Outstanding Service Award Recipients

2008 - Joann Browning is Professor of Theatre at the University of Delaware. She serves as Associate Chair and Associate Director of the Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP), teaching movement and dance to graduate actors.  She is resident choreographer for PTTP productions and the Resident Ensemble Players (REP), UD’s resident professional theatre company.  Trained as a dancer with her BFA and MFA in Dance from Southern Methodist University, she has been a member of the Kathyrn Posin Dance Company in New York, James Sutton & Dancers, Repertory Dance Company of the Southwest, Milwaukee Dance Theatre, Dancers Unlimited, and Thunderclap Productions.  She has served as choreographer/musical stager for theatrical productions at Delaware Theatre Company, Philadelphia’s Enchantment Theatre, and Houston’s Alley Theatre, as well as guest teaching artist for the Utah Repertory Dance Theatre, Milwaukee Ballet, Kansas State University, University of Nebraska, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the American College Dance Festival.  She has conducted workshops for non-actors utilizing the work of Rudolph Laban and Francois Delsarte in London, Japan, Thailand, and for The Voice Foundation in Philadelphia.  Professor Browning was formerly the Acting Associate Dean of Fine Arts and Head of Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and prior to that was a faculty member in the Dance Division at Southern Methodist University.  She has served as a theatre and dance grants adjudicator for the Maryland State Arts Council, the Delaware Division of the Arts, and the Wisconsin Arts Board.  She has been a member of ATME from its inception, and served as secretary from 2003-2006.

Denise Gabriel's (Movement) work at ASF includes Macbeth, Proof, The Comedy of Errors, Steel Magnolias, Titus Andronicus, The Secret Garden, Disguises, A Christmas Carol and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. Ms. Gabriel has taught in graduate acting programs and coached actors since 1976. She came to ASF from being guest artist/Fellow of the Seminar at Schloss Leoploldron, Salzberg, Austria, coaching a production of Chekov's Three Sisters. She is a founding Board Member for the Association of Theatre Movement Educators and recipient of the 2000 ATME-ATHE Service Achievement Award. She has worked in New York; Shanghai, China; and a host of University productions across the country including A Raisin in the Sun with Dipunkar Mukherjee, Pangea World Theatre, Minneapolis. Ms. Gabriel's regional credits include The Comedy of Errors and A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Old Globe Theatre, San Diego; Romeo and Juliet at Clarence Brown Theatre with director Paul Barnes; and Alchemy of Desire, Dead Man's Blues, and King Lear at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park with director Ed Stern. As well as being a member of the ASF resident artistic staff Ms. Gabriel is on the ASF/ MFA Faculty.

Jennifer Martin (Hall Family Foundation Professor of Theatre) teaches movement fundamentals, historical styles of movement and dance, characterization and subtle energy disciplines for the Master of Fine Arts program.  As a member of the Medical Humanities Program she coordinates a course called "Healing and the Arts." She is resident choreographer and movement coach for the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. Her choreographic work has been seen at Missouri Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House and Masterworks Lab Theatre in New York. She is a founding board member of The Association of Theatre Movement Educators.

Bruce Lecure holds the rank of Professor at the University of Miami. His movement curriculum includes: basic movement skills for the actor, physical characterization, unarmed combat, weapons, period style movement, and mask work. Recently, Mr. Lecure created the “Actor’s Biomechanics Lab” for use in his curriculum, the first technology-based lab of its kind in theatre movement education. In 2004, Mr. Lecure was awarded the University of Miami’s “Excellence in Teaching Award”. His has a varied career as an actor, teacher, author, movement coach, fight director, and stage director. Mr. Lecure is a member of SSDC, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, the professional union for stage directors. He is also a member of AEA, SAG, and AFTRA having appeared on stage, as well as in national and regional commercials, industrial films, and voiceovers throughout the country. Mr. Lecure is a Certified Teacher and Certified Fight Director with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD. He has published over twenty articles on theatre movement in Theatre Topics, Teaching Theatre, Southern Theatre, The ATME News, Stage Directions, and The Fight Master.

Marcia Joy Douglas is a director, actor, choreographer, and educator.  She joined the faculty of the University of Maine in 1999 where she teaches acting, improvisation, movement, and voice, and currently serves as Chair of the Theatre/Dance Division in the School of Performing Arts.  She has an MA in Directing from the University of Washington, and an MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.  She has taught at the University of Kansas, the University of Nebraska, Illinois State University, and Southwest Missouri State.  In addition to directing, choreographing, and acting in well over 200 productions, she has also taught workshops and performed her one woman improvisational show nationally and internationally.  In addition to her work in theatre, she is also a Reiki Master and has taught workshops on healing and energy since the early 1970s.  Marcia was part of the Movement Program for the former American Theatre Association (ATA) and has been active with ATHE, ATME, and KCACTF since 1994.  She was the ATME Focus Group Representative to ATHE for 4 years from 1996-2000, as well as Treasurer from 1998-2003.

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