Each year we honour an individual in production; technicians, stage managers, educators, heads of wardrobe or electrics or sound: the experts behind the scenes for a body of work exemplifying a career of distinction and accomplishment. We have chosen name this award in honour of Ross Hill.

Ross Hill was born and raised and in Halifax Nova Scotia in 1941, leaving in 1962 to begin a career in the theatre. After a year in Toronto he returned to Halifax where he joined the Neptune Theatre for its first three years of operations.  He worked as crew, actor, ASM and finally Equity Stage Manager.  In the next years he gained invaluable experience stage managing with The Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Stratford Festival and the  National Arts Centre with legendary directors like Michael Langham and John Hirsch. He freelanced as stage manager, production stage manager and technical director across the country,  functioning as the entire production staff  for the smallest houses, or as stage manager in a staff of over a hundred.  In 1971 Ross became production manager at Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre, seeing it grow from a converted Salvation Army Citadel seating 210, to a massive three theatre complex and one of the most respected regional companies in Canada. In the Spring of 1978, coinciding with the departure of Artistic Director John Neville, Ross left the Citadel to take the position of Production Manager for the 1978 Commonwealth Games, Cultural Contingent.

During the final week of this major event, he was asked to develop and Chair a two year diploma program of Theatre Production as part of the Performing and Visual Division of Grant MacEwan Community College.  The program had it's first student intake three weeks later and since its founding Ross’s students have worked locally, nationally and internationally in every technical field. His lifetime of experience in production has been a boon to all of Edmonton’s professional theatres, large and small.

In 1999 Ross Hill retired from theatre and education. He bought a sailboat and went to sea, fulfilling a dream he’d had since his childhood sailing days in Halifax. In 2002 he met and married Betty Mercado in Cartagena, Colombia where he now resides. The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards Committee is proud to celebrate this honour in his name.