Illinois Valley Community College Theatre Director David Allan Kuester and the college’s theatre department will receive the Illinois Theatre Association’s 2022 Award of Excellence in College/University Theatre Sept. 24.

Kuester and the department will be honored in Downers Grove during the Red Gala Award Luncheon as part of the ITA’s annual event, “Together Again – A Day Celebrating Everything Theatre.”

Each year, the association recognizes individuals and organizations for significant contributions to quality theatre. Kuester and his department were nominated by the theatre community, approved by ITA’s divisional representatives and accepted by ITA’s Board of Directors.

Kuester said he is proud to have spent the last 25 years contributing to, and building upon the near 100 years of theatre performance at IVCC and its predecessor LPO
Junior College.

He came to IVCC with professional experience working with special populations, a bachelor’s in humanities from George Williams, a master’s in theatre from Northern Illinois University and a PhD. in communications with a concentration in theatre and playwriting from Southern Illinois University.

Kuester taught while at SIU then ran the theatre program at Victoria College in Texas and taught graduate classes in the communication department at the University of Houston.Kuester credited “a talented core team of professionals” at IVCC including musical theatre director and choreographer Don Grant Zellmer (18 years) and technical theatre director Chad Brokaw.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to work for IVCC, a higher education institution that knows the value of, and supports the collaborative art form of theatre that reaches out to our greater community,” Kuester said. “Don, Chad and I are honored by this heartfelt recognition.