Colleen Tovar Memorial Stage Management Scholarship
One word to describe Colleen Tovar was "fierce." In a professional career that spanned over 35 years, she served as a technician, stagehand, actor, designer, Managing Director, and Producer. However, it was in Stage Management and Production Management where she found her passion. In 2015, Colleen shifted her focus to higher education, becoming the Production Manager and Stage Management instructor in the Department of Theater and Dance at Ball State University. In the fall of 2020, Colleen accepted a position at Illinois State University as the Production Manager and Stage Management instructor in the School of Theatre and Dance, along with being the Production Manager of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. In July of 2021, Colleen was diagnosed with cancer and was taken from us too soon on November 7, 2022. The plan for this scholarship is to assist a graduating senior with these funds can be used to help start their professional career as a Stage Manager.