Tsawwassen actress and singer Tracy Neff says it was "an incredible honour and surprise" to receive the Mentor of the Arts Award at last week's Tsawwassen Sun Festival.
"I have already received so much support from my community and now I have a physical representation of that," Neff said in an email to the Optimist. "This honour represents years of mentors in this community and elsewhere who have created opportunities for me to grow, taught me what it is to be an artist, crafted my skills, guided my path and encouraged me to follow my dreams."
Neff is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music and while she "would not be the artist that I am today without that opportunity," she notes local teachers and mentors like her grandmother Kathleen Sinclair, Ann Golden Fisher, George Ellenton, Leona Prouse, Sidekick Players, Andrea Andersen and Perry Ehrlich have "given me wings to fly."
She also said she appreciates the support of the community.
"There is nothing better than having people you know in the audience at a show," she said. "Every time I produce a show here or if I'm at the Arts Club, TUTS, The Playhouse, the Firehall, Gateway Theatre, Genesis Theatre, the Chemainus Theatre Festival, etc., I am one of those lucky performers who looks into the audience expecting to see someone that I know."
Neff was nominated for a 2007-2008 Jessie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her work as Amy in the Arts Club Theatre Company's production of Company.
Neff was also cast as Hope Cladwell in The Firehall Arts Centre's 2006 Jessie Award-winning production of Urinetown, a musical satire.
She recently played Olive in a co-production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Neff is an instructor with King's Company, a local theatre arts company, and has also instructed at South Delta Secondary's Film Acting Academy.
She says the arts are alive and well locally.
"This community is rich with talent and vision and I am so excited for the future of the arts in Delta."
