North Texas Performing Arts (NTPA) recognized Theatre TCU associate professor Penny Maas as the “Distinguished Collegiate Performing Arts Educator” at the third annual North Texas Performing Arts Stardust Awards. NTPA is a nonprofit organization that strives to help children grow through the performing arts. The company produces theatre throughout multiple cities in North Texas, including Plano, Frisco and Southlake. Maas has over two decades of experience with the performing arts. She lived in New York City for 20 years, performing on Broadway for 10. She starred in the musicals “Damn Yankees” and “Cabaret” and was a part of the original cast of the Tony-award-winning musical “Crazy for You.”

Maas said she enjoys storytelling with theatre, along with informing and educating others through the “rare and interesting art form.” She has taught at TCU for 13 years and said she relishes preparing her students for their professional careers as performers. She said she hopes that through her classes, her students will leave TCU with a better skill set that will benefit them in the “competitive” world of theatre. The former Broadway actor added that she hopes they leave with a “continued love of the craft because it takes love to continue to do it.” Audrey Lee, a senior musical theatre major and a student of Maas, said her favorite memory was in call-back class when she got to cast a musical alongside the professor. “It was really cool to sit behind the table with her,” Lee said. Lee said she enjoyed the experience because casting is a side of theatre that many actors do not usually see. “It was really interesting to hear her thoughts and opinions and see how we lined up and how we differentiated,” Lee said. She added that Maas’ classes have not only taught her time management but also how to make big decisions in the audition room that will help her stand out. Maas was also awarded the Dean’s Award for Teaching at TCU in 2021 and the Live Theater League Award for Service to Theatre TCU earlier this year.