Jeanne Clemson
Encyclopedia
Jeanne Clemson was an American
artistic director
, theater director, actress, educator and preservationist
. Clemson was considered instrumental in the efforts to save the Fulton Opera House
, located in downtown
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
, from demolition during the 1950s and 1960s. She is also credited with restoring live theater productions to the Fulton.
The Fulton Opera House is now a National Historic Landmark
, designated in 1964.
to parents, Fred L. and Olive Bussard Hershberger. She was raised in Everett, Pennsylvania
.
She received her bachelor's degree
in drama
, with a minor in applied music, from Penn State University. She also obtained her teaching certification from Penn State. Clemson further earned her master's degree
from the School of Speech at Northwestern University
on a scholarship
.
She met her future husband, Charles R. Clemson, during her freshman year at Penn State University. The couple married in 1945. They had two children, Cheryl Jeanne and John Alfred.
in Washington D.C. The family next relocated to Western Pennsylvania
before permanently moving to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
, during the mid-1950s.
Clemson, who was a fan of theater, quickly became involved in the local Lancaster theater community and appeared at the Green Room Theatre, which was affiliated with Franklin and Marshall College. Until Clemson joined, the Green Room Theatre had been a male-only theater school. Local theater companies launched one or two theater productions a year at the time.
In the late 1950s, local activists, including Clemson, began to work for the preservation
of the Fulton Opera House, a Lancaster Victorian structure constructed in 1870. The Fulton Opera House was in danger of demolition
at the time. Clemson and others advocated not just preserving the Fulton Opera House, but also restoring it into a full time theater again.
Efforts to save the Fulton Opera House and stage productions began to pay off. The 1959 production of Our Town
, starring Jeanne Clemson, marked that first time that a live theater production had been staged at the Fulton Opera House in thirty years. In 1964, the Fulton Opera House was added to the list of National Historic Landmark
s and further placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1969. Much of the credit in preserving the opera house went to Clemson. In a 2009 interview with the Intelligencer Journal
, Rob Brock, head of the Lancaster Hole-in-the-Wall Puppet Theatre, noted, "I think there is a very good chance the Fulton would not be here without her involvement."
In 1968, Jeanne Clemson and Emily Pat Hoffman founded the Actors Company of Pennsylvania. The Actors Company grew considerable over the next three decades, further fueling local theater in Lancaster and other parts of Pennsylvania
. The company expanded the local audience for local theater, as well as the pool of actors and other talent. Clemson, who served as the company's artistic director
until 1996, carried out many of the tasks needed for the Actors Company's productions, including local casting
, directing and costume design
. Clemson's establishment of the Actors Company is also credited with laying the foundation for the establishment of other theater companies within Lancaster County
, including the Ephrata Performing Arts Center, Theater of the Seventh Sister and the Independent Eye.
Clemson negotiated and oversaw the merger of the Actors Company of Pennsylvania and the Fulton Theatre Company in 1996. Following the merger, she continued to work with the Fulton Academy, which worked to introduce children to theater and acting
. She remained on the Fulton Opera House's board of directors until her death in 2009.
Additionally, Clemson taught and headed the drama department at Lancaster Country Day School
. She joined the faculty of Lancaster Country Day in 1962, and remained at the school for 29 years, until her retirement from the school in 1991.
on September 12, 2009, at the Homestead Village retirement community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at the age of 87. Her husband, Charles Clemson, died in 2006 after 61 years of marriage.
A memorial service
was held for Clemson on September 27, 2009, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, followed by a reception at the Fulton Opera House, the Lancaster landmark in which she is credited with preserving.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
, theater director, actress, educator and preservationist
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
. Clemson was considered instrumental in the efforts to save the Fulton Opera House
Fulton Opera House
The Fulton Opera House, also known as the Fulton Theatre or simply The Fulton, is a League of Regional Theatres class C regional theater located in historic downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.-Building:...
, located in downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
, from demolition during the 1950s and 1960s. She is also credited with restoring live theater productions to the Fulton.
The Fulton Opera House is now a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
, designated in 1964.
Early life
Clemson was born Jeanne Hershberger in 1922 in Bedford County, PennsylvaniaBedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,762. The county seat is Bedford. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
to parents, Fred L. and Olive Bussard Hershberger. She was raised in Everett, Pennsylvania
Everett, Pennsylvania
Everett is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,905 at the 2000 census.Everett's original name was Bloody Run, after a creek which was the site of a battle between settlers and Native Americans...
.
She received her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, with a minor in applied music, from Penn State University. She also obtained her teaching certification from Penn State. Clemson further earned her master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from the School of Speech at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
on a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
.
She met her future husband, Charles R. Clemson, during her freshman year at Penn State University. The couple married in 1945. They had two children, Cheryl Jeanne and John Alfred.
Career
Clemson began her career by teaching music at the National Cathedral SchoolNational Cathedral School
National Cathedral School is an independent Episcopal private day school for girls located on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C...
in Washington D.C. The family next relocated to Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
before permanently moving to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
, during the mid-1950s.
Clemson, who was a fan of theater, quickly became involved in the local Lancaster theater community and appeared at the Green Room Theatre, which was affiliated with Franklin and Marshall College. Until Clemson joined, the Green Room Theatre had been a male-only theater school. Local theater companies launched one or two theater productions a year at the time.
In the late 1950s, local activists, including Clemson, began to work for the preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
of the Fulton Opera House, a Lancaster Victorian structure constructed in 1870. The Fulton Opera House was in danger of demolition
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
at the time. Clemson and others advocated not just preserving the Fulton Opera House, but also restoring it into a full time theater again.
Efforts to save the Fulton Opera House and stage productions began to pay off. The 1959 production of Our Town
Our Town
Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...
, starring Jeanne Clemson, marked that first time that a live theater production had been staged at the Fulton Opera House in thirty years. In 1964, the Fulton Opera House was added to the list of National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
s and further placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1969. Much of the credit in preserving the opera house went to Clemson. In a 2009 interview with the Intelligencer Journal
Intelligencer Journal
The Intelligencer Journal, known locally as the Intell, is the daily, morning newspaper published by Lancaster Newspapers, Inc in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is the 7th oldest newspaper in the United States and one of the oldest newspapers to be continually published under the same name...
, Rob Brock, head of the Lancaster Hole-in-the-Wall Puppet Theatre, noted, "I think there is a very good chance the Fulton would not be here without her involvement."
In 1968, Jeanne Clemson and Emily Pat Hoffman founded the Actors Company of Pennsylvania. The Actors Company grew considerable over the next three decades, further fueling local theater in Lancaster and other parts of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The company expanded the local audience for local theater, as well as the pool of actors and other talent. Clemson, who served as the company's artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
until 1996, carried out many of the tasks needed for the Actors Company's productions, including local casting
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
, directing and costume design
Costume design
Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
. Clemson's establishment of the Actors Company is also credited with laying the foundation for the establishment of other theater companies within Lancaster County
Lancaster County
Lancaster County is the name of four counties in the United States:* Lancaster County, Nebraska* Lancaster County, Pennsylvania* Lancaster County, South Carolina* Lancaster County, Virginia...
, including the Ephrata Performing Arts Center, Theater of the Seventh Sister and the Independent Eye.
Clemson negotiated and oversaw the merger of the Actors Company of Pennsylvania and the Fulton Theatre Company in 1996. Following the merger, she continued to work with the Fulton Academy, which worked to introduce children to theater and acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
. She remained on the Fulton Opera House's board of directors until her death in 2009.
Additionally, Clemson taught and headed the drama department at Lancaster Country Day School
Lancaster Country Day School
Lancaster Country Day School is a private, secular, coeducational college preparatory school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It serves 530 students in preschool through twelfth grade...
. She joined the faculty of Lancaster Country Day in 1962, and remained at the school for 29 years, until her retirement from the school in 1991.
Death
Jeanne Clemson died from Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
on September 12, 2009, at the Homestead Village retirement community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at the age of 87. Her husband, Charles Clemson, died in 2006 after 61 years of marriage.
A memorial service
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
was held for Clemson on September 27, 2009, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, followed by a reception at the Fulton Opera House, the Lancaster landmark in which she is credited with preserving.