The AATE has announced Guehring will receive its highest honor for his work founding and directing the Pride Players as well as his work at The Rose Theater for whom he “established special programs, developed experimental work, made a distinctive educational contribution or provided meritorious service thus furthering theatre and drama for young people”.
The AATE is one of the most prominent organizations nationally who connect and inspire a growing collective of theatre artists, educators, and scholars committed to transforming young people and communities through the theatre arts.
Rose Artistic Director Matt Gutschick commented on the honor saying, ““This award demonstrates the widespread value of the programs Brian has developed and speaks, yet again, to the impact our theater has on the national scene.”
The Rose said that Guehring started the Pride Players in 1999 as a way for GLBQT youth to explore their issues and common concerns by using improvisation to write skits, scenes, parodies, poetry, songs, and true story monologues.
According to The Rose, more than 9,500 teens, parents, teachers, counselors and family members have seen the productions. The Pride Players have toured to national theater conferences, as well as local schools. The program was awarded the 2006 Human and Civil Rights Leadership Award from the National Education Association.
The theater provided some the written comments that the AATE committee made on Guehring:
“Brian has been an outstanding advocate and innovative producer of work for and by LGBQT youth. The incredible work of Pride Players has led to a network of complimentary programs across the country, echoing the importance of this work.”
“Brian is using theatre to transform the way young people across the country are facing community identity and the importance of LGBQT issues. The legacy Pride Players have created serves as a shining example of how an individual can prompt change through performance.”
Guehring will be attending the AATE awards ceremony on July 24th in Washington, D.C.
Formerly known as the AATE Special Recognition Citation. The award Guehring will receive was renamed in honor of Lin Wright, Professor and Chair of the Theatre Department at Arizona State University, researcher and President of Children’s Theater Association of America.
Cold Cream looks at theater in the metro area. Email information to coldcream@thereader.com