Pandora Productions Given Kentucky Theatre Association’s Karen Willis Award

Pandora Productions was presented with the Kentucky Theatre Association's Karen Willis Award last Saturday evening, November 12, during the Association's 40th Annual Conference held in Madisonville, Kentucky. Michael J. Drury, Artistic Director of Pandora Productions, accepted the award which was given in recognition of the GLBTQ YOUTH PROJECT and THE NEW PLAY PROJECT, two original Pandora Productions that debuted to critical and audience acclaim in 2011.

The GLBTQ YOUTH PROJECT was created through writing workshops, conversations, and interviews with the kids at The Louisville Youth Group (LYG) and the students at the University of Louisville's commonGround LGBTQQIA organization, then formulated into the compelling and unique staged reading that premiered last January. Uniting both groups to share their stories resulted in a theatre production that tears down the walls surrounding the thoughts, feelings and actions of the Louisville community's LGBTQ youth who day after day face a myriad of mixed messages and conflicting emotions.

THE NEW PLAY PROJECT is an enlightening and educational experience that blazes new territory in the evolution of live theatre in Louisville. Throughout Phase 1 of this three-phase project, Pandora put out a national call for new original plays featuring GLBTQ themes, receiving 98 submissions, of which nine semi-finalists were presented to Drury, who then selected four finalists. Now in Phase 2 during Pandora's 2011-2012 Season, audiences are able to see a series of staged reading excerpts from the four that made the final cut. At the conclusion of the evening, each audience determines which one of these plays is most deserving of a full production that will ultimately become part of Pandora's 2012-2013 Season lineup.

Doug Sumey, the Kentucky Theatre Association's President of the Board presented the award to Drury, himself a noted actor/director/producer, and Pandora Productions' Artistic Director since 2001. As Pandora's mission statement was read during the formal introduction, Drury took the stage to accept the award and say a few words about the importance of Pandora's mission both statewide and nationally. "On behalf of everyone at Pandora, I am deeply moved and honored by our selection as the recipient of the 2011 Karen Willis Award," he stated. "To hear the words of our mission read aloud this evening, knowing their power and they have resonated with so many people since our inception is one of the proudest moments of my life." Drury was in Madisonville to adjudicate the Community Theatre Festival held during this year's annual conference, his third consecutive year to do so. In addition to his work with KTA, Drury has adjudicated at a number of Southeastern Theatre Conference Community Theatre Festivals over the past several years.

The Kentucky Theatre Association's mission is to represent theatres on all levels. That mission is realized through the successful pursuit of the following initiatives, with the key focal points of Promoting, Instructing, Advocating, and Facilitating. KTA exists to promote access and interest in theatre across the state of Kentucky; work with professional, college/university, community and high school theatre organizations along with individual artists to enhance communication and promotion opportunities between theatres; and assist Kentucky theatre organizations with efforts to identify and maximize unique attributes that elevate artistic excellence in Kentucky. For more information please contact Susan Pringle at susan.pringle@theatreky.org or 502-558-8970. Visit KTA online at http://www.theatreky.org/.

The Karen Willis Award is named in honor of a woman who exemplifies the citation of "artistic excellence and commitment to transforming Kentucky through theatre." With more than 50 years of service to theatre throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Willis's continuing passion to bring theatre to all Kentuckians is unparalleled. She has acted in and directed over 100 shows, has taught K-University levels, and served as the Community Theatre Chairperson for the Kentucky Theatre Association for over ten years, where she worked with over 60 theatres in the state.

Pandora Productions, founded in 1995 in Louisville, Kentucky, represents the transformational power of theatre. Its mission is to entertain, engage and inspire its audiences, the community, and the greater human communities by presenting bold, cutting-edge theatrical productions that reveal the commonality of all people while investigating the diversity of human nature, particularly the nature of sexual orientation, through artistic expression. Pandora Productions is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization that benefits largely from the generosity of the community. Donations are encouraged and welcomed, in any amount. Please visit http://PandoraProds.org for more information. Follow Pandora on Facebook at facebook.com/pandoraproductions and Twitter at twitter.com/pandoraprods.

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