2009-2010 Members’ Choice Awards

For the past 41 years, local actors have looked forward to South Valley Civic Theatre’s annual Members Choice Awards Show. This year’s event on Sept. 18 drew a standing room crowd to the Morgan
Hill Playhouse and it was spectacular. Throughout the evening the audience was treated to reprisals of scenes from the past season’s shows and shared in the excitement as each award was presented.
For the past 41 years, local actors have looked forward to South Valley Civic Theatre’s annual Members Choice Awards Show. This year’s event on Sept. 18 drew a standing room crowd to the Morgan Hill Playhouse and it was spectacular. Throughout the evening the audience was treated to reprisals of scenes from the past season’s shows and shared in the excitement as each award was presented. There were far too many awards to mention here but I would like to recognize “The King and I” as the best show, and its director, Andrew Cummings, as best director.

Eighth grader Samantha Quijano not only won the best supporting actress youth award for her role as Louis in “The King and I”, but also the Al Bloom Shining Star award for playing five different characters in “Bugsy Malone”. Quijano is in 4H, plays soccer and the trumpet, reads everything in sight, writes and is personable, polite and fun to be around. .Both Cummings and Quijano are role models for today’s youth and proof that involvement in the arts can have a positive influence on young people.

Sharing the award with Cummings for best set design was scenic artist Glynis Crabb.

Born and schooled in England, Crabb began painting quite by accident. She studied Applied Physics in Technical College and became a tech assistant at a government research facility. From there she entered radiography school and became a radiography technologist. She eventually got married, moved to America in 1975, and worked as an X-ray technician at El Camino Hospital. Upon moving to Gilroy in the early ’80s, Crabb discovered Montessori and taught at the Almaden American Montessori School for six years. In 1996, she moved to Hollister and began breeding Welsh ponies and cobs, conditioning horses, and winning medals and ribbons as a rider.

While still in Gilroy, her mother paid a visit from England. Needing to find a way to keep her visitor entertained, she enrolled her mother and son, Iain, in Diane Wallace’s painting class. When her mother’s visit ended, Crabb decided that she would like to try her hand at painting and the rest is history. This emerging artist credits Wallace with persuading her to paint big and teaching her about color.

Recently she joined a life drawing class in San Juan Bautista, which has helped her overcome the intimidation that sometimes stifles creativity. She is happiest with a brush in hand and often paints horses because she loves their movement, and understands body structure and muscles. (She is also a certified massage therapist.)

Crabb paints for the beauty she sees in everyday life. “Life,” she says, “is a gift we take for granted and don’t take time to honor. When I paint I try to honor the beauty that I see around me.” You can view her latest works at the San Benito County Fair.