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Dennis Carroll, professor and chair of the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, was bestowed the 2009 Robert W. Clopton Award for distinguished community service.
The award recognizes faculty members who play a significant role by applying intellectual leadership and academic expertise to the improvement of the community, according to the UH Web site.
For more than 40 years, Carroll has been a supporter of theatre. In 1971, he founded Kumu Kahua Theatre in downtown Honolulu. Kumu Kahua is part of a small group of theatres internationally devoted to the staging of indigenous Pacific plays. Its mission is to support "plays about life in Hawai'i, plays by Hawai'i's playwrights and plays for Hawai'i's people," according to Carroll.
"The important thing is it's original work, it's locally written work," said Carroll. "Forty years is a long time. We've had the same mission all those years."
He has taken on the role of almost all of the important administrative positions in the theatre. Craig Howes, director for the Center for Biographical Research, wrote a letter of recommendation on Carroll's behalf, stating, "Dennis Carroll works at the box office, helps build and paint sets, takes the tickets at fundraisers and cleans the theatre."
Since he first started teaching at UH, Carroll has encouraged students to write plays and helped them to produce them. But Carroll says he doesn't exactly think of it as community service.
"The most important thing is creating and well-perpetuating the idea of a theatre which is relevant to local audiences," Carroll said.
In his letter, Howes said, "It is impossible to exaggerate Dennis Carroll's impact on the artistic life of Hawai'i."
Carroll is very humbled by the entire experience of winning the award and insists that he doesn't deserve all the credit, as it takes a lot of donated time and effort from many people.
"Sometimes when people call and congratulate me, they speak about it like it's something that I have done ... the point is, it's a team effort," Carroll said.
The award will be formally presented to Carroll at the University of Hawai'i 2009 Convocation on Sept. 15, 2009 at 10 a.m. at Kennedy Theatre.
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