Strongsville, Ohio
Gloria McIntyre’s path into theatre education was not a direct one: after graduating with a double major in French and English from Ohio State, she worked in retail and later was a senior executive in loss prevention.
When she accepted a teaching position at Strongsville (Ohio) High School, she was asked to direct the school musical because she was known to play clarinet and piano. As she put it, the principal concluded that “music equals musical.” Her directorial debut went well, and later she went on to complete graduate work and certification in theatre education at the University of Akron, Kent State, Ball State, and other schools.
At the time of her induction into the Hall of Fame, Ms. McIntyre was in her twenty-fifth year of teaching and directing at Strongsville. In 1985 she assumed sponsorship of the school’s Thespian Troupe 3226 and has been the troupe director ever since. Her troupe has performed at fourteen of the past sixteen state conferences, and she has hosted two of them.
In July 2004 Ms. McIntyre completed a three-year term as an EdTA governing board member. She served on the Ohio EdTA state board for fifteen years, and as chapter director from 1996 to 2001. During her term as Ohio chapter director, she initiated Junior Thespian conferences at the state level and started the Ohio EdTA Hall of Fame. She also has been instrumental in solidifying the status of EdTA’s Ohio chapter as the liaison and professional voice for theatre education with the Ohio Department of Education.
Ms. McIntyre, the theatre education leader who detoured from a career in retail sales, says she believes that “theatre is a part of every adult’s life, no matter what career path they choose.”
