Outstanding Artist in Theater: Individual artists whose work within their field has made a significant impact within the discipline over five years or more.
Francine Parr
Francine Parr (she/her) is a director, playwright, and community builder who believes in the transformative power of theatre to unite people from all walks of life. For the past 10 years, she has dedicated her career to creating spaces where everyone feels seen, valued, and welcomed — a mission embodied in the phrase “come as you are.”
Throughout her career, Francine has produced, written, directed, and performed in more than 45 productions. As the Artistic Director of the Millennial Theatre Project, she leads with a focus on storytelling that reflects community voices, celebrates diversity, and champions accessibility. The Millennial Theatre Project proudly upholds the IDEA mission (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility), and in 2022, the company was honored with the Arts Alive IDEA Leader Award — a recognition that remains one of the most meaningful milestones in her career. To now be recognized as an individual artist carrying forward that mission is something Francine describes as humbling, surreal, and deeply gratifying.
Her favorite directing credits are Hairspray, Hair, Evil Dead the Musical, and Say It Loud, a social justice theatre piece she co-wrote with Akron artist Maya Nicholson. Say It Loud amplifies the voices of local people of color and represents Francine’s belief that theatre can and should reflect the world around us.
At the heart of all her work is community. Francine’s vision is to create theatre where people from all backgrounds feel they belong — onstage, behind the scenes, and in the audience. With gratitude for those who paved the way, Francine continues to craft her own voice and vision. She hopes her journey inspires others to create boldly, lift others up, and trust that their stories deserve to be told.
