[VIDEO] Hillside Names Theater In Honor Of Drama Director Wendell Tabb
Durham, NC – Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina has renamed their theater The John H. Gattis – Wendell Tabb Theater and the stage The Wendell Tabb Stage.
NCCU Alumnus Class of 1985 and longtime Drama Director Wendell Tabb received this honor and recognition on Saturday, February 15, 2020, in front of a large crowd of theater supporters and students. Tabb shares the namesake with the late John H. Gattis, fondly known as Mr. “G” by his Hillside students. Gattis was known for his annual presentation of “Mr. G’s Swing School,” which began in 1944 and was considered Durham’s form of “Broadway.”
Tabb, who has led Hillside High School Award-Winning Theatre program for the past 33 years, is recognized for his leadership, service, and dedication to his craft. He is known nationally and internationally in the Theatre World.
Tabb has directed drama workshops nationally and internationally in Havana, Cuba; Beijing, China; Sydney, Australia; Kenya, East Africa; London, England; Osaka, Japan; Lima, Peru; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Gambia, West Africa; St. George’s, Bermuda; Los Angeles, California; Santa Cruz, California; and New York.
Tabb also enjoys a fine reputation for producing young talents who continue to make a name for themselves in Theatre, TV, and Film. One of Tabb students, Kevin Wilson, Jr. was nominated for an Oscar in 2017 for his short film “My Nephew Emmitt”. Also, former student, April Parker Jones plays a single mother and fast food restaurant manager named Natalie on Tyler Perry’s nighttime soap opera “If Loving You Is Wrong”. Other students have landed roles in the Broadway musical The Lion King, The Marvel Comics Live, and a lead dancer for Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Alicia Keys, to name a few.
As Drama Director, he has directed over 100 plays such as “In The Heights”, “West Side Story”, “Fame”, “Dreamgirls”, “The Wiz”, “Bubblin Brown Sugar”, “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters”, “Mama I Want To Sing”, “Hairspray”, “Beauty and the Beast” and Durham’s annual Holiday Production “Black Nativity.”
Tabb has received the NC Regional Theatre Conference Excellence in Directing Award eight consecutive years. He is a past recipient of the C.C. Lipscomb State Best Director Award. He has served as an Arts Administration Fellow for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. and he regularly attends and participates in the Broadway Teacher’s Workshop in New York City, New York.
He has received numerous educational and civic awards including 2018 WRAL Viewer Choice K-12 Educator of the Year Award; 2018 WRAL Salute To Champions Award; 2018 Durham Civil Rights Workers Martin Luther King, Jr. Award; 2017 Honorable Mention for the Tony Award for Excellence In Education; 2017 Congressional Recognition from Congressman G.K. Butterfield; 2016 NAACP Freedom Fund Lifetime Achievement Award; 2016 Sister Cites/ Mayor’s Award for “Promoting International Understanding”’ and The 2014 North Carolina Central University Distinguished Alumnus Award in Theatre.
Other educational and civic awards includes the 2012 City of Durham “Key to the City Award”, 2012 North Carolina Governor’s Certificate of Appreciation Award, 2012 Durham County Commissioner’s Proclamation (“Proclaiming May 19th Wendell Tabb Day in Durham County”), 2011 Triangle Tribune Father of the Year Award, 2008 Hillside High School National Alumni Service Award, 2006 James E. Shepard Sertoma Educator of the Year Award, 2005 Spirit of Hayti Legacy Keeper Award, 2005 Citizen of the Year Award, Durham Public Schools Teacher of the Year, Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year, the National Council of Negro Women Excellence in Teaching Award, ABC-WTVD Jefferson “Educator of the Year” Award; and the Franklin County Arts Council “Black Living Legend Educator” Award.
Tabb is a 1985 graduate of North Carolina Central University. Tabb said Dr. Linda Kerr Norfleet and so many of his teachers at NCCU helped mold him into the person he is today.
“I am able to give so much to my students because so much was given to me. My mother, the late Lucelendia Massenburg Tabb, also taught me to love unconditionally and work hard at my craft. I continue to work hard and love each student regardless of his or her social or economic background. I am a testament that this philosophy has paid off. Having a building that bears my name is surreal and something that I would not have dreamed of. I am indeed honored to receive this recognition”, said Tabb.
Tabb received both his Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Education and his Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from North Carolina Central University. He is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the Alpha Psi Omega Dramatic Arts Fraternity.
Married to the former Duchess Stallings, the couple has one son Emmanuel (NCCU Class of 2018 and a first-year student at Duke University’s Divinity School).
For information on Tabb’s final season, CLICK HERE
Videographer/Editor: Alexius Simrel