Jerome H. Kamps Memorial Award

by Jim Dittmann
0 comment

By: Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre – Beaver Dam, WI

THE BEAVER DAM AREA COMMUNITY THEATRE

  Jerome H. Kamps Memorial Award

In memory of Jerome H. Kamps, co-founder and charter member of The Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre, BDACT will grant one award of $500 to a graduating High School Senior who is pursuing a post high school education. 

Eligibility: Award candidates must be graduating seniors from Beaver Dam High School, Wayland Academy, or high schools from the surrounding Beaver Dam area. Pre-determined points will be assigned to each theater activity with BDACT, including Tell-A-Tale Theatre, as well as with high school and other theater-related community activity. At least one-fourth of the applicant’s listed theater activities must be with BDACT. 

Application: Any senior who applies for the BDACT Jerome H. Kamps Memorial Award must complete the attached participation form, page 1 (BDACT participation) and page 2 (high school and other theater-related participation). In addition, each applicant must submit a typed, double-spaced, one-page essay in response to the question, “Why theater is especially important to me and my community…” The completed form and essay must be mailed to Kamps Memorial Award Committee c/o BDACT, P.O. Box 216, Beaver Dam, WI 53916, and postmarked no later than May 31, 2016; or email the form and essay to managingdirector@bdact.org by June 1.

Selection: The average of the essay points will be added to the theater activity points to reach each applicant’s final total.  Final selection of the award recipient will be based upon the point totals and the overall determination of the Award Committee.  It is the intent of the award committee to choose a deserving award recipient annually; however, it is within the sole discretion of the award committee to determine whether there is a deserving recipient each year.  

About Jerome H. Kamps:

This BDACT award, in memory of Jerome H. Kamps and established by his family, will be given to a graduating senior who intends to enroll in a post high school education program. Jerome was a charter member and co-founder of Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre, established in 1964, and a dedicated Beaver Dam High School art teacher for thirty-four years. He was set designer and director of set painting for more than sixty high school plays during his teaching career. From 1964 until just before his death on May 4, 2016, he also designed and directed set painting for many BDACT productions. He particularly encouraged and gave enthusiastic support to young people as he helped them discover and demonstrate their art talents at school and through community projects. Among those projects was a large barn mural, part of a state-wide project sponsored by the Wisconsin Arts Board, which he designed and implemented with the help of his students. One of his favorite BDACT projects was the creating of an extraordinary set for “Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat,” in 1995. Given his example as a dedicated “back-stage worker” who gave his talents and love for the arts unconditionally, the Jerome H. Kamps Memorial Award will especially acknowledge those characteristics.

You may also like

Leave a Comment