Lincoln, Nebraska
“Improving theatre education starts where I am, on the grass roots level,” wrote Connie Dillow, who has spent forty-two years making an example of herself.
Ms. Dillow was dividing her time as theatre teacher, director and Thespian troupe sponsor at Wahoo High School, Wahoo, Nebraska, and teacher and director of the Lincoln Public Schools’ Advanced Theatre Company, positions she had held for twenty-three years at the time of her Hall of Fame induction. Her work, along with a strong commitment to community service and continuing education, adds up to what she called her life’s mission.
Master’s and bachelor’s degrees in dramatic arts from the University of Minnesota began a career that came to include teaching and directing positions from the elementary to college level, and directing, writing, and acting for many theatre programs. She is also a member of several theatre and arts organizations.
Ms. Dillow said she believes that “much of the true worth and excitement of theatre study and production lies in the fact that one is always learning. When a show closes, it has been only another step upward to the new adventure and enlightenment that will happen next.” She challenges herself to find new approaches to theatre, to the benefit of the students and audience.
A colleague described Ms. Dillow’s approach to her students: “Even the most talented are consistently challenged; she is careful to remind them that each step up is more competitive. Equally important to her, though, are those students who discover that a theatre profession is not for them; she agonizes over, empathizes with, supports and values those students just as much.”
