2 minute read

Teacher wins Colorado Thespians Hall of Fame Award

Next Article
Public Notices

Public Notices

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

John Kron started directing performances when he was 7 years old.

“I would do plays in my basement with some of my friends,” he said. “Our audience was, basically, my brothers and my parents, and sometimes another neighbor.” ese childhood performances evolved into a career in theatre education for Kron, who taught students at Littleton High School and in the Cherry Creek School District during his 42-year-long career.

Now, seven years after retiring, Kron is the recipient of the 2023 Colorado espians Hall of Fame Award, which recognizes educators who have spent 20 or more years teaching theatre.

Hall of Fame

“ e Hall of Fame is reserved for those teachers who have really committed their career to providing opportunities for students in performance and technical arts,” said Tami LoSasso, executive director of Colorado espians, which provides theatre education opportunities to students and educators statewide. e organization doesn’t give the Hall of Fame Award every year, LoSasso said. When they do, they award it to only one person.

“ is year, John was nominated by some colleagues that he has worked with in the past for the outstanding work that he did, and the lack of recognition that he got upon his retirement (in 2016),” she said.

Kron’s career

During his career, Kron ran drama clubs, built stage sets and directed after-school productions.

On top of his role as a teacher, he served as chair of the performing arts department at Littleton High School, led workshops at Colorado espians conferences, and even served as the group’s director.

“My philosophy has always been to let the students do the work,” he wrote in his nomination materials for the hall of fame award. “I encouraged them to take risks, try something, even if it fails at rst, and then continue tweaking it until it works.”

Over the course of his career, Kron designed or directed more than 100 plays or musicals.

When deliberating about who to choose for this year’s award, LoSasso said the Colorado espians board was most inspired by the outpouring of love for Kron from his former students.

“ ere were so many testimonials about him as a teacher and the impact he made on their life,” she said. “Some of them went on to pursue the performing arts and some of them didn’t. But through his in uence in their lives, they all became more empathetic human beings and all more well-rounded people.”

The value of theatre

For Kron, the most valuable part of teaching was the impact theatre had on students.

Some of his former students went on to become performers on Broadway and others became lawyers and museum directors.

“My goal was to promote the kind of special self-growth that goes on in drama, when students realize that they’re capable of doing wonderful things,” he said. “ e con dence that comes from developing a character and performing in front of an audience … that’s always been the most important thing for me.”

Beyond the value of theatre for performers, Kron said theatre is valuable to audiences because it can showcase important themes and share lessons.

Since retiring, Kron has remained involved in the theatre community by playwriting for Magic Moments, a local organization that runs theatre programs with an integrated cast of people of all physical and developmental disability levels.

This article is from: