P.O. Box 691 Sebring Florida USA 33871 Tel: 863-382-2525
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P.O. Box 691 Sebring Florida USA 33871 Tel: 863-382-2525 |
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Andy Conyer - Actor, Cook, Minister, and Good Guy By: Roy Riedy |
Andy became affiliated with Highlands Little Theatre in its Twentieth Season, a busy one for him for he was involved in four of its five presentations. The first was Peter Pollard's January, 1994, production of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple (Female Version) in which Andy played the part of Jesus Contazuela, an Iberian dinner guest. He followed that encouraging debut by playing Stewpot in Frank Oberhausen's April revival of South Pacific. In Tammie Pollard's June production of Lend Me a Tenor, Andy played Max, full of vocal aspirations, and in August he was Marian Dunham's Assistant Director for the musical Meet Me in St. Louis. The outcome of the Ninth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony at the end of the season was a good barometer to how Andy had performed. He received the Best Actor Zenon for his portrayal of Max in Lend Me a Tenor, and the Best Assistant Director Award for his work on the musical Meet Me in St. Louis, two Zenons in ten months is a very auspicious beginning for a first year member.
During HLT's Twenty-first Season, Andy was involved with six shows. He was on the Kitchen Staff of Gourmet during Jim Lanier's musical Gypsy; wrote and presented a Christmas Story, Mildred, in December, on the Lakeside Playhouse stage in conjunction with Unity in the Community, his parish; he returned to his kitchen duties during Peter Pollard's Ain't Misbehavin' in January and Frank Oberhausen's 1776 in March. In June, 1995, Tena Conyer and Andy co-directed the comedy Same Time Next Year, and in August, Andy worked again in the HLT kitchen during Marian Dunham's musical Gigi. At the Tenth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony in October, 1995, Andy had the honor of presenting the Zenon for the Best Actress in a leading role to Beverly Padgett for her outstanding work in the role of Rose in Gypsy.
The Twenty-second Season opened at HLT in November with Andy playing the role of Elliot Garfield in Peter Pollard's musical, The Goodbye Girl. The role nominated him for a Zenon at the Eleventh Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony for a Best Performance Zenon by an Actor in a Leading Role the following October. During the four remaining plays of the season, Andy continued with his duties with the Kitchen Staff of Gourmet.
Andy was one of the Committee Members of the Fifteenth Firstnighter's Gala in October, 1996, and listed on the Kitchen team of Gourmet for the opening show of the Twenty-third Season, Jet Hansen's nostalgic look at the 50's, Forever Plaid, and also for the next two productions at HLT, Melanie Boulay's To Kill a Mockingbird in January, 1997, and Frank Oberhausen's musical, La Cage aux folles, the following April.
His name reappears in HLT's program for October, 1997, as a member of the Set Design with Jim McCollum for Sue McCollum's production of Godspell, and also as the show's Creative Consultant. In October, 1998, Andy and Jim McCollum were nominated for the Best Set Design at the Thirteenth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony.
Andy's name appears as one of the guests at the Seventeenth Firstnighter's Gala in November, 1998, and in December as the Assistant Director of the first Sounds of the Season Christmas Program sponsored as a project by Unity In the Community.
The last time Andy's name appeared in a HLT program was in the program for the 18th Annual First-Nighter Gala held at the Lakeside Playhouse on Friday, November 5th, 1999, as one of the attendees. On December 1, 2002, Highlands Little Theatre held a Groundbreaking Ceremony to commemorate the start of the new rehearsal hall that will soon be a reality as a part of the Lakeside Playhouse Complex. Andy appeared on the commemorative program as giving the Invocation and the Benediction.
In the nine years that Reverend Conyer has been a member of Highlands Little Theatre he has been associated with 19 plays, 2 Christmas presentations, 3 First-Nighter Galas, and 4 Zenon Ceremonies in which he has received two Zenons and been nominated for two others. As a minister he has held memorial services in the theatre for several members who have made their final bows in addition to being an official at the recent Groundbreaking Ceremony. Andy's name has appeared in 19 HLT Newsletter, 45 local news articles for a total of total of 92 Citations. Thank you Andy for sharing your many gifts and talents with HLT.
