(Brian Petty–additional editing by Caitlin Womersley—appeared 3/21 at the Innovative Theatre Awards.)
In 2015 artist, singer, author and philanthropist, Donn Russell received the Founders Award from the Innovative Theatre Foundation. This honor was bestowed in recognition of his 50 years of service to the community. He has dedicated much of his life to discovering some truly exceptional and innovative artists and supporting their work. In addition, he has lived an incredibly bold and adventurous life, which could serve as inspiration for us all.
Russell's art is so prolific and he is such an epic storyteller, that being assigned to write this article was a bit intimidating. Encapsulating a life's work in a few words seemed a daunting mission. However, even the storyteller needs to have his story told, and an interview offered me the perfect way to break into that story.