— from Chantelle Hildreth —
Aaimee Johnson and Stormy Hildreth with the Bunny Award
Stormy Hildreth and Aaimee Johnson were co-recipients of the “Bunny” Award which is given to the Orcas Center’s Outstanding Performer of the Year. Stormy and Aaimee co-starred in “The Miracle Worker” with Stormy playing the role of Helen Keller and Aaimee playing the role of Annie Sullivan. Stormy also won the adult “Orcas Has Talent” competition last year and performed in “Across the Universe.” Most recently, Stormy performed in “Enchanted Forest.”
The two were given the award at the Orcas Center Annual Meeting on Sunday, March 6.
The Bunny Award was established by action of the Orcas Center Board on 9 December 1992 for the best performance at the Orcas Theater during the previous year. This annual award commemorates Heath Horton Austin (known as Bunny) who, with her husband, Dr Warren R. Austin, made the major contribution for the theater’s construction. On a cold, snowy December day, they shoveled the first dirt for the construction of the Center. The original Bunny figure was sculpted, cast, copyrighted and financed by Dr. Austin.
Congratulations to these incredibly talented artists. Everyone who saw The Miracle Worker last year was mesmerized as these two “pros” turned Robert Hall’s powerful vision into a thing of beauty. A perfect duo to share the “Bunny”!
Just to be clear:
Traditionally, the Bunny is specifically given to actors or actresses in a scripted play (think Oscar). “Performers” takes in a broader designation and variety, like musicians, singers, jugglers, etc. which the Bunny was not created to acknowledge.
Perhaps, someone will make a huge donation to OC and create an award for the category for “Local Performers of any Variety”. The choices would be immense each year and there would definitely be a bigger voting process involved!