the University of Mississippi, Self has worked as a professional actor, playwright, director, and college professor.
Linda Kesler '83 holds the 1983 B.A. in theatre and B.S. in business administration from Catawba College. Also the recipient of an M.F.A. degree in arts administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Kesler has worked professionally in both theatre education and theatre management.
David Pulliam
David Pulliam has been a member of the Catawba theatre arts department faculty since 1986. With an M.F.A. in theatre design from the University of Alabama, Pulliam has designed scenery for over 50 plays at Catawba.
In October 2017, Catawba inducted three theatre professionals and a beloved Catawba professor into a special 10th Anniversary Blue Masque Hall of Fame celebration.
2017 inductees include: Ralph Leonard Roberts, Broadway, off-Broadway, regional theatre, film, and television actor; John Daniel Harris, theatre management professional for over thirty years; Craig Grigg, designer and fabricator of specialty props for Broadway, off-Broadway, regional theatre, television, film, and dance; and Janice Fuller, poet, long-time Catawba Writer-in-Residence, and English professor.
Ralph Leonard Roberts was born in Salisbury and attended Catawba College in the late 1930’s. Roberts’ began his long running professional acting career when he made his Broadway debut in the 1948 revival of Angel Street. To help finance his acting passion, Roberts’ also became a masseur, with a clientele largely made up of actors and actresses. Marilyn Monroe was a client and close friend.
John Daniel Harris received his Catawba theatre arts degree in 1982. Afterward graduation, he moved professionally from production technical director to stage director of musicals and operas. Harris was the former CEO of Virginia Scenic, one of the premier scenic studios for opera, until he sold that business, and has served as chief operations officer at the Castleton Festival in Virginia.
Craig Grigg, a proud member of the Honors program while at Catawba, earned his B.A. degree in theatre with minors in English and German. His Broadway designs have been seen in more than sixty productions, beginning in 1997. These include Finding Neverland, Cabaret, Bullets Over Broadway, Big Fish, Kinky Boots, The Addams Family, Harvey, Cripple of Inishmaan, and Blithe Spirit, among many others.
Janice Fuller grew up in Salisbury, before earning degrees in English at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Recently retired from the Catawba English Department, Fuller’s work as a poet has brought her wide acclaim. An avid supporter of the Blue Masque, several of Fuller’s plays were first produced at Catawba in collaboration with Theatre arts faculty and students.
Tickets to this year’s ceremony and reception are $30 each. At 7:30 p.m., immediately preceding the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, current and former Catawba College theater arts students will present a talent showcase. Admission includes the showcase.
Those being honored by the theatre arts department at Catawba College’s Homecoming include Karl Hales, long time Catawba College speech and communications professor; Kannan Menon, New York based actor, director and playwright; Patrick Orndorff, professional resident theatre production manager; and Jasika Nicole, television, stage and film actress.
Karl Hales has acted locally in thirty stage productions, while directing twenty-seven more. He also served as the emcee of the Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Awards Ceremony for twenty-eight years. And, football fans know Hales as the public address announcer at Catawba College since 1980.
Kannan Menon earned the B.A. degree in theatre from Catawba College in 1974 and the M.F.A. in theatre directing from Tisch School of the Arts in New York City. Currently an attorney working with a small New York investment banking firm, Menon has professional theatre credits in both America and abroad.
Patrick Orndorff is currently the production manager for the Resident Ensemble Players at the University of Delaware. Prior to that, he was technical director for the Alley Theatre in Houston. Orndorff received the B.A. degree in theatre from Catawba College in 1987 and has worked in professional theatre ever since.
Jasika Nicole is a 2002 Catawba College theatre graduate. Nicole is best known for her role as agent Astrid Farnsworth in the hit Fox sci-fi series Fringe. She has additional professional credits on the New York stage and in film. Nicole also writes, is an illustrator, and lends her voice to several popular animated shows.
Hales, Menon, Orndorff, and Nicole will be inducted into Catawba’s Blue Masque Theatre Hall of Fame at 8 pm on Friday, October 28 in Hedrick Little Theatre, located within the College Community Center. This ceremony is open to the public. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased through the Catawba College alumni office.
At 7:30 pm, immediately preceding the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, current and former Catawba College theatre arts students will present a talent showcase. Admission includes the showcase, induction ceremony and a reception following.
The theatre arts department alumni honored at Catawba College's Homecoming included Broadway musical theatre performer, Ashton Byrum '91; Disney World headliner, magician Terry Ward '86; Salisbury native and theatre production designer, Richard Seagle '78; and popular actress and playwright ("Dirty Barbie and Other Girlhood Tales"), Denise Stewart '95.
Ashton Byrum has a professional career that spans 25 years with performances in My Fair Lady, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, The Will Rogers Follies, The Producers, A Christmas Carol, West Side Story and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, among others. Byrum is a 1991 Catawba graduate in musical theatre.
Terry Ward is in his 28th year as the only full-time featured magician at Walt Disney World. The headliner for Disney's "Diamond Horseshoe Review and Medicine Show" for many years, Ward is also a highly sought after performer and master of ceremonies for conventions and Fortune 500 companies. Ward is a 1986 Catawba graduate in theatre arts.
Richard Seagle has designed for numerous North Carolina theatres, including Salisbury's Piedmont Players. Other theatres include the Asheville Community Theatre, Highland Repertory Theatre, Parkway Playhouse, Mars Hill University Theatre, and Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre. Seagle is a 1978 Catawba graduate in theatre.
Denise Stewart is known throughout the Southeast for her one-woman show, "Dirty Barbie and Other Girlhood Tales." In addition to her playwriting and acting skills, Stewart is a sought after public speaker in the corporate and business world. She is a 1995 Catawba graduate in theatre arts.
Byrum, Ward, Seagle, and Stewart will be inducted into Catawba's Blue Masque Theatre Hall of Fame at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 23rd in Hedrick Little Theatre, located within the Robertson College-Community Center. This event, a primary fundraiser for the Blue Masque, is open to the public. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased through the Catawba College Alumni Office at (704) 637-4394.
At 7:30 p.m., immediately preceding the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, current and former Catawba College theatre arts students will present a talent showcase. Admission includes the showcase, induction ceremony and a reception following.
Catawba College's Blue Masque Hall of Fame inductees will be honored as part of the college's Homecoming Weekend activities Oct. 24-26. This ceremony is open to the public and tickets may be purchased through the Catawba College alumni office at (704) 637-4201.
This year's Blue Masque Hall of Fame induction ceremony and reception will held in Hedrick Little Theatre at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 24. Those being honored by Catawba in 2014 for their meritorious work in the theatre arts include David Newell, theatre design and production company owner and director; Donna White Cory, professional musical theatre and dance teacher/choreographer; Tim Ross, theatre, radio, television, and film professional; and Fred Inkley, Broadway musical theatre star.
The purpose of the Catawba College Blue Masque Hall of Fame is to recognize and perpetuate the noteworthy theatre tradition of Catawba College by honoring and memorializing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to this tradition. Inductees into the Hall of Fame must have either attended Catawba College as a full time student, been employed at Catawba as a full or part time faculty/staff member, or contributed to the success of the Blue Masque by performing outstanding service as a volunteer.
David Mueller Newell was owner, director, and manager of ATTCO, Inc. in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1968 until 2005. His theatrical design and production company served theatre, film, conventions, tradeshows, and various other production based needs throughout the Pacific. ATTCO has offices and production shops on three of the islands and employs over 90 technicians. A 1961 Catawba College graduate in drama, Newell also attended graduate school at the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash.
Donna White Cory currently teaches master classes in musical theatre for the University of Cincinnati, is director of the dance program for the Bishop's School in La Jolla, Calif., and is guest instructor/choreographer for Ballet Pensacola in Florida, as well as Idyllwild Arts in Idyllwild, Calif. Cory's other professional experience includes work at numerous California theatres and educational institutions, such as the La Jolla Playhouse, the San Diego Academy of Arts, and San Diego's Globe Theatre. A 1982 Catawba College theatre arts graduate, she also holds the M.F.A. in theatre from the University of Mississippi.
Tim Ross has performed in over 50 equity/professional theatre productions, appeared in twenty-three feature films, eight television shows, and done twenty-five commercials. Calling Charlotte home, Ross has also been with WFAE public radio for the past 15 years. He is the main fill-in for their morning and afternoon news shows, as well as the producer of Charlotte Talks, a popular WFAE radio show. Ross is a 1986 Catawba College theatre arts and speech communication graduate.
Fred Inkley has performed on Broadway in the lead role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables and in its national touring company.
Inkley has also acted in the original Broadway casts of The Addams Family and A Tale of Two Cities. Other New York and national tour appearances include Beauty and the Beast (the Beast), Annie (Broadway revival), Of Thee I Sing, and The Boys From Syracuse. Inkley is a 1988 graduate in musical theatre from Catawba College.
At 7:30 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 24, immediately preceding the 8 p.m. Hall of Fame induction ceremony, current and former Catawba theatre arts students will present a talent showcase, also in Hedrick Little Theatre. Admission includes the showcase, induction ceremony and a reception following.
Four individuals were inducted into the 2013 Blue Masque Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Friday, October 18 in Hedrick Little Theatre on campus.
Those honored by the College for their meritorious work in the theatre arts include stage manager and public school teacher Cindy Gudger Baldwin, class of 1973; professional costume designer and professor Nancy Pipkin-Hutchinson, class of 1991; professional playwright, actor, and documentarian of the African-American experience, Mike Wiley, class of 1995; and Shakespearean scholar and Catawba College Professor Emeritus of English Bethany Sinnott.
Cindy Gudger Baldwin has been a leader on the North Carolina theatre scene for 40 years. Her proudest moments have come from her long work with children's theatre. Currently a teacher at the Claxton School for the Arts and Humanities in Asheville, Baldwin, among other responsibilities, directs musicals using over 100 4th and 5th graders.
Baldwin has also stage managed Western North Carolina educational, community, and professional theatre productions for decades, including those at the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, North Carolina Stage Company, and Asheville Community Theatre, where she has directed as well.
Among Baldwin's many other and varied Asheville theatre related activities are yearly responsibilities with their Bele Chere Festival, work with an all-female comedy group, LYLAS, and casting responsibilities for commercials and movies filmed in the area.
Nancy Pipkin-Hutchinson is currently on the faculty of the International Academy of Design and Technology in Sacramento, Calif., where she teaches courses relating to sketching, drafting, construction, and the design of theatre costumes. In addition, Pipkin-Hutchinson is a very busy California Bay Area costume designer.
With theatre graduate study at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California-Davis, Pipkin-Hutchinson has performed professional costume design responsibilities in Sacramento, Calif., for B Street Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company, Capital Stage, and California State University.
She has also designed for California's Aurora Theatre Company, Sierra Repertory Theatre, The Foothill Theatre Company, Falcon's Eye Theatre, and Solano Youth Theatre, among many others. Pipkin-Hutchinson's professional responsibilities in wardrobe, cutting, shop management, as well as other costume related areas, are extensive.
Mike Wiley is a professional actor, playwright, teacher, and originator of one-man plays.
Wiley, as writer, director and actor, tours his numerous one-man shows to theatres, community centers, and schools throughout the Southeast. With a Master of Fine Arts degree from the professional acting program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, he uses his many theatre talents to bring audiences to a Montgomery bus boycott or a Jackie Robinson major league baseball game or the trial of the man who murdered Emmett Till.
During this year, the film version of one of his plays took the best film award at the Black International Film Festival. This fall, Wiley has acted in an August Wilson play, as well as started work on the filming of yet another screen adaptation of one of his plays. Next spring, he hopes to create a one-man production in which he will play, among others, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Nina Simone.
Bethany Sinnott taught Catawba College Shakespeare classes every semester for 41 years. She also worked on all but one of the theatre arts department's Shakespearean productions during those years.
Sinnott also served Catawba students as director of the Hurley School of Humanities, chair of the department of English, and director of the college honors program. Among other honors, she was selected for Catawba's Swink Award for outstanding classroom teaching and the Trustee Award for outstanding service to the College.
With faithful attendance at almost all of the Catawba theatre productions over her years, amounting to several hundred, Sinnott was selected to be an honorary Blue Masque member and later made an honorary Blue Masque patron.
Sinnott was recognized by the South Atlantic Association of Departments of English with its outstanding teacher award in 2006.
Immediately preceding the Hall of Fall induction ceremony, current and former Catawba theatre arts students presented a talent showcase in Hedrick Theatre.
(Photos by Sean Meyers www.seanmeyersphotography.com)
Catawba College's Blue Masque Theatre Hall of Fame will honor four new inductees on Friday, October 26, during the college's Homecoming Weekend. Those being honored for their meritorious lives in the theatre arts include theatre administrator and preservationist John Bell, theatre arts class of 1976; dance administrator, choreographer, and teacher Richard Steinert, theatre arts class of 1981; composer, song writer and sound designer Mike Yionoulis, theatre arts class of 1988; and longtime Catawba theatre arts professor, Dayna Anderson.
This year's Blue Masque Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Hedrick Theatre at 8 p.m. on Oct. 26th. Immediately preceding the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, at 7:30 p.m., current and former Catawba theatre arts students will present a talent showcase in Hedrick Theatre. Tickets, which include admission to this showcase, the induction ceremony, and a reception, may be purchased through the alumni office of Catawba College by calling (704) 637-4394.
John Bell is currently the president and CEO of Tampa Theatre, Tampa Florida. A talented actor, as well as all-around theatre student while at Catawba, he is remembered for his strong performances in plays such as The Birthday Party, Midsummer Nights Dream, and House of Blue Leaves.
Upon graduation from Catawba, he was chosen as program coordinator for the North Carolina Arts Council in Raleigh, N.C. Three years later, he moved to Greensboro to become the managing director of The Carolina Theatre. Under his direction, this historic movie palace, built in 1927, was transformed into Greensboro's primary performing arts center. Bell was next selected, in 1985, for his current position at the Tampa Theatre, where he is responsible for the overall preservation, restoration, programming and direction of the 1926 1,446-seat historic theatre facility. Under Bell's leadership Tampa Theatre has received many awards and gained national attention. LIFE magazine listed Tampa Theatre as “One of America's 21 Wonders,” Delta Sky Magazine recognized the theatre as one of the “Top Ten Iconic Show Places in the World,” while USA Today called it “One of the Top Ten Places to Revel in Cinematic Grandeur.” A national leader in theatre management and restoration, Bell is president-elect of the League of Historic American Theatres.
Richard Steinert is currently artistic director of Ballet Pensacola, Pensacola, Florida; on the University of West Florida dance faculty; and is scholar-in-residence at The Bishops School in La Jolla, California. Steinert's strong interest in dance, while still a theatre arts student at Catawba, helped influence the initiation of the department's musical theatre major soon after.
Since graduating from Catawba College, Steinert has served as director of Ballet Arkansas, director of Ballet Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut, and as a founding director of Connecticut Contemporary Ballet Theatre. His choreographic work on more than 30 original ballets was sanctioned by such funding organizations as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation. He has held seats on the Board of Directors of the Midwestern Arts Alliance, the Alcoa National Choreographic Awards, and was appointed by President Bill Clinton to a seat on his Arts-In-Education Committee. Steinert's choreographic work is critically acclaimed for its innovation and collaborative blending of theatre and dance.
Mike Yionoulis is a composer and songwriter who works in film, television and theatre. Yionoulis first gained success as a composer while still a student at Catawba College with his rock musical Oedipus Rox, a contemporary musical theatre adaptation of Oedipus Rex. He also distinguished himself as one of Catawba's leading performers in productions such as Pippin, West Side Story, A Chorus Line, and Hair. Since graduation, his work as a composer and sound designer for theatre have included the New York premieres of Three Days of Rain at the Manhattan Theatre Club, Everett Beekin at Lincoln Center Theatre, The Maiden's Prayer at the Vineyard Theatre, as well as the critically acclaimed Ohio State Murders, which received the 2008 Lortel Award for Best Revival. He wrote the music and lyrics for The King Stag which premiered at the Yale Repertory Theatre, while his Flights of Angels, still in development, received a workshop production at New York's Second Stage, with an all-star cast including Brian D'Arcy James in the title role. Yionoulis' most recent work is Redhand Guitar which was a finalist for the Richard Rodgers Award and received a workshop production at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.
Professor Dayna Anderson has been with Catawba College's theatre arts department since 1981. A specialist in performance theory, Anderson has gained recognition for her work with actors who are just beginning their performance art, particularly women. Selected for post graduate study in acting, her experiences include study with the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Theatre Association's Conference on Women in Theatre. Many other post graduate acting studies have been in the Alexander Technique. Anderson's long commitment to the Alexander Technique has lasted for twenty-five years, culminating with her recent graduation from the Alexander Alliance in Philadelphia and marking her as a teacher uniquely versed in both the American and British approaches to the Alexander Technique. Also a director, more than fifty percent of her productions have been at Catawba where she has offered students a wide and meaningful range of performance opportunities. Honored by Catawba College for her pedagogical skills and creative teaching she was awarded the Swink Award for Classroom Teaching.
Four new inductees to the Catawba College Blue Masque Theatre Hall of Fame will be honored on October 21 during the college's Homecoming Weekend. Those being honored for their meritorious lives in the theatre arts are New York based actor Bill Tatum, class of 1970; theatre entrepreneur Jerry Moore, class of 1974; New York costumer and wardrobe supervisor Ginnie Patton, class of 1979; and Charlotte, N.C. designer, director and actor Jim Gloster, class of 1984.
Bill Tatum has been a working actor for 40 years. In preparation, Tatum starred in many Blue Masque productions while at Catawba College. Lending his acting talents to productions such as Billy Budd, Becket, J.B., You Can't Take It With You, Barefoot In The Park, The Dark of the Moon, and numerous others, he earned the Sidney Blackmer best actor award before receiving his B.A. in theatre arts. In New York, Tatum quickly earned his entry into the Actors Equity Association in 1971 and the Screen Actors Guild, as well as the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, soon after. His union cards in hand, he has performed on the Broadway stage in productions such as Man of La Mancha; in off-Broadway theatres such as the Equity Library Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, and Provincetown Rep; and has done extensive work in numerous regional theatres throughout the United States. Tatum has been seen on television in such diverse shows as Law and Order, The Chris Rock Show, and One Life To Live. In addition, he has appeared in over 100 television commercials. His film work includes The Thomas Crown Affair and Plutonium, among others. Tatum is married to the Tony Award winning Broadway actress, Karen Ziemba.
Jerry Moore, a Rowan County, N.C. native, graduated with a Catawba College interdisciplinary major in "Literature and the Arts." This concentration of English, theatre, and music courses resulted in numerous entrepreneurial adventures both as student and professional. As a part of his Catawba studies, Moore directed a production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, featuring both college and community players. Following this production, he raised enough capital from members of the Salisbury community to form "Playmoore Productions" with the plan to tour non-equity professional productions. Moore's first venture was the very popular musical Godspell. After gaining exclusive rights to originate and produce the first non-equity tour of this musical, his production of Godspell was cast in New York and toured the southeast and mid-west United States for almost two years. This production of Godspell launched Moore's professional career as well as that of soon-to-be Broadway and television star Scott Holmes, also from the Catawba College class of 1974. Moore then based his center of operation in New York City, where, among other activities, he worked on national bus and truck tours of Broadway shows. Moore's meteoric career was cut short by his early death in 1987.
Ginnie Patton has made her living for the last 20 years as a wardrobe supervisor and costumer in New York. Originally from Hershey, Pennsylvania, Patton was active in all areas of theatre while at Catawba College and received the theatre department's two most coveted awards, The Florence Busby Corriher Outstanding Achievement Award in 1978 and The Augustine Daly Award for "outstanding student of the year" in 1979. Upon graduation, Patton went directly to the University of Illinois where she received a Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design. After arriving in New York, she first worked with the New York Shakespeare Festival, then with Playwrights Horizons, where she dressed the original production of Driving Miss Daisy. Drawn also to film work, she has worked on many Woody Allen films, including Bullets Over Broadway and Mighty Aphrodite. Other feature film work has included being wardrobe supervisor for Barbra Streisand in The Mirror Has Two Faces and working with stars such as Sandra Bullock, William Hurt, and Meryl Streep on their films. She also found time to serve ten years as wardrobe supervisor for the television series Law and Order: SVU. Patton was recently an additional wardrobe supervisorfor the HBO mini-series John Adams and is currently principle wardrobe supervisor for the HBO series Boardwalk Empire.
Jim Gloster has made Charlotte, N.C. the center of operation for his successful theatre, television, and film career. A talented Catawba College performer, receiving numerous Blue Masque acting awards; director, chosen to direct a Blue Masque main stage production; and designer, Gloster was honored with the theatre department's Florence Busby Corriher Outstanding Achievement Award in his senior year. Upon graduation, it didn't take long for Charlotte to discover Gloster's many theatre talents. Gloster received Charlotte's Best Designer Award for productions performed in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, and 2004. While also discovering his theatre talents in demand as an actor and director, he somehow found time to begin working in film and television. Gloster received the 2001 Art Directors Guild Award for "outstanding production values in a TV movie" for The Last Brickmaker In America, starring Sidney Poitier. He was nominated for the same award in 2004. Gloster currently makes his living in art direction for feature films and television. Recent credits include Talladega Nights, She's Out of My League, and The Other Guys. He has just finished his third season, in the same capacity, on the HBO series, Eastbound And Down. The recent film, Aphasia, which he wrote and directed, is currently touring various film festivals across the country.
Catawba College's Blue Masque Hall of Fame inductees will be honored as part of the college's Homecoming Weekend activities.
This year's Blue Masque Hall of Fame induction ceremony and reception will held in Hedrick Little Theatre at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 8. Those being honored include Billy Burke, Class of '38; Dr. Susan Vick, Class of '67; Reid Leonard, Class of '76; and Greg Alexander, Class of '81.
The purpose of the Catawba College Blue Masque Hall of Fame is to recognize and perpetuate the noteworthy theatre tradition of Catawba College by honoring and memorializing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to this tradition. Inductees into the Hall of Fame must have either attended Catawba College as a full time student, been employed at Catawba as a full or part time faculty/staff member, or contributed to the success of the Blue Masque by performing outstanding service as a volunteer.
The following individuals are recognized for their meritorious life in theatre:
Billy Burke was dubbed "Salisbury's Mr. Music" in a Salisbury Post article written in the 1950s. Born September 30, 1917, Burke had his first piano lesson at age nine. Upon finishing high school, he entered Catawba College, continuing his musical training there while cleaning the music building to pay his tuition. But, Burke's dream of finishing his college degree and becoming a concert pianist were ended by the Great Depression. Instead, he entered Salisbury Business College before working in a series of business related positions, including 30 years as employment manager for N.C. Finishing Company, 19 years as personnel manager at Zimmerman's Clothing Store, and another 10 years in the same capacity for Leon's Clothing Store. During these years he continued his musical career, playing for weddings, concerts, churches, accompanying singers on radio and television, becoming the official pianist for the Miss Salisbury beauty pageants, and numerous like events. One of his proudest moments came when he was asked to compose the music for Catawba College's production of "Huck Finn" in 1954. He wrote 13 songs for the first production and added 2 more when the script was updated for another run in 1958. He has played with the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra, while musical selections from "Huck Finn" have been performed by the North Carolina and Salisbury Symphony Orchestras. The Blue Masque named its highly coveted musical award in his honor, The Huck Finn Award. Burke was named Salisbury's "Young Man of the Year" in 1952. And, he has attained the rank of Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League.
Dr. Susan Vick graduated from Catawba College in 1967 with a major in drama. A Blue Masque president and recipient of numerous on-stage and off-stage awards, Vick's many student accomplishments were recognized with the Florence Busby Corriher Outstanding Achievement Award. Upon graduation, Vick toured with the National Children's Theatre before entering Southern Methodist University where she completed a master of fine arts in directing. After teaching at Bowdoin College in Maine and Appalachian State in North Carolina, Vick entered the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, where she completed her Ph.D. in theatre. She then joined the faculty at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts in 1982 and is currently professor of drama/theatre and director of theatre. At WPI, Vick was the first woman to win the Trustees Award for Outstanding Teaching. Other honors include the Alpha Phi Omega Service to Students Award. She has been recognized twice by "Who's Who in Entertainment" and is included in "Who's Who in America, Millennium Edition." In addition to the numerous plays directed at WPI, Vick has staged productions in Boston, Northampton, Amherst, and has thrice toured productions to the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe in Scotland. She has written plays that have been produced off-Broadway and in regional, educational and international venues. Vick is a published poet and has adapted several of Shakespeare's plays for children's theatre.
Reid Leonard graduated cum laude in 1976, with a double major in theatre and English. A native of Lexington, N.C., Leonard excelled in virtually all areas of theatre while at Catawba. Using his training as actor, director, playwright, and designer, Leonard accepted, upon graduation, a teaching position with the Greensboro City Schools. Recipient of the Terry Sanford Award "for creativity and innovation in teaching," he also received numerous statewide theatre awards while teaching at first Page High School and then Weaver Education Center. In addition, for 12 summers, Leonard was also a drama instructor at the Governor's Schools of North Carolina in first Laurinburg and then Winston-Salem. Upon completion of the master of fine arts in directing from Northwestern University, Leonard became a member of the Catawba College theatre faculty for two years. Beginning in 1986 to the present, Leonard has been the director of Piedmont Players Theatre in Salisbury. In this capacity, he has directed and designed sets and lights for 150 plays, to date. And, while director he also oversaw the purchase and renovation of the Meroney Theatre, Piedmont Player's primary theatre structure, as well as the Norvell Theatre, Piedmont Player's youth theatre facility. Piedmont Players was recognized in 2003 for its outstanding work in community theatre by the North Carolina Theatre Conference. Author of several plays, Leonard's stage adaptation of Clyde Edgerton's "Walking Across Egypt" continues to be performed throughout the southeast.
Greg Alexander, a native of Charlotte, N.C., began his study of theatre at Catawba in 1977. A strong and versatile actor, musician and general theatre practitioner, Alexander twice won the department's "outstanding actor award," as well as the Augustine Daly Award for "outstanding theatre student of the year." Upon leaving Catawba, Alexander was accepted into the Actor's Theatre of Louisville apprentice program in Louisville, Kentucky. Additional early professional training and experience included work with the Clyde Vinson Studio in New York, the Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the People's Light and Theatre Company in Malvern, Pennsylvania. In 1989, Alexander was asked to be a part of the fledgling Fantasy Theatre For Children in Sacramento, California. Twenty-one years later, he continues to serve the Northern California theatre audiences as actor, director, and writer. Currently a member of the B Street Theatre acting company, his productions for youth, such as "The Golden Harp," a musical which he wrote and directed, reach out to over 200,000 students yearly. His acting performances for B Street Theatre have ranged from the one-man show "I Am My Own Wife," the Pulitzer Prize winning play in which he played 32 characters, to a leading role in "A Christmas Carol." His directing duties for B Street have included the critically acclaimed adult drama "Wit," as well as numerous youth productions, such as "Junie B. Jones." Alexander has also performed with the Foothill Theatre Company, Sacramento Theatre Company, and California Stage Company, among others.
Homecoming Weekend will again include Blue Masque Hall of Fame festivities. After last year's rousing start, four new outstanding individuals from Catawba's rich theatre tradition will be added to the Hall of Fame. This year's induction ceremony will be held in Hedrick Theatre on the night of Friday, October 2nd at approximately 9:30 p.m., immediately after the production of The Women. A reception will follow on Keppel Auditorium stage.
The purpose of the Catawba College Blue Masque Hall of Fame is to recognize and perpetuate the noteworthy theatre tradition of Catawba College by honoring and memorializing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to this tradition. Inductees into the Hall of Fame must have either, attended Catawba College as a full time student, been employed at Catawba as a full or part time faculty/staff member, or contributed to the success of the Blue Masque by performing outstanding service as a volunteer. The following individuals are recognized for their meritorious life in theatre.
James R. (Epp) Epperson spent twenty-six years at Catawba College before retiring in 2002. The Jefferson-Pilot professor of theatre arts, Epperson served as theatre arts department chair for the last seventeen of those years, while also acting as associate dean and then dean of the school of performing arts. Under his leadership, the theatre arts department was repeatedly listed by the Princeton Review as one of the top undergraduate theatre programs in the nation. Epperson has been honored by Catawba College with the "Trustee Award for Outstanding Service;" by the North Carolina Theatre Conference with the "Herman Middleton Service Award," as well as with the "Marian Smith Distinguished Career in Theatre Award;" and by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival with its "John F. Kennedy Medallion of Excellence." Also a director, with over eighty productions to his credit, the Blue Masque established the "Jim Epperson Outstanding Student Director Award" in his honor. Epperson served on the board of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, where he presided as college/university chair; the board of the North Carolina Theatre Conference, acting as its president and playwriting chair; and the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, serving on its regional executive committee and as its playwriting chair. He holds the Ph.D. from Florida State University and M.A. and B.A. degrees from the University of Arkansas. Married to the former Lucinda Covington, he has two children, Heather and Robert, and two grandchildren.
Nina Louise Tucker worked at Catawba College for forty-two years before retiring in 1986. A native of Cheraw, South Carolina and a 1944 alumna of Catawba College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Tucker first served as secretary to the college registrar, then as associate registrar, and later as assistant to the vice president for planning and academic services. Tucker has been honored by Catawba College with the "Trustee Award for Outstanding Service," the "Exemplary Life Service Award," the "Distinguished Alumnus Award," and the "O.B. Michael Outstanding Alumnus Award." "The Louise Tucker Staff Council Award" and "The Louise Tucker Endowed Scholarship" have also been established at Catawba in her honor. Described as "a fountain of knowledge about Catawba and its people," Tucker's dedication to and knowledge of the Blue Masque have covered all but its first fifteen years. In retirement, as when she was a Catawba student and staff member, she serves as an ambassador for the Blue Masque. Tucker's longtime service to Catawba's theatre arts was first recognized by the Blue Masque when she was made an "Honorary Member of the Blue Masque." She was later honored with the "Blue Masque Lifelong Patron" designation.
Mark Fincannon received his B. A. degree from Catawba College in 1980 with a double major in theatre arts and speech communication. Soon after graduation, Fincannon formed, with his brother, Fincannon and Associates, a motion picture and television casting company. Now, a veteran casting director for thirty years, he has been responsible for casting over 125 feature films, 100 television movies of the week, seven television mini-series, and hundreds of hours of television series, including three full seasons of "Matlock" and six seasons of "Dawson's Creek." Fincannon is a member of the Academy of Television of Arts & Sciences and has won their 1998 Emmy for the casting of Tom Hank's H.B.O. series, "From The Earth To The Moon." He is currently casting the seventh season of "One Tree Hill," as well as launching a new television series for LIFETIME TV entitled "Drop Dead Diva." A member of the Casting Society of America, his casting company was nominated in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2006 for their casting award. While at Catawba, the theatre arts department awarded Fincannon the 1979 "Florence Busby Corriher Special Achievement Award," its highest student honor. He and his wife Sharon have four daughters, Christian, Mary, Naomi, and Heather.
David H. McCorkle completed his theatre degree at Catawba in 1963. Upon graduation McCorkle moved to New York City, finding roles in off-Broadway, off-off Broadway, summer stock, and touring productions. In these productions he worked with such notables as Barbara Harris, Carol Channing, and Terrance McNally. In 1986 McCorkle completed the masters degree in social work from New York University, receiving their "Chancellor's Award for Community Service." As a social worker and psychotherapist, he incorporated his theatrical knowledge into a vital part of helping children recover from trauma and mental illness. Working with the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services and as a facilitator for their Sanctuary Project, he coordinated, among other services, a program for performing artists living with HIV. Championing therapeutic theatre, he uses drama techniques in therapeutic climates for vulnerable youth and those that care for them. As a consultant for the "Sanctuary Model" he has traveled across America, and most recently Northern Ireland and Scotland as a trainer in these techniques. He was also involved in assisting with emotional recovery following 9/ll. McCorkle is now a board member of Creative Alternatives of New York in which he "interweaves the metaphoric world of theatre with group psychology."
The Blue Masque Hall of Fame inducted its first class of honorees on the Sunday of Homecoming Weekend, October 19, 2008, in the Peeler Crystal Lounge of the Robertson College-Community Center.
The purpose of the Catawba College Blue Masque Hall of Fame is to recognize and perpetuate the noteworthy theatre tradition of Catawba College by honoring and memorializing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to this tradition. Inductees into the Hall of Fame must have either attended Catawba College as a full time student, been employed at Catawba as a full or part time faculty/staff member, or contributed to the success of the Blue Masque by performing outstanding service as a volunteer. The following individuals are recognized for their meritorious life in theatre.
Florence Fransioli Busby Corriher joined the Catawba faculty in 1925. Shortly thereafter, she founded the Blue Masque drama club, the first club on the new Salisbury campus and directed its first production, The New Poor. In addition to directing high quality productions and developing Catawba's first academic studies in theatre, Corriher was also very active in the state drama association, serving as its president and directing award-winning productions for its yearly play festival. She died in 1979.
Cecile Rowe Bost was Catawba's first theatre arts major, graduating cum laude in 1946. After graduation Bost distinguished herself as a pioneer in radio and television, becoming one of the first female newscasters in North Carolina. She served as president of the North Carolina Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television, was named to the Broadcast Pioneers Library in Washington, and was listed in Who's Who of American Women. Bost died in 1991.
Burnet M. Hobgood joined the Catawba faculty in 1950. He established the department of drama and speech, developing its first full major in drama. Under his leadership, Catawba theatre gained national attention because of its innovative programs, which included bringing budding playwrights to campus for premier productions, and international acclaim when it represented the United States at the first International Festival of Amateur Theatre in Monte Carlo. Hobgood died in 2001.
Hoyt M. McCachren, Jr. spent 41 theatre seasons at Catawba before retiring from its faculty in 1994. An undergraduate theatre major at Catawba, McCachren also holds an M.A. from the University of Oregon and the Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Joining the theatre faculty in 1957, he served as theatre arts department chair from 1974 to 1983, then served as dean of the school of performing arts from 1983 until 1991. McCachren was recognized twice with the Catawba Trustee Award for Outstanding Service, while the North Carolina Theatre Conference presented him with its Distinguished Career Award.
Robert B. Hill received his degree in theatre from Catawba in 1961. He later gained the MFA degree in theatre from Southern Methodist University before teaching at the University of Southern Mississippi from 1970 until his retirement in 2000. Accomplished in teaching, technical theatre, acting, and directing, Hill received the Mississippi Theatre Association Award for Career Contributions to Theatre and had two USM productions selected to be performed at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Washington, D.C.
James E. Parker retired from the theatre arts department in 2003 after 33 years of service. Holding the MFA in theatre from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Parker was the department's costume designer for most of his tenure, while also teaching many of its technical theatre courses. As a director, among others, he mounted 14 Shakespearean productions. He adapted plays, taught performance and literature classes, and acted. Parker was awarded Catawba's Swink Award for Outstanding Classroom Teaching.
J. Denise Nuzum Perrino, theatre arts teacher in Fairfax County, Virginia for 30 years, graduated from Catawba's theatre department in 1974. In addition to teaching at two high schools and two middle schools during her career, she has directed hundreds of productions, and is an area theatre leader and mentor. The recipient of numerous teaching and directing awards, Perrino was most recently chosen to direct a production at the American High School Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Scott Holmes is a 1974 Catawba theatre and music graduate. He has appeared in numerous productions on Broadway and in Broadway touring companies, including Evita, Grease, The Robber Bridegroom, Shenandoah, and The Rink. Holmes is best known for his 31-year run as Tom Hughes in the daytime drama, As The World Turns, for which he has received best supporting actor and best actor awards and nominations. His nightclub act, Alone For The First Time, is another extension of his strong talent.
