When Anika Hanisch heard that the local art community was planning an open-to-the-public celebration of Ben Tone’s 90th birthday, she offered to contribute to the event in a unique way. Instead of a typical program for the evening’s events, could she craft a biography booklet full of Ben’s recollections and photos? The party coordinator, John Hosking, founder of the Vigilante Theatre Company and long-time friend of Ben Tone, welcomed the idea. Drawing from interviews with Tone, actor Vicki Smith, Hosking and Vigilante co-Founder Rhonda Smith, Hanisch crafted “Stage Presence: How two theatre companies built artistic community and brought live performance to the rural West.” A PDF version of the booklet is available on the Portfolio page.
