Page 17 - Fall 2023 inLEAGUE with Historic Theatre Resource Guide/Allied Member Directory
P. 17
thE BEst And BriGhtEst honorEd At
nAtionAL ConfErEnCE
In July LHAT recognized outstanding achieve- Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, MI, and
ment within the industry when it announced the Jayhawk Theatre in Topeka, KS.
that Kansas City’s Folly Theater (1900) is the
2023 Outstanding Historic Theatre in America. LHAT OUTSTANDING HISTORIC THEATRE
Additionally, George Levesque, Executive Di- AWARD
rector of the Paramount Theatre of Abilene, The Folly Theater built in 1900 took home the
Texas, was given the 2023 Outstanding Indi- 2023 Outstanding Historic Theatre Award
vidual Contribution Award. during the conference which was attended
The LHAT National Conference, presented in by over 300 historic theatre operators and
a different city each year, is the largest gath- service providers from across North America
ering of historic theatre professionals in the and the United Kingdom. In addition to re-
nation. The conference took place in Kansas ceiving the award, the staff and volunteers
City, Missouri, at the Sheraton Kansas City from The Folly hosted a tour and conference
Hotel at Crown Center. This year’s confer- closing party featuring local BBQ and liba-
ence focused not only on the preservation, tions. Other theatres toured during the con-
restoration and operation of historic theatres, ference included Kansas City’s Uptown and
but also the role arts organizations play in the Midland theatres as well as the Aztec, Liberty
ongoing conversations around diversity, equi- Hall, and Jayhawk in Kansas and the Missouri
ty, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), which the Theatre in St. Joseph.
conference highlighted with presentations “The 1900 Folly Theater stood out among an
from the Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX, the
(Story continues on page 18)
Above: LHAT Board Chair
Becky Hancock, Folly’s
Executive Director Rick
Truman, and LHAT CEO
Ken Stein at the Awards
Ceremony.
Right: Conference
participants enjoyed a tour
and party at the Folly.
Photo Credit: Don Telford
Historic Theatre Resource Guide / Allied Member Directory Fall 2023 INLEAGUE | PAGE 15
