The Colleen Legacy Award

Named in honor of Colleen Cecelia Brown, a devoted theatre educator, mentor, and trailblazer, The Colleen Award recognizes a student whose unwavering dedication, commitment, and passion have made a lasting impact within their theatre program.

For more than forty years, Colleen dedicated her life to educational theatre, inspiring generations of students through her belief that every young artist deserved to be seen, encouraged, and celebrated. As the first female prop master in Las Vegas, she broke barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field while demonstrating that talent, determination, and creativity know no boundaries. Throughout her career, she championed the importance of theatre education and understood the profound influence that recognition and validation can have on a student's life.

Colleen believed that some of the most meaningful contributions to a production often occur away from the spotlight. Whether onstage, backstage, in the orchestra pit, or behind a design table, she taught her students that dedication, perseverance, collaboration, and artistic growth were just as important as talent. She worked tirelessly to create a classroom community where students felt safe to create, take risks, and grow as artists and individuals. More importantly, she sought opportunities to help every student discover their potential and develop a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

The Colleen Award is not necessarily presented to the most talented performer, designer, technician, or leader. Instead, it honors the student who consistently demonstrates exceptional dedication to their department, production team, and theatre community. Recipients embody the values Colleen instilled in her students: hard work, reliability, generosity, artistic curiosity, and a genuine commitment to supporting those around them.

Each participating school may nominate one student for consideration. Nominations should be submitted by a theatre educator or program director and must include a letter of recommendation detailing the student's contributions, commitment, and impact on the theatre program, supported by specific examples. Following their teachers nomination students are then invited to submit a personal essay that should be a minimum of 1000 words reflecting on their theatre journey, what they have learned through the arts, and how theatre has shaped their growth as an artist and individual.

Applications for The Colleen Award open annually on April 1 and close two weeks prior to the Cecelia Awards Ceremony. This form can be found on the Forms Tab of our website.

Through this award, the Cecelia Awards proudly continues Colleen's legacy by recognizing the students whose dedication often serves as the foundation of great theatre programs. It celebrates those who work not for applause or recognition, but for the love of the art, the strength of their community, and the joy of creating something meaningful together.