Pier One Theatre held an awards night Tuesday, Feb. 11 at Red Bird Kitchen in honor of several local collaborators who have been heavily involved over the years, both onstage, backstage and as volunteers. Executive Director Jennifer Norton in an email last week gave a little history on the way that Pier One has historically awarded recognition within the local community theater community.

“In the old days, there was an annual end-of-season party that included all of the participants from the theatre season,” she wrote. “Each year a performer was awarded the ‘Pink Floyd,’ usually for an outstanding comedic performance. ‘Floyd’ was a plastic pink flamingo mounted on a little stand, and whoever took home Floyd had to add a little something to the sculpture and then hand it off the next year to a new recipient.”

Norton wrote that this practice fell into disuse probably around 2000. In late 2022 — as the theater approached its 50th season — the Pier One Theatre board of directors chose to honor eight individuals for Lifetime Achievement Awards.

“The timing for this was fortuitous,” wrote Norton. “Founders Lance and Barbara Petersen were able to attend before Lance’s death in early 2023. Celebrating eight contributors was a lot! But we realized then that there are many more individuals whose outstanding contributions should be recognized. We do not guarantee the awards will come on an annual basis, but for now, we are excited to keep moving down our list of contributors and celebrating their accomplishments!”

Kate Rich

According to Norton, Rich has a strong commitment to bringing new plays to the Pier One Stage and cultivating the work of new playwrights. She has attended the Valdez Theatre Conference for many years, an experience she turned into a series of reading performances called “Highlights from the Last Frontier Theatre Conference.” These readings not only allow actors to experience the thrill of stage performance without the stress of memorizing an entire play but also offer prospective and experienced directors the opportunity to take on a new project, along with the support of Rich.

Rich has also led local Drama Slams and encouraged local playwriting, serving as the workshop leader for last year’s “Ten-Minute Play Festival,” where she assisted eight new playwrights in completing their first play. She is also an accomplished playwright herself.

“During our 2020 Zoom Drama Slam, she created the short ‘Facetime with Grandma’ which was selected for the Breath of Fire Latina Theatre performance of Covid Monologues, and her play ‘The Night Animals’ was performed at Pier One in 2021,” Norton wrote.

This spring, Rich will host another playwriting workshop where she will help guide participants through the process of writing a 10-minute play. Over five sessions, participants will explore the fundamentals, from conception to a final draft. According to the online registration page, each session will include a mix of discussion, writing exercises, peer feedback and practical techniques. You can find more information or register online at pieronetheatre.org.

Linda and Spencer Ellsworth

Linda Ellsworth began her Pier One participation with “Scrooge” in 1982, and has since become an accomplished performer and director of several productions.

“While Linda is brilliant on stage and in the director’s chair, her true love language for the theatre comes out in caring for the cast and audience,” wrote Norton.

If you’ve ever visited Pier One Theatre on the Spit, you’ve probably met Linda. She is often found managing the concessions or ticket booths. And those classic Pier One cookies? The ones given out to the audience member who has traveled the farthest to see the show? Ellsworth bakes them all herself and has for years.

“You won’t find Spencer Ellsworth on the stage, but as long as Linda has been around, so has he!” wrote Norton. “Spencer is her quiet right-hand man, doing much of the heavy lifting, helping with the shopping, and generally supporting us all in a hundred different ways.”

Annie Whitney and David Webster

Annie participated as an actor and director from 1989 to 1994, in performances of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”, “Jugger’s Rain”, “Steel Magnolias”, “Noises Off” and more. She has also contributed as a kind of mediator and organizer over the years. According to Norton, Whitney facilitated a large organizational retreat for the board and staff as they navigated growing pains in the late 1990s. She was also Pier One’s resident gardener for years, taking care of and tending to flower beds on the Spit.

David Webster has contributed to the theater as a carpenter, actor, director, musician, playwright and songwriter over the years. His original musicals include “On the Road”, “The Electric Rolaids Antacid Test”, and “Pier 1.0: Staging Reality.”

“Each of these shows beautifully capture essential pieces of both personal and the Homer, Alaska experience,” wrote Norton. “By covering the journey of a young couple making their way to Alaska, the trials and tribulations of aging musicians trying to make it as a band, and the ups and downs of making community theatre in the internet age.”

Pier One Theatre is gearing up for another season of live, local, community theater in Homer. The 2025 season has not been officially announced yet, but updates and information can be found about casting calls, future productions, youth theater programming and more by joining Pier One’s mailing list, following their Facebook page, or finding them online at pieronetheatre.org.

Chloe Pleznac is a general assignment reporter. You can reach her at chloe.pleznac@homernews.com.