2016 LEGACY AWARD RECIPIENT

MR. LYNN MURRAY

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Lynn Murray served educational theatre for more than 50 years, including 33 years as Drama Director for the University Interscholastic League. He continues to serve as a consultant for the UIL. He also served as Associate Professor/Associate Director of Student Teaching in the UT-Austin Department of Drama. The UIL's one-act play program became the largest festival or contest in the world under his tenure. Lynn Murray earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and completed graduate work at the UT- Department of Theatre and Dance and served as President of the Texas Theatre Council, the Texas Educational Theatre Association, and the Secondary School Theatre Association of the American Theatre Association. He also served as the first Executive Director of the Texas Educational Theatre Association. Lynn received the Texas Educational Theatre Association Founders' Award in 1980 and the Secondary School Theatre Association Founders' Award in 1985. Under his direction, the UIL Drama Program received the first annual F. Loren Winship Award for outstanding contribution to educational theatre from the American Association of Theatre in Education in August 1989.

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In addition to his work with University Interscholastic League, he directed the UT-Austin Department of Theatre and Dance Summer Theatre Workshop for Texas high school students and was Associate Director of Student Teaching in Theatre and Dance for 30 years. Prior to UTand UIL, he taught lighting, theatre history, acting and speech at Sam Houston State University where he also directed an annual summer theatre program for youth and was a founding director of the Musical Theatre Program. He directed and designed over fifty plays and musicals and served as UIL regional one-act play contest manager and a state-level judge. Lynn was a charter member of the United States Institute of Theatre Technology-Texas Section.

Biography credit:  UT