Founders' Awards, Playhouse San Antonio, August 26, 2017 (with some SA Theatre History)

 

 

Broadway Sings: The Playhouse Awards & Preview Show

Presented by Valero Energy

Inaugural Award Recipients

 

 

 

Please join us on August 26th in celebrating these incredible people that contribute to our organization in so many ways. 

 

Sarah Barton Bindley Lifetime Achievement Award

Honoree: Lee Cusenbary

A true visionary and pioneer, Sarah Barton Bindley, a dramatic arts instructor teaching in Mexico City, fled the Mexican Revolution for San Antonio where she founded the San Antonio Dramatic Club in 1912. This club became the first amateur theatrical group dedicated to performing full-scale drama productions locally and would later transition into the San Antonio Little Theater. This same year, the Little Theaters of Chicago and Boston initially launched the community theater movement in the United States. Her passion and main interest was to advance the cause of theater art at every opportunity. Bindley also founded the San Antonio Players Club. As reported in the San Antonio Light, “Mrs. Bindley has been untiring in her efforts to maintain the interest in drama, insisting that there is an unusual amount of talent in the city and urges that this talent be mobilized for the staging and study of the best in drama.”

 

 Eleanor Bennett Benevolence Award

Honoree (Individuals): The Aleman Family

As the Little Theater movement progressed and the San Antonio Little Theater productions reached a broader audience throughout the community, a group of affluent citizens and performers recognized the need to solidify the presence of local theater. Formally organizing a theater group would enable the group to operate within a sound budget, increase its supporting membership, and identify a location to call home. Mrs. John Bennett was the de facto leader of this group, often meeting in her home. It was in April 1927 that Mrs. Bennett appointed a committee of three- Arthur Harris, Gilbert Lang, and Henry B. Dielman to apply for a corporate charter from the State of Texas. On April 6, the three applicants filed a fifty-year charter with the State of Texas as the Little Theater Production Company of San Antonio. As she led her band of performers through the formalities, it was evident that she would be nominated to serve as its first president. She enlisted the assistance of a pillar of the older Little Theater, Mrs. Edward A. Wilson. This maneuver was so successful, it even convinced Sarah Barton Bindley to join in this new effort, which in turn, made others follow her high-minded example. With the organizational genius of Mrs. Bennett, coupled with the determined amateurism of non-professionals such as Mrs. Bindley, community drama once again became a reality in San Antonio.

 

 

Founders Philanthropy Award

Henry Dielmann – Arthur Harris – Gilbert Lang

Honoree (Corporate): Valero Foundation

In 1927, Mrs. Bennett appointed a committee of three... Arthur Harris, Gilbert Lang, and Henry B. Dielmann... to apply for a corporate charter from the State of Texas. On April 6, the three applicants filed a fifty-year charter, for which they paid ten dollars, with James Y. McCollum, Secretary of State under Governor Dan Moody. In effect, by incorporating, the committeemen formed themselves into a voluntary association- the Little Producing Company of San Antonio.

 

Carl Glick Creative Impact Award

Honoree: Molly Cox

Carl Glick was one of the most respected contemporaries on civic theater in the United States and the first professional director of the San Antonio Little Theater in 1927. Without a permanent home for SALT and performing throughout the city in locations such as Beethoven Hall and the Menger Hotel, he spearheaded the search for a permanent building site. He successfully petitioned City and on January 22, 1930 San Pedro Playhouse was opened as the first city-built, city-funded theater in the United States. The theater was dedicated as “A Little Theater for the pleasure of all people and the interest of all arts…May this building inspire the people of San Antonio to give their city those things which for their simplicity and truth shall endure forever.” Carl Glick was described as “a man with diverse talents,” and was an actor, play director, English professor, and writer. During his lifetime he published seventeen books and nine plays, as well as many short stories and magazine articles. He was a professor at the Universities of Colorado, New York and California Western University among others prior to coming to San Antonio.

 

 

 Joe Salek Influential Performance Award

Honoree: Robert Vance

Joseph Salek’s interest in dramatics began at the age of three or four when his grandmother pushed him on the stage and he directed his first show in kindergarten. Throughout his education, Joe actively participated in theatrical events which eventually caused him to leave his original vocation as a minister and pursue his Master of Arts degree. In 1949, the San Antonio Little Theater was seeking to attract and secure the most qualified individual to lead the organization that was experiencing a resurgence of civic pride after World War II. As one of four national applicants, Joe Salek overwhelmingly stood out over all other candidates and was convinced to come to San Antonio to lead SALT and continue to improve the artistic quality of dramatic productions. Having agreed initially to serve for one year, Joe Salek is the longest-serving Executive Director to date, having served from 1949-1976. During his tenure, he tremendously improved and enhanced the organization’s image, expanded the types and number of stage productions, negotiated the first long-term lease of The San Pedro Playhouse, reconfigured the main auditorium to its current design, and even started the Fiesta tradition and production of Corny-ation. Through his lively interest in drama, cultural innovations and spirited public relations, Joe Salek is still synonymous with local theater in San Antonio.

 

Jean Longwith Volunteerism Award

Honoree: Carrie Daniels

Jean Longwith formed the Community Players, another group of non-professionals thespians, shortly after World War II ended and the San Antonio Little Theater was in reorganization. What was perceived initially as spirited competition but also a threat of exploitation of community theater, the Community Players were staging productions that rivaled the quality of the San Antonio Little Theater. The leadership of both groups realized that a merger of the two groups would bring even greater support to local theater. In January 1947, the groups announced their merger and jointly announced the appointment of Jean Longwith as the producing director for the productions for the remainder of the season, which would continue through the 1948/49 season. Her stature at the theater continued to grow, after being invited to participate in board meetings and the board following her suggestion to join the American National Theater and Academy, giving national exposure to local dramatic activities. Mrs. Longwith’s contributions to the advancements in the arts and media locally included: Chairman of the Speech and Drama Department at Jefferson High School; Initiating, designing and developing the curriculum for the Radio-TV-Film Department art San Antonio College; Securing the charter and serving as first president of the San Antonio Chapter of the International Television Association; President of the San Antonio Branch of the American Association of University Women; Producer and Director of the Summer Dance Festival for the City for 17 years; Charter member of the San Antonio Delta Kappa Gamma Society, and; appointed to the San Antonio Bicentennial Committee, the Fine Arts Commission, and serving as Chairman of the San Antonio Cable Television Advisory Committee. Her contributions to the arts and media were recognized with her selection to the San Antonio Hall of Fame in 1989.

 

Our NEW GALA and AWARDS/PREVIEW SHOW At the Empire Theater!

Join us for an evening full of music as some of Broadway's biggest stars sing from The Playhouse San Antonio's upcoming season. Our line up includes: Sarah Uriarte Berry (Drama Desk Nominee- The Light In the Piazza), Charl Brown (2013 Tony Nominee-Motown), Kendal Hartse (Cabaret/Cinderella), Carrie St. Louis (Wicked), Jason Michael Snow (Book of Mormon/South Pacific), Kate Rockwell (Bring it On- The Musical), and Christeena Riggs (Les Miserables).

 

At 6 p.m. dinner is served by Absolutely Delicious Catering & Events and we will present our first Annual Founder's Awards! Listen to incredible artists sing selections from their favorite Broadway Credits!

Reserve a seat for the dinner/awards (or a private table for 2, 4 or 8) by clicking HERE. 

 At 8 p.m. listen to our special Broadway guests singing songs of our upcoming season from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, All is Calm, Assassins, If/Then, The Bridges of Madison County, and Mamma Mia!

To reserve a seat for the preview show only, click HERE. 

 

Presented by Valero Energy

With support from NuStar Energy + Randy Walker and Company

Call our official hotel, Hotel Valencia Riverwalk, at 210-227-9700 for a special room rate the night of the Gala for those attending.

*Special After-Glow Party to be held at the hotel for those that have joined us at the 6 p.m. Dinner (details coming soon)!

The Playhouse was founded as San Antonio Little Theater in 1912, as part of the growing Little Theatre movement sweeping the nation. Now housed in the first city-owned, city-built theater in the U.S., The Playhouse holds a place of pride in San Antonio history. In its time, The Playhouse has produced hundreds of plays and reached an audience of millions, including residents and visitors from all over the world. Each year, The Playhouse’s staff, with the help of nearly 500 volunteers, produces a series of plays in its two theaters. The Russell Hill Rogers Theater is home to larger musicals while the Cellar Theater houses a variety of dramas, comedies, and experimental works. Both stages host original works by local playwrights as well as classic and recent Broadway hits. Each season, The Playhouse contracts hundreds of local artists, showcasing some of San Antonio’s greatest talents.