Alma, Arkansas
The road map of Terry McGonigle’s career in theatre education crisscrosses the United States, from Kansas to Georgia to Nevada.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and theatre arts from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas and a master’s in technical theatre and design at Emporia State University, and then taught at several Kansas high schools. He served as Kansas Thespian chapter director from 1984 through 1988.
He relocated to the South, working as a professor of speech and theatre at Gordon College in Georgia. Over a thirteen year period he directed the theatre programs and taught technical theatre for several Georgia school districts. He served as the university chair for the Georgia Theatre Association and as the program chair for the Georgia state Thespian conference. He was also a member of the Georgia Thespian state board.
At the time of his Hall of Fame induction Mr. McGonigle was teaching and directing technical theatre and costume design at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies and Visual and Performing Arts and was a member of the Nevada Thespian state board.
In addition to his teaching, Mr. McGonigle has been a guest artist at numerous Thespian chapter conferences. He also adjudicates for the International Thespian Festival main stage. He was the costumer for the International Thespian company productions of Ragtime—School Edition and Thoroughly Modern Millie—School Edition. As International Thespian Officers liaison, he worked with the student officers who are the voice of the International Thespian Society membership.
He was named Georgia Youth Arts Educator of the Year in 1999, and has been inducted into both the Kansas and the Georgia Thespian Halls of Fame.
