FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2011

Stacy Maria Dutton, President of Lantern Theater Company's Board of Directors, has been named 2011 Business on Board Member of the Year by the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia. The Council's Business on Board program trains business professionals in effective board governance of arts organizations and matches graduates with local arts and culture boards. Dutton graduated from the program and was matched with Lantern Theater Company in 2005; she has served as president since 2008.

During her five-year tenure on the Lantern's board, Dutton has embraced organizational challenges and helped the Lantern make significant strides in growth and stability. She has sought out new board members to add specific expertise and connections, and worked with staff and board members to increase contributed income and to develop a strong committee structure. In addition to her skilled business acumen and financial support, Stacy has hosted numerous events in her home, assisted with grant applications, and recently picked up a paintbrush to work alongside Lantern staff to update the company's facility.

Accepting her award, Dutton described her Lantern board experience as "one of the most delightful and gratifying experiences in my life." Also a Vice Chairman of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association where she chairs the Investment Committee and serves on the Finance and Audit Committees, Dutton credits her parents with instilling in her a love of the performing arts. "They showed me how the performing arts enrich our lives and how it can become a form of public service. It's really been a primary motivation in my board service."

Dutton closed her acceptance speech by announcing that she will lead a $35,000 Board Challenge in support of the Lantern's end of fiscal year giving campaign. "Coming together as a group is how the Lantern's board has expressed our gift of time, talent, and treasure, and truly what it means to be a board member: listening and responding to the company's needs. This matching gift will help the Lantern raise $70,000 before the fiscal year ends on June 30."

"We are most grateful to have found in Stacy a board president whose leadership, devotion, and endless enthusiasm are so productively and positively beneficial to the company. Her extraordinary generosity in leading this Board Challenge is a tremendous cap to a great 2010/11 season at the Lantern," said Anne Shuff, managing director for the company, citing artistic success and record-breaking ticket sales, including A Skull in Connemara and Uncle Vanya, the 3rd and 4th best-selling shows in the Lantern's 17-year history, respectively. "Donors who participate in this year-end campaign will double the impact of their gift while supporting the Lantern's artistic and education programs, which serve over 16,000 people in the Greater Philadelphia region each year, including more than 2,000 deserving high school children that participate in the Lantern's award-winning education programming."

Lantern Theater Company is committed to an authentic and intimate exploration of the human spirit in its choice of classics, modern, and original works. Each year, the Lantern reaches a loyal and growing audience of over 16,000 with an eclectic range of work, both on and off the stage, through three core programs: Mainstage Productions that are smart, fun, engaging, and connected to the modern world; Lantern Theater Company: In Conversation, which offers an insider's look at each production with creative artists, guest scholars, and special events; and the Barrymore Award-winning Illumination education program, which engages local students and adults in the world of theater and nurtures their artistic expression through in-school residencies, matinee performances for students, and teaching artist training for after school programs.

Philadelphia Weekly named the Lantern "Best Theater Company" in 2008, describing the company's selection of plays as "impressively diverse in genre and style." Since the inception of the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, the Lantern has received 15 awards and 71 nominations, including 8 nominations for Outstanding Overall Production of Play over the past 7 years – more than any other theater company in the Philadelphia region. Founded in 1994 by Charles McMahon and Michael Brophy, the Lantern has been in residence at St. Stephen's Theater at 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia since 1996, managing the performance space and developing it into an affordable multi-purpose performing arts venue.