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$1 Million Gift Establishes Roe Green Musical Theater and Porthouse Artistic Directorship at Kent State University
A $1 million gift from Roe Green and the Roe Green Foundation will significantly bolster the arts programs at Kent State University, establishing the Roe Green Musical theatre and Porthouse Artistic directorship. The generous donation will benefit both the School of Theatre and Dance and the renowned Porthouse Theatre, ensuring continued opportunities for students and professional artists alike.
The gift will provide $100,000 in annual funding over the next decade, creating a new program support fund. This fund will be managed collaboratively by the School of Theatre and Dance’s musical theatre coordinator and Porthouse Theatre’s producing artistic director, allowing for flexible allocation of resources where they are most needed.
Specifically, the funding will support a wide range of initiatives, including university and Porthouse productions, the recruitment of talented assistant directors, guest choreographers, and guest artists. It will also facilitate the hosting of valuable master classes and the creation of merit-based scholarships – the Roe Green Scholars program – for deserving students.
“Roe is a remarkable portrayal of what a philanthropist can do to single-handedly change the future of the arts in a community,” stated Kent State President Todd Diacon. “Her gifts to Kent State continue to secure opportunities for students – and professional actors – to perform, study and gain hands-on theater experience. Roe’s vision and her generosity are helping us preserve programs, facilities and scholarships.”
The gift also serves as an honor to School of Theatre and dance Professor Terri Kent, who currently coordinates Kent State’s B.F.A. musical Theatre program and serves as the producing artistic director of Porthouse Theatre.
Green’s commitment to Kent State extends far beyond this latest contribution. Described as the School of Theatre and Dance’s “fairy godmother,” she previously established the Roe Green Visiting Director Series in 2003 with an initial $25,000 gift. This series brought professional guest directors to work with students and direct main stage productions for 15 years, before being secured for future generations through a $2.2 million endowment established in 2018.
In 2006, Green made a transformative $6.5 million gift – the largest capital gift in the university’s history at the time – to fund extensive renovations and expansion of the former Music and Speech building, now known as the Center for the Performing Arts. The renovated facility, which reopened in 2010, is nearly double its original size, with a significant portion dedicated to theater and dance and named the Roe Green Center for the School of Theatre and Dance in her honor.
Further demonstrating her dedication, Green has also supported Porthouse Theatre’s 50th anniversary capital campaign in 2016 and contributed to the Global Education Endowment.In 2023, the Kent State University Board of Trustees recognized Green’s remarkable generosity with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Beyond financial contributions, Green actively engages with the university as an advisor, serving on multiple boards and committees. Her background also includes experience as a stage manager for organizations such as the Singing Angels, Cain park, the
