ĢƵ

John Saari Receives Statewide Theatre Honor

John Saari, professor of theatre design and technology at ĢƵ, has received the North Carolina Theatre Conference’s (NCTC) Marian A. Smith Distinguished Career Award.

The Smith Award is named for one of NCTC’s founders and is one of the organization’s highest honors. NCTC Executive Director Angie Hays and Judy Dove, secretary of NCTC’s board of directors, presented Saari the award Jan. 9 during a ĢƵ faculty meeting. Saari’s wife, Lisa, and his son, Sean, a design and technical production instructor in the ĢƵ theatre department, also took part in the presentation.
Saari, an active NCTC member, joined the ĢƵ faculty in 1990. In 2006, he received the Moore Professorship at ĢƵ for his service to the profession and the college. He teaches a variety of courses including stage design; stage craft; lighting design; theatre history; scene painting; production lab; special topics courses in properties, plastics, intelligent lighting, advanced design, and rendering methods; and seminars in portfolio preparation.
Saari has over 500 scenic design credits and several hundred lighting design credits on his resume. He has designed productions for Donnie and Marie Osmond, MTV, PBS and the Kennedy Center. He has consulted on and overseen five major renovations of performing arts spaces in the ĢƵ area.
Saari is the master class mentor for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology-Southeast, where he has served on the executive committee for 24 years. He is active in the Southeastern Theatre Conference and the Institute of Outdoor Theatre. He has been the Technical Director for the NCTC State High School Play Festival and College Discovery Day since 2008.
John and Lisa Saari founded Sculptural Arts Coating, Inc., which produces construction tools, paints, plastic varnishes and primers engineered for use in theatre design. The Saaris’ company sponsors the graduate and undergraduate scene design competition at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Theatre Conference.
The North Carolina Theatre Conference is the statewide service organization and professional association for the theatre industry. NCTC’s mission is to strengthen North Carolina’s vibrant theatre industry and engage tomorrow’s artists, audiences and advocates. Each year, NCTC’s board of directors presents the NCTC Awards annually to companies, schools and individuals that have exhibited leadership roles in their communities, as well as artistic, professional or educational excellence.
ĢƵ provides a liberal arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and, spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.
Founded in 1838 and located in downtown ĢƵ, the college enrolls about 1,000 students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia, and seven foreign countries in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and four master’s degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features an 18-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities.
###

Media Contact:
Lex Alexander, Director of Communications
lex.alexander@greensboro.edu

ĢƵ
815 W. Market St.
ĢƵ, NC 27401
336-272-7102, ext. 5398
Cell: 336-707-6617
www.greensboro.edu

Facebook: Twitter: Instagram: Pinterest: Tumblr:

The Collegian:

Dr. Josh Fitzgerald, ĢƵ class of 2019

“I loved the GC Honors program and ĢƵ. I felt safe and a sense of genuine belonging at the college. I worked closely with my thesis advisor and professors who helped inspire me to define my path and passion of interest. That path has led me to complete my doctoral studies in Engineering Mechanics.”

- Dr. Josh Fitzgerald, Class of ’19, Mathematics Major

Dr. Josh Fitzgerald earned his master's from Virginia Tech University (studied astrodynamics) as well as earning an Engineering Mechanics Ph.D. He joined the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX as an Advanced Mission Design Engineer, optimizing trajectories for the Artemis II and III missions to return humans to the moon.