Dr. Mark Charney, the dynamic and beloved Director of TTU's School of Theatre and Dance (SOTD), has received yet another well-deserved honor. During the annual meeting of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, April 20-21, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Howard University's Louis Stokes Library, Dr. Charney was inducted into the College of Fellows Class of 2024.
The College of Fellows of the American Theatre is a fifty-nine-year-old theatre organization co-founded by theatre luminaries William McGraw, and Roger L. Stevens. According to its website, its mission is “to promote and encourage the highest standards of research, writing, and creativity in educational and professional theatre through honoring distinguished service and notable accomplishment by individuals of recognized national stature.”
Its membership includes American theatre educators, scholars and practitioners of every kind. Investiture into the organization requires a member nomination with support from two other members and the full support of the Board of Directors.
Joining Charney as 2024 Fellows were: David Crespy, University of Missouri professor and Artistic Director of the Missouri Playwrights Workshop; Thierry Dubost, author, literary editor and professor at the University of Caen, France; Bonnie Fogel, Founder and Former Executive Director of Bethesda's Imagination Stage; Shakespearean actor and Performance Area Head at George Mason University School of Theater, Edward Gero; and playwright Julian Wiles, Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Charleston Stage.
Charney was dauntingly delighted to be “around such smart people.” Among the intelligentsia
was University of Missouri-Kansas City Curators' Professor of Theatre Felicia Londré
who nominated Charney, as well as seconders Dan Carter and Christopher Jones. In
the Citation for Investiture, Londré described Charney as “An internationalist with
a stellar record of theatre administration, program innovation, and service to the
academic theatre profession.”
She went on to say that she could not “do justice to the full range of Mark Charney's contributions in theatre...” Carter, a Fellows Dean Emerita, remarked on how beloved Charney is by students who regard him as a “relentless mentor, a wise sage, a kindhearted friend and someone who cares deeply about young people in the performing arts.” All true.
Charney's many other honors include: the Williams Kerns Award for Achievement in Performing Arts; two gold medallions and seven Meritorious Achievement Awards from the Kennedy Center; 15 Awards for Faculty Excellence from the Clemson University Board of Trustees; the David Mark Cohen Award for Playwriting; the Phil and Mary Bradley Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry; and the TTU Global Engagement Award.
With so many accomplishments already under his belt, do such things still phase Charney? Yes. “It was one of the proudest moments of my life,” he admitted with his signature sparkling-eyes smile, “and the celebration, hosted by Phylicia Rashad, was life changing!” He glowed describing a weekend that included recorded interviews of each new member with their nominator for the organization's archives.
There were also exciting conversations on the state of American theatre, on diversity and inclusion, and keeping young people involved. Charney was impressed by the inclusion of and input from brilliant theatre students from Howard University. No surprise considering that he seems fueled by his engagement with students.
Amid all of the activities and new alliances made, there was less emphasis on being included than what was expected of the new members thereafter. One of the highlights for Charney, besides blushingly chatting with the ever-graceful Ms. Rashad, of course, was the Investiture Luncheon.
Decorated theatre professional Benny Sato Ambush gave the Roger L. Stevens luncheon address. He spoke about the progress that American theatre has made and avenues to address movement in areas that remain stagnant.
There seemed to be no aspect of the weekend that Charney did not love. He gushed about everything from the important ideas shared, to the fact that the organization spends most of its modest budget on scholarships.
His enthusiasm foretells that this honor won't fade into a special memory that sits on a shelf waiting to be dusted. For Charney, it is a call to action, a humbling nod that he is doing something right, which he is, and a charge to continue on the path toward bettering the world of theatre.
He has already incorporated some of the weekend's dynamics into his SOTD faculty retreat. He is bolstered by being recognized for his focus on student success and the positive changes he brought to SOTD including the national and international attention he provides for his students and his creation of WildWind Performance Lab, the Marfa Intensive, and the Tennessee Williams Institute.
Dr. Charney intends to be an active member of the College of Fellows and aspires to one day sit on its board. When that happens, they will be the better for it.
