Morgan will be host of local theater awards

THE VINDICATOR

YOUNGSTOWN — Rich Morgan, WKBN-TV 27 weathercaster, will host the Legends of the Theater Honors. The inaugural awards ceremony for the Youngstown Area Community Theatre Alliance will be Feb. 9 at Youngstown Playhouse.

Morgan, who has been a staple at the CBS affiliate for several years, will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which will honor three area community theater icons for their service to theater and the community.

Patterned closely after the Kennedy Center Honors, the Legends of the Theater will honor three people each year for their service.

The honorees in the initial class are Condi Augustine of New Castle Playhouse, Alexandra Vansuch of Oakland Center for the Arts, and Paul Kimpel (posthumously) of Youngstown Playhouse and Trumbull New Theatre.

Augustine was instrumental in the creation of New Castle Playhouse. Vansuch was the driving force behind the start of the Oakland. Kimpel served as scenic designer for many years at Youngstown Playhouse, and was also a writer and director at both the Youngstown Playhouse and Trumbull New Theatre. All three will be inducted into the new Theatre Hall of Honor, which will be located at the Youngstown Playhouse.

The evening will begin with a cash bar from 6 to 7 p.m. The show and induction ceremonies will take place at 7 p.m. in the Playhouse Main Theater, followed by a formal reception for the honorees in the Playhouse lobby.

Tickets are $15 for the entire evening and may be reserved by calling the Legends box office at (330) 965-9896. Also appearing in the show are Maxine Malvar, Stephanie Ottey, Aaron Franck, Nikita Jones, Robert Noble, Johnny R. Herbert, Vaughn Hudspath, J.E. Ballantyne Jr., Elizabeth Rubino, L.J. “Tess” Tessier, Fran Comstock, Gene DeCaprio, Paula Ferguson and Sis Soller.