Wabash College Theater Professor Jim Fisher was honored by his theater colleagues March 3 for "20 years of selfless service" to Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theater Honor Society.
Fisher has served as the organization’s national business manager since 1986. The honor was bestowed during the Southeastern Theatre Conference at Orlando, Florida.
"Several past officers and numerous members attended and offered kind testimonials and the award was given at the all-conference luncheon with over 1000 people in attendance," Fisher said. "I was very pleased to be honored at the conclusion of my 20 years as NBM."
APO honors excellence in the practical theater work of undergraduates, Fisher explained. There are over 850 chapters at university and college campuses in the United States. Fisher re-activated the Wabash chapter when he came to the college in 1978. The chapter was started in 1955 but had become dormant.
As national business manager, Fisher does all of the day-to-day work of the organization with a President, Vice President, and a board of regional officers. He also edits the annual APO publication, Playbill.
"My commitment to APO comes from an awareness of the need to acknowledge theater production work done by students - in many schools (Wabash among them), students do not get academic credit for production work - it's co-curricular," Fisher said. "Membership in APO is a way to celebrate the challenging work and creative endeavors of students in theater outside the classroom. There are membership requirements that involve a high level of participation, a minimum GPA, and, most importantly, outstanding creativity."
The organization, development, and growth of Alpha and Delta Psi Omega is a result of the wide-spread interest of colleges and universities of America in dramatic arts in the early twentieth century. By 1920 most colleges had some kind of a dramatic club that was staging annual play productions for students and the local community. The little theatre movement and dramatic workshop idea made its appearance about that time and greatly stimulated the
importance of the college drama and the worthwhile nature of the programs presented. This was especially true in western colleges, and by 1920 several national honor fraternities to recognize and reward student participation in play production had been organized.
Alpha Psi Omega has enjoyed continuous national growth, and with over 650 chapters (Delta Psi has over 200 chapters) is the largest national honor society in America. Membership in Alpha Psi Omega is granted only to fully accredited institutions with a four-year curriculum in theatre and drama leading to a degree (Delta Psi is for two-year colleges).
In photo at top right: Fisher with a group of students on an immersion learning trip to London.