AUBURN – Penny Appleby received the Community Little Theatre President’s Award for her outstanding service to the theater at the September annual meeting.

Appleby has been a member since 1988. She has been active onstage and backstage for all those years. Some of her favorite roles were Golda in “Fiddler on the Roof,” Lady Grace in “Something’s Afoot” and Sister in “Damn Yankees.” She directed “Brigadoon” in 2002.

She is most remembered and valued as CLT’s head costumer for 12 years. During that time, she fostered a “lending” tree of costumes with 15 high school groups and other theaters in the surrounding L/A area.

Always passionate in her love for the theater and costuming, she is most proud of the gigantic effort of costuming for “Alice in Wonderland” where 90 costumes were created, 30 of which Appleby did herself.

Her long hours of volunteerism is a hard act to follow. In receiving the award, she said, “I did the work because I love to do it and I love to help people. That is its own reward.”

She shares her love of theater with her students at Leavitt Area High School in Turner as their performing arts teacher, which includes guitar, chorus and theater. She is certified to teach literacy, choral music and theater grades kindergarten to 12 in the state. Appleby lives with husband, Don, in Turner.