2016 Hall of Fame Recipients
Betsy Crowe Bishop
Ashland, Oregon
Betsy Bishop grew up in a big, loving, New York family whose parents encouraged the pure fun of singing, dancing, and theatre, which is probably one reason she has always believed that she has the best of all possible jobs.
Ms. Bishop earned her B.A. in theatre from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and her M.A. in teaching from Southern Oregon University. She taught theatre and English at Monrovia High School, California, from 1977 to 1988. Since 1988 at Ashland High School in Oregon, she has maintained a connection with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival which has blossomed into a twenty-three-year partnership.
AHS Theatre has been an honor troupe at the Oregon State Thespian Festival since 2002, with six mainstage state showcases and many student IE honors. Ms. Bishop has also worked since 1997 with international schools in playwriting and design and as part of the Theatrelink program created by Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City. She and her husband, Wesley, an Equity actor and screenwriter, have three adult children (Kelly, Travis and Micaela), along with grandsons Nolan and Patrick.
Jeff Hall
Portland, Oregon
Jeff Hall has been directing the drama program at Portland, Oregon’s Jesuit High School for twenty-five years, a position he originally took on to cover a half-year sabbatical. In 1991, he and his wife Koleen had moved to Portland to further develop The Young People’s Theatre Project, a nonprofit organization that Mr. Hall had started in 1987 while working as a teaching artist in Denver. Before that, he worked as a touring artist and arts administrator, directing and managing productions and residencies throughout the United States and Canada, and in Guam and Singapore.
Mr. Hall grew up in the Chicago area, where he attended Northwestern University. He met his wife while working at a performing arts camp on Flathead Lake in Montana. Portland proved an ideal middle ground between Chicago and Montana for raising their two children, Kelsey and Michael (both now working in nonprofit theatre—Michael in Portland, Kelsey in Washington, D.C.).
Mr. Hall is in his second term as chapter director for Oregon Thespians and has served as president of the Oregon Theatre Arts Association. With his JHS co-director, Elaine Kloser, he leads Thespian Troupe 5575, whose productions have been featured on both the Oregon and International festival main stages.
Paul E Hampton
Columbus, Georgia
Paul Hampton has over thirty years of experience with young adults in education and theatre arts. After graduating from Mississippi University for Women, he moved to Columbus, Georgia to teach math and drama at Spencer High School. Seven years later, he transferred to Columbus High School to work in the liberal arts magnet program. In 2013, he was appointed CHS magnet director.
Mr. Hampton has been named STAR teacher twice and Exchange Club’s Student of the Month Teacher fifteen times. He was awarded the (Columbus) Ledger-Inquirer’s Page One Teacher of the Year 2001, Phi Delta Kappa Outstanding Teacher 2002, and Muscogee County Teacher of the Year 2011. In 2012, he was a Harvard Professional Development program recipient. He has worked professionally as stage manager, actor, and teaching artist at Springer Opera House.
A Georgia Thespian Chapter board member for eighteen years, Mr. Hampton has served as the IE coordinator and is currently Chapter Director. A Georgia Thespian Hall of Fame member, he has served on multiple EdTA committees. Under his direction Columbus High won four state championships and three runner-up titles in the GHSA’s one-act play competition. He is the proud director of CHS Troupe 5390.
Holly Stanfield
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Holly Stanfield, a member of the faculty at Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has worked as a public school theatre and music educator for over thirty years. She has been honored as Kenosha Unified School District High School Teacher of the Year, Herb Kohl Fellow, and Walmart Teacher of the Year and has been inducted into the Wisconsin Forensic Association Theatre Hall of Fame. She is the 2014 recipient of the Reba Robertson Award and received an honorable mention from the 2016 Excellence in Theatre Education Tony Award.
Her students have appeared numerous times on the Wisconsin High School Theatre Festival Showcase Stage and the International Thespian Festival main stage, including the high school pilot productions of Aida: School Edition, Rent: School Edition, Avenue Q: School Edition, Tarzan, Shrek, Catch Me If You Can, and The Little Mermaid. She was also invited to direct the Thespian national cast of Thoroughly Modern Millie: School Edition for EdTA. Under her direction, the Kenosha Unified School District students have recorded seven reference CDs for Music Theatre International’s School Edition series.
Ms. Stanfield also enjoys traveling to New York City in the summer and directing staged readings of junior musicals for iTheatrics. She is co-director for the Wisconsin Chapter of the Educational Theatre Association.
