GRCT Director Wins National Honor

June 21, 2010 - PRLog -- American Association of Community Theatre
1300 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, TX  76107 866-Our–AACT (687-2228)

June 17, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Grand Rapids Resident Receives National Theatre Award

Penelope Notter of Grand Rapids has been honored with an award from the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT), which will be presented at the awards ceremony prior to performances of AACT International 10, Venice, Fl, June 23, 2010.  

The Distinguished Merit Award is presented to individuals and organizations in recognition of contributions made to promote and develop the highest standards for community theatre.

Penelope Notter began her community theatre career 30 years ago when she joined a volunteer organization in Terre Haute, Indiana. Today she is a 17-year-veteran of Grand Rapids Civic Theatre (GRCT). The theatre’s Associate Director, Penelope has more than 50 main stage and children’s directorial credits. As the theatre’s Education Director, Penelope manages a year-round, full-curriculum for ages four and up. She has served as board member and workshop leader for both the Community Theatre Association of Michigan (CTAM) and AACT, and served as AACT’s Workshops Chairperson for five national AACTFests (1999-2008). She has both facilitated and chaired AACT’s Education Directors Conference. Penelope’s talent has been recognized throughout her career and includes two GRCT Grand Awards: Best Director for a Musical and Best Supporting Actress. In 2009, CTAM honored Penelope with the Robert A. McKenna Community Theatre Achievement Award for her outstanding contribution to state and local theatre.

Photo available:  Contact the AACT Office.

About AACT

•   AACT is the resource for community theatre networking, resources and support to suit the needs of those involved in community theatre.
•   AACT works to be the national voice for community theatres, to show the impact that community theatre has on our nation.
•   AACT sponsors festivals, conferences and learning opportunities to help educate and connect members, in order to ensure community theatre excellence.
•   AACT membership is seen as a stamp of approval for community theatres.
•   AACT provides networking opportunities to members online, in-person and over the phone.

AACT also is the steward of the national adjudicated festival process for community theatres – AACTFest - held every two years.  This festival, in which representatives from AACT’s 10 regions perform before a panel of adjudicators, results in awards of excellence, and invitations for participants to perform at theatre festivals in other parts of the world.  

AACT represents the interests of more than 7,000 theatres–large and small-across the United States and its territories, as well as theatre companies with our Armed Services overseas.  This includes:
•   More than 1.5 million volunteers
•   Combined annual budgets of well over $980 million
•   More than 46,000 productions per year
•   Entertaining a total audience of 86 million people
•   Providing educational and community outreach programs for children, seniors, and underserved populations.

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GR Civic Theatre - 4th largest community theatre in the country and the nation's leading school of theatre arts. Pro-quality productions offer avocational performance and technical opportunity and school instructs movement, dance, voice, acting and tech.