JIM WALKER WAS AWARDED THE Art Cole Lifetime of Leadership Award at this year’s American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) National Community Theatre Festival.
Recipients of the Art Cole Lifetime of Leadership Award are nominated by a committee that looks for individuals with direct involvement with AACT at a local, regional, and national levels.
The Aberdeen Community Theatre has been performing in the AACT festivals since 1981. That year, their show made it to the state festival in Sioux Falls and the regional festival in Topeka, Kansas.
“We didn’t go further, but it was early in my career, and we got a standing ovation,” Walker said. “People really appreciated what we do here in Aberdeen, South Dakota. That day, I made the decision to always have the funds to make sure that ACT could participate.”
Walker has directed two shows that have advanced to the national festival: “Honk!” in 2007 and “How to Talk Minnesotan” in 2009. “Honk!” then represented the United States at the World Festival in Toyama, Japan, in 2008.
Jim Walker next to an art of him
Walker said that deciding a favorite show can be hard. The answer is usually the show he’s currently working on, but he said that he has always had a soft spot for “Honk!”.
“It’s not the best show, but the process of going through state, regional, national, and representing the United States in Japan really shows what community theatre is all about.”
Jim Walker is the heart and soul of the Aberdeen Community Theatre. But in addition to all he has done for our community organization, Jim has also spent countless hours and traveled endless miles in support of all types of arts organizations across the state, and nationwide, for the past several decades. He’s truly deserving of recognition for his leadership both on and off stage.”
– BRIAN T. SCHULTZ, ACT ARTISTIC/MANAGING DIRECTOR
“Honk!” is also the show that Walker had spent the most time working on, and that included raising funds for travel costs.
“It cost a lot to take a cast and crew of 22 to Japan, but if the opportunity rose again, I wouldn’t hesitate. It was educational for everyone, especially those ducklings.”
Walker became more involved with AACT and attended his first national organization meeting in 1986. That year happened to be the year when the American Community Theatre Association became the AACT. In 2004, Walker became the state contact for South Dakota. He then served on the AACT board as the Region V Representative, which serves North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. In 2013, he was elected member-at-large on the AACT Board of Directors. He has served as National Festival Commission Chair, Vice President for Festivals, and other AACT committees.
Jim Walker
“Community theatre is everywhere. There are more community theatres operating than professional theatres,” Walker said. “Being on the national board has given me the opportunity to travel the country and internationally to see what community theatre is like elsewhere. If you only do local productions, you don’t get a rounded education in community theatre.”
The award was named after Art Cole, who was the first recipient.
“Art was a wonderful man who did a lot of AACT,” Walker said. “I think of the other people that have won the award before me, and I’m very humbled to be in their company.”..
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