Ruth Eitemiller To Receive Melissa Hines Backstage Award

Theatre Puget Sound (TPS) and the Gregory Awards proudly announce today that Ruth Eitemiller will be recognized for her contributions to the Seattle theatre community.

The 7th recipient of the Melissa Hines Award was chosen by a panel committed to an equitable selection process. Personal information of nominees was redacted for the first round of reviews as part of this process.

One submission described Ruth as:
"She is one of the most dedicated and thoughtful theatre artists that I work with. She is always striving to create a better show, a better work environment, and better experience for the audience. She is tireless in her dedication to her fellow theatre artists. She is my favorite stage manager to work with because of her commitment to story and to detail."
She will be honored at the 10th Annual Gregory Awards, taking place October 22nd, 2018 at McCaw Hall, hosted by Don Darryl Rivera.

Ruth has known she wanted to be a stage manager ever since she first learned what the job meant. She has spent the last ten years in Seattle working with companies such as ACT, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, and others. She is immensely proud to have been a company member and production manager with New Century Theatre Company over the course of its life, where she helped to create such shows as Mary's Wedding, The Trial, O Lovely Glowworm and The Adding Machine. This spring will be Ruth's second year teaching stage management at Seattle U. She is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University, and is so thankful that her parents have supported her choice of a theatre life.

This category is intended to honor those dedicated individuals who help make theater possible but who often are not recognized by curtain calls, reviews, or awards. This category may include production crew, stage management, teaching artists, volunteers, administrators, board members, donors, or patrons.

"They don't get the audience applause and the critical acclaim. But without the hard work and passionate commitment of behind-the-scenes people like Melissa Hines, Seattle would not have the vibrant performing arts scene the city is celebrated for." ~ Misha Berson, Seattle Times, Obituary for Melissa Hines, April 11, 2011.

The recipient is honored for their involvement with the community over the last year and their dedication equity and inclusion within our field, as well as the health of the broader community.

This honor is named after Melissa Hines, in memoriam. She was the stalwart managing director of the Empty Space Theatre, a board member of various arts institutions, and served in the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Previous winners: John Bradshaw, Laura Campbell, Doug Staley and Roger Huston, Emily Leong, Kyna Shilling, and Louise Butler.

Theatre Puget Sound (TPS) is a leadership and service organization founded in 1997 to advocate for the region's growing theatre community's causes and administer much-needed services. TPS is now the Northwest's premiere arts advocacy and leadership organization. TPS provides programming and services that benefit both the theatre community and the larger regional arts community. Among the many resources available, TPS is responsible for producing the Gregory Awards and the Unified General auditions each year.