THE 32nd ARTS AWARDS
For Distinguished Service to the Arts
in the Capital Region

History

Awards for Distinguished Service to the Arts in the Capital Region

Established in 1989, the Awards for Distinguished Service to the Arts in the Capital Region are presented under the auspices of Theatre Harrisburg, the region’s oldest performing arts organization. The Arts Awards gala and theatrical production, patterned after the Kennedy Center Honors, is a black-tie-optional evening that has become an important tradition in the Capital Region and is one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the cultural calendar. The distinguished roster of past recipients includes artists and arts leaders, philanthropists and visionaries, educators, organizations and companies, all of which have had a significant impact on the cultural life of the area.

The concept of a community-wide Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts emerged in 1988 after Harrisburg Community Theatre (now Theatre Harrisburg) staged “Accolades & Applause,” an evening to honor a longtime and devoted friend, the late Margaret B. Masters, and to celebrate the achievements of three distinguished “HCT” alumni – TV writer/producer Carmen Finestra, New York City Opera’s Leigh Munro (the former Peggy Zimmerman Craig), and the late Broadway musician/conductor Leonard Oxley. The success of the event and the enthusiastic response prompted the Theatre to create an annual Arts Award that would go beyond the HCT family to recognize individuals and organizations in the community-at-large.

In 2005, in lieu of the Arts Awards, an event was staged to honor Theatre Harrisburg’s Artistic Director, Thomas G. Hostetter, for 25 years of service.

Arts Award recipients are selected by past Honorees. The Award to an Individual recognizes extraordinary contributions to the arts through one’s leadership, service, support or artistic achievement. It is given without regard to paid/non-paid or professional/amateur status and is awarded to one whose work or contribution is regularly present in the Capital Region. The Award to a Company, Organization or Group recognizes an extraordinary overall contribution to the region’s artistic and cultural growth through leadership, vision and persistence, or through a financial or organizational commitment that sets new standards in fostering and/or nurturing the arts in general.

Theatre Harrisburg was founded as Harrisburg Community Theatre in 1926 in the early days of the “Little Theater” movement, The Theatre’s critically acclaimed productions are a collaboration between the Theatre’s full-time artistic and administrative staff and local volunteer actors, technicians and backstage talent.