National Higher Education Theater Group Honors Pitt Professor

PITTSBURGH—The Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) recently honored University of Pittsburgh Associate Professor Vernell A. Lillie with its 2003Career Achievement in Education Award.

ATHE is a national organization of individuals and institutions that provides vision and leadership in theater education while promoting excellence in the profession. Included among its 1,800 members are postsecondary faculty in theater and related fields, graduate students, as well as theater and performance artists in universities, commercial venues, and community-based and alternative theaters. Organizational members include theater departments at colleges and universities, training conservatories, and many theaters.

Lillie, an associate professor in Pitt's Department of Africana Studies, founded Kuntu Repertory Theatre at the University in 1974 and continues to serve as its artistic director. She is a board member of City Theatre Community Media and a consultant for Black Theatre Network.

KRT has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and overseas. In her book, The 100 Best Colleges for African-American Students (Penguin Group, 1998), Erlene B. Wilson cites KRT as one of the reasons why Pitt might appeal to African American students.

ATHE actively supports scholarship through teaching, research, and practice and serves as a collective voice for its mission through its publications, conferences, advocacy, projects, and collaborative efforts with other organizations. ATHE's two highest honors—one primarily for career achievement in the arena of professional theater and one designated for an individual who is primarily a teacher in higher education—are awarded annually. Included among past winners of the awards are Edward Albee, Adrian Hall, Margaret B. Wilkerson, Winona Fletcher, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis.

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