Melissa Hazel Lowe has been volunteering with the Portal Players Dramatic Society since childhood. Last month, she was recognized for her years of dedication when she was named the recipient of the Doreen Anderson Volunteer of the Year award during the society’s annual general meeting.
Lowe started volunteering with the Portal Players Dramatic Society when she was “seven or eight” years old, enrolling in the theatre’s summer camps. Since then, Lowe has had a chance to volunteer with most of the society’s shows.
“I love the community of it,” Lowe explained. “What’s really special is the community and relationships that we build. We’re like a family here.”
Lowe does a little bit of everything—from acting to backstage work—but she says acting and stage managing are the roles she has most fun with. Last season, Lowe was the stage manager for the Portal Players’ The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), which won a few awards at the North Island Zone Drama Festival.
“That was one of my top three overall experiences,” Lowe said. “Everything was so great about it.”
Lowe was presented the award on September 24 by her “best friend in the entire world”—Carrera Schroeder, who was also a winner of the Doreen Anderson award in 2016.
“It’s beyond what I ever expected,” Lowe said.
Portal Players president Brent Ronning has known Lowe for more than a decade and describes her as “a young woman with boundless energy and a passion for what we do in our community.”
“She brings so much energy and dedication to the society,” he said. “It’s been nice to see her grow up and bring all her passion to this organization. You have to attract young people, otherwise this organization wouldn’t be sustainable.”
You can watch Lowe in the Portal Players’ newest production, Little Shop of Horrors, which runs until Nov. 3. Lowe plays Crystal—one of three members of a “Greek chorus” that narrates the show.