Curtain Players Remembers Mark Peters

Curtain Players has learned one of its longtime respected volunteers, Mark Peters, died December 5.

Mark Peters is recognized at Curtain Players for his leadership in technical theatre. He was a set, lighting, and sound designer and a board operator for dozens of stage productions, including Exit the King in May 2018. That show would be his final lighting design credit.

Mark also served as caretaker and jury-rigger for the theatre's technical instruments at the Harlem Road playhouse, and as a ready teacher and resource for those new to stagecraft.

He also took a turn on the theatre's board.

Mark, with his wife Betty, volunteered as archivists for Curtain Players, preserving the community theatre's 50-plus year legacy. Betty died in July 2017. Also a very active Curtain Player, Betty led the theatre's box office and volunteer programs, and Mark often was present on performance nights as a parking lot attendant.

Mark and Betty Peters were honored in September 2017 with induction into the Ohio Community Theatre Association Hall of Fame. The Peterses in 2015 received The Ohio State University's Phantom of the Theatre Award, recognizing significant and important behind-the-scenes contributions to central Ohio theatre. Curtain Players bestowed upon the couple its own two top honors, The Richard D. Near Award and Volunteer of the Year Award.

In his nomination support letter to OCTA for the Hall of Fame Award, veteran Curtain Player board member/volunteer Doug Browell wrote, "Betty and Mark have been stalwart community theatre supporters over the course of three decades; mainly in service to their home theatre Curtain Players. They have selflessly given of their time, talent, and treasure to the mission of providing our community affordable, accessible, educational, and enjoyable theatre.

"These two are of that rare species in community theatre: people who consistently contribute at a high level of integrity and reliability with no regard for personal recognition. In fact, they have time and again eschewed the limelight ... Mark has focused his substantial technical expertise on ensuring that Curtain Players lighting and sound equipment is the best that the theatre could possibly possess - often making anonymous substantial purchases of equipment."

Mark's obituary

Updated 12/14/2018