Theater veterans continue support for IVCC program with scholarship

Three longtime central figures in Illinois Valley Community College’s theater program have invested in the program’s future by establishing a scholarship to assist students who perform onstage or behind-the-scenes.

The Zellmer-Kuester-Brokaw Theatre Scholarship created by Don Grant Zellmer, Dr. David A. Kuester and Chad Brokaw will award up to $1,000 per year to students in performance or technical theater, such as costuming, stage management, or related behind-the-scenes positions.

The trio provided an initial donation of more than $5,000 to fund the scholarship. “We have seen the positive changes in students when they are involved in theater productions, and through this scholarship, we want to continue those positive changes beyond our tenure,” Kuester said in a statement.

Zellmer was the director and choreographer of musical theater at IVCC for 21 years, and has been a professional performer, director and producer across the country. Kuester, a published playwright and a 2022 recipient of the Illinois Theatre Association’s Award for Excellence in College & University Theatre, retired as IVCC’s theater and speech professor after 27 years. Brokaw began taking part in productions as a community member in 2016 and continues to be involved as the College’s theater events and technical coordinator. Zellmer and Brokaw are IVCC alumni.