Thursday, February 4, 2021
The Kennedy Center American Community Theater Festival Region 7 has awarded the Horace Robinson/Jack Watson Award to NIC Professor of Theatre and Theatre Director Joe Jacoby.
This award goes to a faculty member in KCACTF Region 7 who shows dedication and support for their students above and beyond the normal duties of college faculty.
The organization had this to say about Joe: "Instantly recognizable with his tie-dyed clothing and positive energy, Joe has been a solid fixture in our region for many years. He has a record of being a wonderful production respondent and often a last-minute replacement if needed. His students and colleagues have nothing but love and praise for him. Joe represents the best of the region in how he treats everyone as a long-lost friend." – kcactf7.org
KCACTF Region 7 comprises Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Hawaii and northern sections of Nevada and California.
“The only thing I can think to say is that as the faculty recipients of this award have been people whom I've especially admired and to be a recipient myself feels surreal,” Joe said. “The only way I can explain it is that my colleagues, on and off campus, are role models and inspirations to me; and the wonderful students I've been blessed to work with at NIC have brought out the best in me.”
In recognition of Joe's affinity for the Beatles, his award includes a commissioned piece of art - a portrait of John Lennon.
Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center’s founding chairman, the Kennedy Center American College Theater (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. The KCACTF has grown into a network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country, where theater departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by KCACTF respondents.