ROCHELLE — The Nickason Theater Scholarships were recently awarded to Rochelle Township High School students Jayme Kopec, Noah LeFevre and Lydia Von Haden.

Two years ago, Donna (Murphy) Nickason of the RTHS Class of 1974 established the scholarship for three students to attend summer theater camps. Nickason created the scholarship in honor of Clinton Clarke, her drama teacher and theater director in her time at RTHS. 

RTHS’s three scholarship recipients attended week-long, sleepover camps, including the Northern Illinois University Theatre Arts Camp, Eastern Illinois University Musical Theatre Camp, and Acting for Classical Theatre Camp at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

“I believe that theater, whether you're behind the stage running lights or sound or performing or just doing the bulletin, increases self confidence,” Nickason said, “It builds as you keep doing it through school. It will help them in their careers no matter what they choose to do. You build it in theater and drama and working with so many people. Our kids need that, because it's been a hard time the last few years. They're our next generation. They're going to be our heroes. I wanted to do it again this year because I still feel the need.”

Nickason is the product of a summer theater camp experience during her high school career at RTHS and wanted to pay it forward with the scholarship. The RTHS Drama Department provided her with a scholarship to a summer program at the University of Georgia in 1972.

“Camps put you out of your comfort zone and take you to a different place where there's a myriad of different people,” Nickason said. “That's how the workplace is. It gets kids used to being out of their comfort zone and there's good training that you remember because it's unusual and different. I was dropped into Georgia when I went at 15 years old and I had never even flown on a plane before. I can remember it just like yesterday. You learn each day to take a step forward and try something new and not be afraid. And you make friends when you're there. It's important for self confidence that helps people whether they go into a career in theater or not. It can help everyone. It was a good experience for me.”

At RTHS, Nickason was active in student council, jesters; was a historian, secretary, in the Thespian (theater) Society, a member of the Spanish Club, and choir. Donna performed in a number of RTHS Theater productions, co-starring with Tony award-winning actress Joan Allen, a close friend and classmate.  

Nickason took her camp and RTHS theater experience and achieved a career in acting. She is known for The Safety of Others (2007), Fat Girls (2006) and Halt and Catch Fire (2014) and has a long list of other credits. Before retirement, she worked for the FAA as a program and management analyst and spent time working for a prosecutor as well.

Since the scholarships started to be awarded, RTHS Theater Director Amy Creuziger has shared videos with Nickason of student recipients thanking her for their opportunity. 

“I'm grateful that I can do it,” Nickason said. “Because I was grateful to be able to do it as a kid. I was the only sophomore to be given that scholarship. I had the responsibility to bring back what I learned and share it with the other kids. I've seen the impact from it my whole life. Being in the law world and then government, it was instrumental for me to have the experience I had in Rochelle and in Georgia. Theater is something everyone can learn from.”

Nickason reflected on her time learning from Clarke at RTHS. When she was in the theatre program, it took a play each year to all the locations of the elementary schools in Rochelle for the kids to see and experience drama at a young age. She also recalled going to numerous speech contests all over the area and seeing a professional play in Chicago. Clarke was instrumental in RTHS’s Thespian Troupe and Jesters Club.

“He was a serious professional, but he'd kid around,” Nickason said. “He wanted people to do well. If you were messing up, he would tell you. He was a person that cared and would make you want to care. He was a very effective teacher.”

Nickason called RTHS “blessed” to have Clarke and many talented and hardworking students in all areas of theater in her time at the school. Her work with the scholarship is in the hopes of giving today’s students the head start she had. 

“Self-confidence is your own work,” Nickason said. “Arrogance and pride is fake. Kids can learn that through theater and drama and be able to just keep going forward wherever they want to go and whatever they want to do. I think it's important to emphasize it because I lived it and I know it works. I want other kids to have that. They need that now. They're our future. I want the kids to have all the help they can get.”