And like her nearly three-decades-long career, that bow was rich and involved the entire community.
A PhD from New York University, the Stevens-Bristow Distinguished Professor is also a published author and playwright with a book, Bringing the Word Alive; an original musical, Pollyanna; and a short play, Bystander Blues, among other works.
She was recently honored at the 30th Annual New Hampshire Excellence in Education Awards with the Dennise Maslakowski Education Award, recognizing her profound impact on improving educational experiences and paralleling the dedication of Dr. Maslakowski, PSU’s late associate vice president.
The annual Patricia Lindberg Excellence in Educational Theatre award was announced at the retirement celebration, with Lindberg herself the first recipient.
One of Lindberg’s many strengths is developing relationships.
While overseeing roughly 100 local stage productions for the varied companies over 29 years, Lindberg nurtured thousands while training community actors from ages 8 to 80. Lindberg created a sense of home for students and alumni and helped family members bond as they took to the stage together. She is credited with being a mom—and a grandmom—to young women who did not have a maternal role model.
Admirers say she is an inspiration, a mentor, a force to be reckoned with, and a source of positivity. One said Lindberg has a superpower to “unite people from all walks of life and make them feel seen, heard and valued.”
She is revered, respected and adored.
Lindberg’s last production was Gypsy: A Musical Fable, performed by ETC at Plymouth’s Flying Monkey Movie House in January. Supporters came to congratulate her and wish her well, including Alex Ray, founder of the Common Man family of restaurants and a sometime actor with ETC, and retired Plymouth State University President Sara Jayne Steen, who flew in to see Gypsy—and Lindberg.
A sampling of the many accolades and narrative applauses Lindberg received included:
“She continues to improve the lives of everyone she meets by helping them to realize their creative, intellectual, and social potential with her loving support and guidance.” — Bonnie ‘13G and Paul Weston, community members
“The warm and loving environment she cultivated on and off the stage is one that is truly unmatched. The skill and dedication it took to maintain that over the years is something to be admired. I will be forever grateful for Trish and her lasting impact on my life.” — Diane Reidy, who worked and performed under Lindberg from the age of 10.
“She exhibits a passion for the arts, a profound understanding of the word ‘community,’ a comprehensive knowledge base, persistence in the face of obstacles, a tireless dedication to the tasks at hand, strong problem-solving skills, an ability to recognize and foster the talents of others and, above all, a loving nature that is felt by those around her.” — Professor Emeritus Ken Heuser
Lindberg’s fans and supporters even created a hardcover book in celebration of her love, passion, and creation of ETC and the years of joy and memories she gave to so many.
Penned by creatives like Lindberg herself, the book is full of narratives, testimonials, and whimsy. It begins with a list of the 29 shows ETC produced between 1995 and 2024 under Lindberg’s guidance, and then year by year replays them through dozens of playbills and photos.
It’s a yearbook focused on the Lindberg legacy.
“We witness our neighbors on stage in their roles. / The ultimate accomplishment for community shows. / How you achieve that is a boggling mystery. / You earned your legacy, your place in history,” reads a poem inside from former Vice President for Student Affairs Dick Hage, whose stage credits include playing Rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof.
President Steen said, “Trish is a brilliant director and educator, and I have loved watching her work…I was proud of ETC and our community.”
“Communities depend on leaders like Trish,” summarized NH Representative Bill Bolton, a former Plymouth selectman, whose son, Will, was involved in ETC, and was himself cast in Lindberg’s Pollyanna. “The love and energy that she puts into each ETC production is treasured.” ■ Janice Beetle
The first show produced by ETC’s new leadership—Fran Page ’05 and Jule Finley ’14G —will be a retrospective that will honor the past three decades of performances overseen by Lindberg. “Our hope is to bring back some folks who performed those roles and celebrate the tradition we’ve had over the past 30 years,” Page says.
Going forward, Page and Finley will be ETC’s co-producing artistic directors. As they imagine and begin to produce the January 2025 ETC performance, Michael Stoddard ’01, ’08G will be taking over the lead with TIGER (Theatre Integrating Guidance, Education and Responsibility).
“I’ve known Trish for 25 years,” says Stoddard. “We traveled the world together doing educational theater projects. I feel very honored that she would trust me with the program.”
Page says, “I’m intimidated and excited to step into Trish’s shoes. The magic of ETC is that every January, we come together for less than three weeks and put on a Broadway-style musical that includes the entire community. My hope is that we can continue to make space for that and connect with our community through the arts.”
A Silver Jubilee was held five years ago celebrated the organization’s twenty-fifth anniversary. Page has been part of it all for 23 years, holding many roles; Ursula in The Little Mermaid and Shrek were his favorites.
Page has been a teaching lecturer at Plymouth State for 11 years. He discovered PSU thanks to Lindberg, who ran the summer “KAT Company” theater company Page performed with in high school.
Lindberg taught him how to produce a show quickly and help performers grow as artists. “Trish is a master connector of people, and that’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my long tenure of being connected to her,” he says.
Jule Finley is a PSU adjunct professor as well and works full time as curriculum coordinator for the SAU 18 school district. She is excited to work with Page and Stoddard, who is expected to lend a hand with ETC while also leading TIGER. “I met Fran during my first ETC show many years ago and have grown to love and respect his talents and his friendship,” she says. “Michael is my very first student who went on to pursue theater, which was over 35 years ago, and we’ve been close and work together every chance we get.”
Finley has started and led many theater groups over the years—in New Hampshire, New York, and Texas—and is honored to be stepping into Lindberg’s shoes.
“I feel like I know what is important to her and have those same values, which will be continued on,” she says. “I just want to be sure to treat ETC with the great respect that it is due. Trish taught me the value of delegation and collaboration. That and to value every person’s contribution, no matter how large or small.”
The PSU adjunct professor has taken on the role of managing artistic director for a company he performed with back in 2006 and 2007, while earning his master’s in theater education from Plymouth State.
“The organization is beloved,” he says, noting that theater itself is an integral teaching tool. “It integrates social values into a music theater show that entertains and educates, and that’s a challenge. A lot of schools depend on TIGER to begin a dialogue about social issues they are tackling, and for kids, it’s their first exposure to watching live theater. That in itself is a tremendous responsibility and asset of the program.” ■ Janice Beetle