Educational Theatre Association Honors Kansas Representative Jeff Pittman with Legislator Leadership Advocacy Award

The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) annually awards the Legislator Leadership Award for Arts Education to a legislator who has demonstrated public leadership in support of theatre and other arts education policy and practice on a national or state level.

This year's recipient is Kansas Representative Jeff Pitman of Leavenworth. Representative Pittman, a Democrat, accepted the award at EdTA's Leadership Summit in Kansas City, Missouri on July 20.

The award was created to demonstrate and support the association's ongoing and growing national and state advocacy efforts on behalf of theatre and other arts education. Legislators are considered based on specific actions and outcomes that have demonstrated their leadership in support of theatre and other arts education policy and practice on a national or state level.

Representative Pittman is being recognized for his commitment to arts education in his state and the key role he played in the Kansas Theatre in Our Schools Advocacy Day this past March. Among his many contributions to the success of the event was the securing of a Kansas State Governor's proclamation of Theatre in Our Schools month and a reading of the proclamation on the House and Senate floors. Representative Pittman also gained special permission for attending students to sing in the rotunda balconies and visited individually with them to discuss their concerns regarding theatre and other arts education.

EdTA Executive Director Julie Theobald, who presented the award, said, "Representative Pittman is a shining grassroots example of a legislator who has demonstrated tremendous leadership and support for theatre education in his state. We are thrilled and honored to present this award to him."