Highlands Little Theatre

P.O. Box 691 Sebring Florida USA 33871 Tel: 863-382-2525

Richard Arabinko - 1990 Zenon Winner
By: Roy Riedy

Richard Arabinko's name first appeared in the August - September, 1986, program of Sue McCollum's comedy Vanities, as a member of her Set Construction Team. It was the last play of the Twelfth Season at Highlands Little Theatre and the first of 35 plays that he would be involved with during his association with the Lakeside Playhouse.

Dick got busier during the Thirteenth Season and worked with every play. He was on the Set Construction Team for Marian Dunham's production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and also a waiter for that November show. In January he waited tables during Barbara Smith's comedy You Can't Taker It With You. In March, he worked on the construction of the set for Frank Oberhausen's reprise of Fiddler on the Roof, and had also worked himself into the Chairmanship of the Waiter and Waitress Staff in the dining room. During the Farnsworth and Cardozo production of The Fantasticks in June, and Jet Hansen's August reprise of The Odd Couple, Dick concerned himself with his Gourmet duties.

The Fourteenth Season opened with Dick working with Karen Clark on Marian Dunham's Lighting Crew for her Zenon winning musical Cabaret. In the June program for Janelou Buck's California Suite it was noted that "a new committee of Diane Arch, Virginia Peck and Grace Sagona, with the kindly loan by Dick Arabinko of his computer, the patrons (members), angels & guardian angels will be listed so the membership rolls are accurate." In the August program for Teri Klix's Damn Yankees, Dick Arabinko was listed as a Lighting Technician and also with the Beverages Staff of the Gourmet Division. At the Third Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony on September 24, 1988, Mr. Arabinko was nominated for a Production/Technical Zenon "for achievement in technical lighting operations, (of) Cabaret and Damn Yankees."

Dick Arabinko was involved with Beverage Section of Gourmet during all five shows of the Fifteenth Season. By the fourth play, Peter Pollard's Sweet Charity, in June, 1989, Dick had been elected Vice President of Highlands Little Theatre and also the Chairman of the Beverages Section of Gourmet, as the season ended.

Throughout the Sixteenth Season, Mr. Arabinko remained Chairman of the Beverages Section of Gourmet and was re-elected Vice President of Highlands Little Theatre for a second term in April, 1990. In November, 1989, Dick was a part of Marian Dunham's Set Design Team for her musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown. In January he was a member of the Set Design group for Peter Pollard's comedy On Golden Pond. At the October, 1990, Fifth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony, Dick and the Set Design group for On Golden Pond won the Best Set Design for the season.

Dick's name was also mentioned in all five programs of the Seventeenth Season. He appeared as the Chairman of the Beverages Section of Gourmet in the program for the season opener, Jet Hansen's Oklahoma! in November and also in Peter Pollard's January program for Steel Magnolias for which he was part of the Set Design Team and also the Set Construction Manager. In the March,1991, program for Frank Oberhausen's The Music Man, "Beverages" had been renamed "Anthony's Lounge" and Richard had acquired a Co-Chairman, Jim McCollum. It was noted in the June program for Tena Conyer's Little Shop of Horrors that Mr. Arabinko was now a member of the Board of Directors of HLT and that Tena Conyer was now the Chairman of Anthony's Lounge, with Margie Pollard as her Co-Chairman. The last program of the season, Walter Zelenenki's The Seven Year Itch, simply lists Mr. Arabinko's name as a member of the Board of Directors. In October, at the Sixth Annual Zenon Awards, Mr. Arabinko was nominated with the Set Design Crew of Peter Pollard's Steel Magnolias for another Best Set Design Award.

Once again, Mr. Arabinko was mentioned in all five programs of the Eighteenth Season as a member of the HLT Board of Directors, to which he was elected to a second term in April, 1992. At the Seventh Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony, Mr. Arabinko and Margie Pollard were the presenters of the Board Service Awards.

In the programs of the Nineteenth Season, Mr. Arabinko's name appeared in the first three programs for that season and then was not seen again until it appeared in the program for Sue McCollum's Godspell in the Twenty-fourth Season, when his name was acknowledged with Bob Orr's for supplying the scaffolding used in that production. His name appeared again in Sue McCollum's April, 2000, program of Bye, Bye, Birdie as a member of Set Construction Team.

Dick Arabinko's name was last seen in the Twenty-seventh Season in Jim McCollum's program for his musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas as a member of his Set Construction Team.

During Richard Arabinko's fifteen seasons with Highlands Little Theatre he was involved with 35 plays, 5 Zenon programs and 1 Christmas Program. He was awarded a Zenon for his contribution to the Set Design of Peter Pollard' On Golden Pond in 1990, nominated for another the following year and mentioned in three other ceremony programs. His name was also mentioned in 35 HLT Newsletters and 6 local news articles for a total of 82 Citations. He was a pioneer in getting the Little Theatre's Box Office computerized and served as the theater's Vice President for two terms and on the Board of Directors for two more. HLT is very grateful to Mr. Arabinko for his generosity in sharing his talents and expertise with its grateful members.