A birthday surprise that gives to others


Linda Johnston’s husband got her the perfect birthday gift – an award in her name that will help aspiring Theatre students at Acadia University.

Theatre has always been a labor of love for Linda Johnston (’80). As an Acadia student, Johnston majored in  psychology and recreation management, graduating with her BSc and serving as Life President for her class. However, some of her fondest memories are of spending time and energy in  Denton Hall with the theatre crowd, performing in and directing plays. “My parents had hoped I would go into science, but it was just not for me! The stage called my name, and every spare moment I had was spent practicing and performing.” This blossomed into a life-long passion, and over the course of her successful career in not-for-profit management, Johnston continued to be active in local theatre, developing her musical and theatrical talents and encouraging others to do the same.

It was Johnston’s devotion, both to her theatrical craft and to others, which inspired her husband Bill Brydon to commemorate his wife’s 60th birthday with a gift that would do what Johnston has always done: encourage the love of the theatre in others. He did this by establishing the Linda J. Johnston Award in Theatre Performance. The award supports returning students majoring in Theatre who exhibit a passion for the theatre and who intend to continue with studies or a career in performance, directing, or teaching theatre.

Since finding out about the award, Johnston says that she is “beyond over the rainbow with the thoughtfulness of my husband’s gift for my 60th birthday! I can’t describe the joy and excitement I feel for future recipients of this award, as they pursue their theatrical art form. I look forward to meeting those bestowed with the award and seeing their craft in action.”

Giving Johnston the ability to see the difference the gift would make was central to Bill’s decision to create the award. She explains that “it was important to Bill to establish the gift during my lifetime so that I could meet the students and be inspired by them. One must continue to hone one’s craft and never to lose the passion for sharing one’s talents to entertain, inform, and move emotionally every person in the performance space.”

“I am excited to be able to support theatre students as they develop their skills and I know that seeing their passion for theatre will inspire me both in my performance and in my drive to continually improve,” says Johnston.

Johnston had her first opportunity to see the impact her gift had when she met with the inaugural recipient of her award in May. Hailing from Bermuda, Zawditu Maryam has been active in local theatre there since she was a child. She chose Acadia on the recommendation of her former teacher, who encouraged Maryam’s dream of becoming a theatre teacher. As the first person in her family to attend university, Maryam thrived at Acadia, and her professors noted her excellent work habits and eagerness to learn.  

Johnston and Maryam met in Wolfville shortly after each had wrapped up a theatre production. Johnston had recently closed a musical in Halifax in which she was both the director and a lead actor, and Maryam had just finished serving as a crew member for Acadia’s production of A Doll’s House. They swapped Acadia stories of professors, assignments, and late-night rehearsals in Denton. They also discussed balancing the sometimes-extensive time commitment required to be in the theatre with parenting. Both agreed that their shared passion for their craft and the excitement of live theatre provide them with the energy to keep going.

Both Johnston and Maryam agreed that despite generally playing different roles in the theatre, Johnston as an actor/director and Zawditu as a crew member, this thrill that comes from bringing a play to life is the same.

“Every person must know their role inside out, both those on the stage and those behind the scenes. The cast and crew must be prepared not only to perform to the best of their abilities but to react to the unpredictable – that is the nature of live performance,” says Johnston. “When each one knows their part and has put in the work to master their craft, the excitement of a successful performance is the same, whether at the soundboard or centre stage.”

Learn more about the Linda J. Johnston Award in Theatre Performance here.

Creating a named award

Named awards can be created at Acadia University for less than $100 a month, making an incredible impact on our students. To discuss your options, please contact Executive Director of Philanthropy Nancy Handrigan (’92) at 902-585-1042 or nancy.handrigan@acadiau.ca

Written by Amy Robinson ('17)

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