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AACT Honors long-time Player Rita Ford

Spotlight awards are presented for local service to community theatre

Member theatres across the nation can recognize special local achievement with AACT’s Spotlight Award. Any individual, organization or company is eligible. Awards may be presented anytime through the year that is appropriate.

This is a fitting tribute to the hardworking volunteers, staff, and patrons of local community theatre groups–an AACT tradition and service since 2000.

When Rita was 15 she made her equity debut at the Cleveland Playhouse and continued to work there with many of the blacklisted artists from the McCarthy Era, most notably Lee Grant and Howard Da Silva. She literally grew up on stage sharing the spotlight with soon to be famous Dom DeLuise and Alan Alda. She eventually fell in love and married a Korean War soldier, turned lawyer, who relocated the family to Boston in 1966. Rita found herself in Wellesley MA with 2 babies. She did some work as an equity actress in Boston, doing radio and TV spots, but realized that she needed to find creative outlets closer to home. She joined the Wellesley Players and got involved with the Wellesley Woman’s Club, where she directed a number of their productions.

In 1969, when the Wellesley Players produced their first musical in the history of the group, she played the leading role in Mame. It was the first community theater production in the country of the award winning musical. To date Rita has appeared, onstage in over 45 Wellesley Players Productions often as the lead – but as often in supporting or ensemble roles. She has participated in 4 of The Wellesley Players many festival entries over the years and has been nominated in 3 of them, winning a Best Actress award in 1985 for her portrayal of Hannah in the play Why Hannah’s Skirt didn’t Stay Down and a Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of Clara in The Quarterly. When she won the latter, one of the adjudicators said, “A voice like that only comes around once every 300 years.”

Beyond the acting capabilities, which are extensive, Rita demonstrates a devotion to our theatre community by consistently stepping forward to volunteer when no one else will. She has served on our board in the positions of Secretary, Play Reading Chair, and Head of Publicity. She has produced, directed, cast and costumed too many shows to count. She often robs her own closet to dress “players” in their roles. This is a woman who, recognizing her responsibility to family, put her professional aspirations on the back burner and found a way to keep them alive through The Wellesley Players. She is a gifted costume designer, stemming from her association with Taffy’s, a nationally recognized dance supply store, which entrusted Rita with opening a store in Wellesley in 1968. Rita has put those talents to use by heading up the costume team for countless Wellesley Player Productions. Shortly after her introduction to The Wellesley Players, she brought back and hosted the long standing tradition of Coffee House Capers, discontinued during WWII, a social event celebrating the talents of members that is still an anticipated event of our social season. When she is not onstage or dressing those who are, she is behind the scenes serving on the Board of Directors, organizing Front of House, or writing our newsletter, The Wellesley Players Whispers. She has always had the group’s best interest at heart and represents the best of what it is to be a Wellesley Player.