56
2018
NORTH CAROLINA L I T E R A R Y RE V I E W
EXEMPLARY EbzB TEAM RECEIVES HARDEE RIVES AWARD
adapted from presentation remarks by Lorraine Hale Robinson North Carolina Literary and Historical Association meeting Raleigh, NC, 16 November 2017
* Quotations from Arts Council of Fayetteville/ Cumberland County website and the EbzB website.
PHOTOGRAPH BY LINDA FOX; COURTESY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES
Endowed by Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives of Enfield, NC, the Hardee Rives Award for Dramatic Arts is conferred by the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association in “recognition of excellent, exemplary work in and significant contribution and service to the dramatic arts in North Carolina.” Dr. Rives’s generosity provided the funding for this award, which has been presented since 2009, and the distinguished list of previous recipients includes individuals such as Bo Thorpe, William Ivey Long, and Terrence Mann, and institutions such as the National Black Theatre Festival and the Roanoke Island Historical Association for its long-running Lost Colony outdoor drama. Dr. Rives (1930–2016) was a remarkable human being – widely read, he summered in England for decades where he especially enjoyed the richness of London’s theater scene. An engaging raconteur with a love of stories and storytelling, his booming voice and vivacious personality (he himself played Governor Tryon in an historical pageant of long ago) captivated his listeners. For Ralph, stories on and off the stage were at the foundation of understanding our collective past; and further, for him, stories illuminated our present and explored the potentials of our future. The 2017 Hardee Rives Award for Dramatic Arts was presented to EbzB Productions. Founded in 1998, EbzB Productions “celebrates the profound impact of storytelling through theatre,” “touring theatrical productions to promote integrity and authenticity, self-discovery and positive transformation of individuals, artists, audiences, and communities.”* The multi-talented and multi-active co-founder, David zum Brunnen, calls himself an “impresario” whose performance credits include stage roles in the US and abroad and performances on public television. And cofounder, Serena Ebhardt, is an award-winning actress, director, playwright, and teaching artist, who is a charter inductee of the YWCA Academy of Women and a
recipient of The International Television and Video Association’s “Silver Reel” award. Accompanying them on the evening of their acceptance of this award was their “road arrangements” man and emerging vocal star, son Carlton, as well as Ian Finley, author of their recent production, Native, a twoman play about the collaboration between Paul Green and Richard Wright on dramatizing Wright’s Native Son for Broadway. EbzB Produtions has been an important storyteller for nearly two decades, with its “exemplary work” and its “significant contribution[s] and service to the dramatic arts in North Carolina.” Warmest congratulations, EbzB Productions! n
ABOVE Serena Ebhart and David zum Brunnen of EbzB Productions
receiving the Hardee-Rives Dramatic Arts Award from North Carolina Literary and Historical Association Executive Committee member Lorraine Hale Robinson (center), Raleigh, 16 Nov. 2017