Posted: Thursday, June 5, 2025, 3:25pm

At the End of Season party, long-time volunteer Jeff Kemeter was presented the Richard D. Near Award.

The Near Award is given to individuals who have demonstrated significant dedication and contributions to the success of Curtain Players over several years. The award is not automatically given on an annual basis, but only when it is warranted.

During this year's call for nominations, we received two separate Near nominations for Jeff, in addition to a nomination for him to receive the Volunteer of the Year Award. You can read the nomination letters below.

Congratulations Jeff – well deserved!

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We would like to nominate Jeff Kemeter for the Richard Near Award. Jeff is an unsung hero in the Curtain Players community. He acts in productions, certainly, and that is something we see and appreciate. But his work behind the scenes enables every production to happen, and he doesn’t receive enough thanks and credit for this work.

Jeff’s work begins right when the new season is announced. For decades he has worked to create the logos and graphics for each production, creating an initial design and then working with the directors to tweak it based on their vision. This requires that he have an overall understanding of the show and what it is about, which is an enormous task. These designs set the tone for the production and are a major part of the unveiling of the season each year. Further, they are important marketing pieces that are used all year long. He does this work for free and with typical Jeff enthusiasm and care.

Jeff also creates the programs for every single show. He works with directors and stage managers to collect the information from their staff, no small task – how many of us can look back at the late bios we’ve turned in, or the director’s notes we asked for another extension on, or the frantic emails asking to add just one more name to the program? It is a small thing for us, but it has a huge impact on Jeff and the timing of getting everything done. And yet, despite how many times we have begged for that extension or turned in that bio late, Jeff has never missed an opening with his programs. He is patient with us, gentle but firm about deadlines, and always working to accommodate our artistic process – even when it’s deeply inconvenient for him. The number of times he has put his life on hold to make sure things go smoothly for Curtain cannot be counted.

We would also be remiss if we didn’t mention Jeff’s kindness, his cheerfulness, and the buoyancy he brings to every production he is a part of. Acting is a very visible way of being involved at Curtain, and it has its perks and rewards that come with it – the recognition, the applause, etc. But acting in shows isn’t what makes Jeff so special. It’s the attitude he brings to every production. If you have ever had the pleasure of working with Jeff, you know that he is a bright spot of positivity. We can come to a rehearsal, exhausted and worn down, frustrated and overwhelmed, and there Jeff will be with a smile and a joke, and he will always lift our spirits. He takes the time to get to know you, to ask about you, to check in on you no matter what else is going on. Jeff is what we want all of our volunteers to be, what we wish to be, what we want Curtain to represent – he is unfailingly kind and generous, always there for his community, and brings a level of joy to theatre that is admirable and aspirational. There’s just not enough Jeff in the world. We need more Jeff.

We don’t recognize him enough. We don’t thank him enough. Without Jeff, Curtain Players wouldn’t be what it is. Without Jeff, it wouldn’t be home.

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Jeff Kemeter’s longtime tenure as the Curtain Players graphic designer is notable. His job is one easily taken for granted, yet the programs, logos, posters, and other print and digital material he puts together for our community in theatre is information currency. Necessary for Curtain Players to communicate its mission, advertise its offerings, and to recognize its people. After many years, his work is recognizable and familiar. If the Near Award recognizes an individual’s significant and ongoing commitment to this theatre, then Jeff is a worthy nominee for and recipient of this honor.

As a former president and vice president, I worked with Jeff closely and celebrate his collaborative nature. He does more than what he is told. He explains the process, whys and hows, the process. He questions. He and I had long what-if talks about ideas to better market and to expand efforts to tell the Curtain Players story to internal and external constituencies. Oh, if we had more money, time, and resources!

As a director, I appreciate conversations with Jeff about production logos, how they reflect the tone of an individual production. A genuine collaborator, he is open to others’ suggestions, chiming in with thoughts about font and color, generous to compliment an idea that is not his own. I am grateful for his work in giving my productions identifiers that are not only beautiful standing alone, but that are classic, beautiful, and on brand, reflecting what is on stage.

We many times have seen Jeff on stage. This visibility, combined with a generous support for all projects and people, a willingness to share the joys and concerns about the group, and to carry the Curtain Players spirit among his considerable network of other Central Ohio ‘theatre kids’ is special.

Jeff is a promoter of Curtain Players. His years with the organization have provided him with a place that deserves recognition and respect. If asked to name Curtain Players who are present and accountable, and personable, Jeff is among the few who surely would be among the top of anyone’s list. And for that, I would like to count him on a list of Near Award recipients.