On the evening of Saturday, April 23, more than 150 supporters came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ѿappUniversity at Trumbull Theatre. Special guests included many current and former professors, players and patrons, as well as Alfreda Brown, Ed.D., Kent State’s vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, Rep. Michael O'Brien and Warren Mayor Doug Franklin.
"Tonight, we celebrate the golden anniversary of university and community theatre,” says Lance Grahn, Ph.D., dean and chief administrative officer for ѿappTrumbull. “This tremendous milestone serves as a launching pad for even greater vitality in our theatre program and as a symbol of our commitment to the arts.”
Former professor Jack L. Brizzi Sr. was recognized for his 50-year legacy of university and community theatre. Brizzi, a speech and theatre instructor who retired in 1992 after spending 27 years on the faculty of ѿappTrumbull, was credited with not only introducing the theatre to students, but also introducing theatre to the university.
Jim Canacci, associate lecturer at ѿappTrumbull, led the audience on a journey from Brizzi’s beginnings through the theatre’s interim direction under former student-turned-technical director Gary Stefanik and then to Daniel-Raymond Nadon, who took the reins after Brizzi’s 1992 retirement. Nadon left in 2014 to accept a position on the Kent Campus where he currently teaches Theatre History, Script Analysis, Theatre and Social Change, and LGBTQ Theatre. Eric Kildow is the current theatre director, coming to ѿappTrumbull in 2015.
Proclamations were read on behalf of Kent State, the Ohio State Senate and Rep. Michael O’ Brien.
For a schedule of upcoming performances or for more information about ѿappTrumbull Theatre, visit www.kent.edu/trumbull/kent-state-trumbull-theatre.
