Endowment Created in the Name of the Late SIUE Professor Lisa Colbert to Benefit Black Theatre Workshop Students
Professor Lisa Colbert was the first to bring an African American play – Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun – to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Dunham Hall Theater. Before this, Colbert was the creative force and originator of SIUE’s Black Theatre Workshop (BTW). Now, 20 years later, the scholarship that bears the name of the late assistant professor in the SIUE Department of Theater and Dance, will continue in perpetuity.
“The Professor Lisa Colbert Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund will continue her legacy of supporting black students and the black theater,” said Nicole Colbert-Botchway, Colbert’s younger sister and associate circuit judge for the 22nd Judicial Circuit (which covers the City of St. Louis).
“The purpose of the fund is to provide support for diverse students while honoring the memory of Professor Lisa Colbert for her work at SIUE in founding the Black Theatre Workshop in the Department of Theater and Dance, and for preserving the legacy of black theater,” said College of Arts and Sciences Director of Development Kyle Moore.
Colbert came to SIUE in 1998 as an artist-in-residence in theater and dance. “She started BTW in 1998 as an avenue for students to create and perform theatrical works of the African-American theatre canon,” said Kathryn Bentley, associate professor in the Department of Theater and Dance, director of Black Studies at SIUE and BTW artistic director since 2005. “Lisa was a powerful force, not only as an artist, but as an activist. Her ancestral presence continues to guide and mold the spirit of Black Theatre Workshop.”
“She taught multicultural theater, black theater history and drama classes, as well as regular theater practicum courses,” said Department of Theater and Dance Emeritus Professor Bill Grivna. “She was an inspiration to black theater students and was a wonderful influence on the University.”
Colbert, who received tenure as an assistant professor in theater and dance in January 2002, died in June of the same year. The St. Louis native not only taught at SIUE, but also conducted classes and workshops for many organizations including COCA (Center of Creative Arts), Frederick Douglass Institute, Unity Theater, Missouri History Museum and The Black Repertory Theatre Company.
“Lisa was a community servant and inspiration to many,” Colbert-Botchway said proudly.
Colbert’s family and friends, along with Grivna and other members of the department, created an annual scholarship in 2002 that is awarded to an exceptional theater student who exemplifies the life of the late professor.
“We (her family) want to do more,” added Colbert-Botchway, “which is why we have transformed the memorial scholarship into an endowment that awards additional scholarships, and adds annual funds to the Black Theater Workshop Development Fund Lisa created for continued community outreach. Now, Lisa’s 20-year legacy of supporting SIUE students, the community and black theater will last forever.”
Colbert received a bachelor’s degree in theater from Loyola University in Chicago and a master’s in fine arts from the University of California, Irvine. Before coming to SIUE, Lisa had a recurring role on “As the World Turns” and appeared in stage performances in St. Louis, Chicago, California and off-Broadway in New York.
“I admired and loved her advocacy for young people,” Colbert’s sister reminisced. “She would push you to do your best and dream bigger than you could ever imagine. Whether she was formally teaching or not, she was a great mentor and motivator.”
“My dedication to mentorship comes from her,” Colbert-Botchway continued. “Like Mama Younger in A Raisin in the Sun, Lisa pushed her children (students) to go further in their theatrical profession than she could.”
Some of Colbert’s earlier students included actor, director and playwright Joel P.E. King, Broadway actress Sophia Nicole Stephenson of the Lion King, and actress/singer Olivia Neal. The three will be among those performing at (and/or contributing to) the BTW 20th anniversary event being held Feb. 8-10, 2019.
For criteria and more information about the Professor Lisa Colbert Endowed Memorial Scholarship, contact Bentley at kbentle@siue.edu or 618-650-2436.
Photo: The late Lisa Colbert, assistant professor in the SIUE Department of Theater and Dance.
