The whole idea of theatre is built on a family or a community that comes together to create a work of art,” says Linda Stone, ’65.
In fact, in the case of Linda and her husband Larry, ’64, ’68, coming together to create art is what brought them together as a couple: they met working on a play's set as students at MSU.
Their love and appreciation for theater has been an integral part of their lives ever since.
A recent gift from the Stones will honor the Summer Circle Theatre's 60th anniversary and the passionate leadership of Kirk Domer, the chairperson of the Department of Theatre, who will step down from his position as chair this summer.
With a $50,000 bequest through their estate, the Stones will create the Kirk Domer Summer Circle Theatre Award, which will be awarded each summer to students who show promise in any area of theater production, from performance to playwriting to technical design to stage and arts management.
“It’s important for us to do what we can to foster more relationships, perhaps, like we have,” Larry says.
Linda agrees, “I don’t think we would be the people we are today if it weren’t for Michigan State University and for people like Kirk Domer, who understand the basic importance of the arts in all of our lives, no matter what we do.”
A NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the suspension of in-person activities on campus, the 2020 Summer Circle Theatre season has been postponed until June 2021—a necessary decision, but difficult for SCT participants and fans alike.
But there is a bright spot: everyone involved in putting up this year’s SCT productions, including all graduating seniors and graduate students, will be offered the same roles next year if their schedules permit. In the meantime, many members of this season’s production team have been able to continue working on designs for costumes and set pieces remotely, for use next summer.
For fans of the Summer Circle Theatre looking for a diversion as they ride out the pandemic at home, the SCT is offering a remotely taped reading of its family-friendly show “6.”
FOR ALL OF THIS, AND MORE, visit the SCT online.
LEARN MORE about support for the Summer Circle Theater by contacting Senior Director of Development Christine Radtke at radtkech@msu.edu or by calling (517) 432-6693.