Milena Herring passed away on October 4, 2022. In her youth, Milena spent time as an actress on the Town Theatre stage. In her later life, we were honored to have her as one of our stage directors. She will be missed. The first show Milena directed for us was A Christmas Story in 2015. From then she took the reins to bring us You Can’t Take It With You and The Game’s Afoot. She was slated to direct Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville for the 101st season but had to decline as the complications from MS made it too difficult. At that time, we held a special evening to honor Milena’s work and requested donations which we shared with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

As we embark on the musical version of this same show Milena first directed at Town Theatre, we felt it would be fitting to do something to honor her life and her contributions to our theatre community. Her obituary noted that contributions may be sent to Town Theatre. We are so grateful for that designation and wanted to share with you what we plan to do with any gifts sent our way. We will establish a seat in our historic theatre in her name; create a playbill wall plaque commemorating her directorial debut at Town and support efforts to make the theatre more accessible.

From her obituary ~

“But it was her work in the theatre that sustained her throughout her life, and she directed local plays as long as the MS symptoms permitted her to do so. She was all-in on the process: From auditions to the final curtain. There were never any shortcuts. No mercy when it came to forgetting lines or missing a mark. The theatre process was her greatest love – as an actor and a director. And it broke her heart when MS took away her ability to keep pace with its demands. Directing and the theatre didn’t always pay the bills, but it was where she was her best self and the most at home. Milena spent a lifetime entertaining people.”

Want to participate? Visit this link. https://bit.ly/3GhKzyU