Anna Quinlivan Scholarship Fund Will Benefit Other Theater-Loving Students

 

December 9, 2021 By Carol Britton Meyer

Hingham Civic Music Theatre started a scholarship fund recently in memory of former Hingham High School student Anna Quinlivan, who found her home away from home working as part of the backstage crew for HHS Drama Club productions and HCMT plays and had planned to pursue a career in backstage theater.

Anna passed away on July 31, 2020, from cardiac arrest following a run, just three weeks after her 16th birthday. This would have been her senior year at HHS.

A special seat in the auditorium was reserved for the recent HHS production of "Sweet Charity" in her memory, and HHS students have also found other ways to help keep her memory alive.

As examples, the girls volleyball team made a donation to the scholarship fund from money raised from popcorn sales, and proceeds from raffles at the recent holiday fair also benefitted the fund. Anna played volleyball during her freshman year, enjoyed playing clarinet in the HHS band, and was a talented photographer.

She was also active in the Chinese Club, on the student council, participated in volleyball inside and outside of school, and was a member of the Beekeeping Club as well as the track and field team, throwing javelin.

Anna had an interest in theater from the time she and her sister, Lizzie, performed in HCMT's production of "The Wizard of Oz" as munchkins when they were children.

As she got older, Anna realized that what she most enjoyed was behind-the-scenes tech work -- including running the spotlight -- and performed backstage work for both Hingham Middle School and HHS productions. She also ran the spotlight for HCMT's production of "Seussical."

In fact, Anna and two of her closest friends won a Massachusetts Drama Festival award for excellence in lighting in 2020.

Love for Broadway

"Anna had a deep historical knowledge of Broadway and enjoyed attending shows," her mother, Julie, told the Hingham Anchor. "She became a lover of everything-Broadway and treasured her large collection of playbills."

Although Anna was known as a quiet presence among her friends and fellow students, "she was [definitely] a presence," her mother recalls. "The qualities she expressed made her special."

She was "unbelievably empathetic," her father, Mark, remembers. "She always knew when one of her friends was having a bad day and would be thinking about them and how to make them feel better."

Because Anna was emotionally tuned in to the people around her, "she was able to bring [diverse] personalities together," Julie said. "She was the linchpin in keeping various groups connected because she was very accepting of quirks and [different forms of] creativity."

At the same time, no one played a more important role in her life than her sister. "Anna and Lizzie were best friends," her father said. Julie added that "They really were each other's confidantes, and there was never an unkind word exchanged between the two of them.

HCMT started the scholarship fund in recognition of how at home Anna felt backstage and for her many contributions in that role. "Anna found another family there [besides her own]," Julie said. "Certain kids come alive backstage, and she was one of them. Sometimes they don't get the credit they deserve because they aren't the ones in the spotlight, and the scholarship fund is one way to benefit the community she loved and of which she was such a big part."

Inaugural year for scholarship

Because Anna would have graduated in 2022, this is the inaugural year for the scholarship -- which will be awarded to one or more graduating HHS seniors who have also found his or her home in backstage theater and have worked in that capacity for HHS productions.

The week of Nov. 21 was "Spirit Week," with students dressing up for the occasion. Wednesday was "Turquoise Day" to honor Anna, who loved that color. This followed the wearing of turquoise or teal ribbons on the first day of school last September to remember her.

Ella Potter and Laurel Denneen, two of her closest friends, shared their thoughts about Anna.

"She was one of the most special people I’ve ever met. She had the brightest smile, most contagious laugh, and was always cheerful and excited even on the harder days," Laurel recalled. "She was always so kind and thoughtful, whether it be making cards for her friends to remind them how much she loved them or having hour-long FaceTime calls during quarantine to lighten spirits. She was always so supportive, and she always made everyone feel comfortable with being who they are."

The Anna Gabrielle Quinlivan Scholarship is very special, because it honors Anna’s dream of working backstage for a Broadway show, Laurel said. "Her passion for lighting was so remarkable that it encouraged me to become involved in backstage theater, and my hope for this scholarship is that she can continue to inspire others to discover their love of the theater as well."

Keeping Anna's memory alive

It's important to Laurel, Ella, and her other friends "that we continue to keep Anna's memory alive. She had the biggest heart and so much love for everyone, and she had such a gentle and pure spirit that will be remembered forever," Laurel said.

Ella misses her friend every day. "Anna brought positivity wherever she went. She was an active member of the Drama Club, working backstage and in the light booth. Even though she was not the one in the spotlight, she was the one controlling it," Ella said. "Anna was my closest friend. She was always there for me whenever I needed her, always responded to my texts quickly, always answered my FaceTime calls, and always listened. She made me smile whenever I saw her."

Anna was the most passionate person Ella has ever met. "Once she became interested in something, she would put all if her energy into it," she recalled.

One of Ella's favorite memories is of the time when she and Anna went to a Build a Bear workshop with Laurel. "We all made matching bears," she said. "This year, Laurel and I went to Build a Bear again together, in her memory."

Luke Macdonald, president of the Class of 2022, is working with Anna’s friends in order to ensure that her memory is kept alive at HHS. On the day before Thanksgiving, a class tailgate and breakfast was dedicated to Anna. A pep rally was also organized in her name, including speeches by her sister Lizzie and her friends Laurel and Ella, and a moment of silence.

"Our goal is to continue to unite the entire student body around remembering her and to demonstrate appreciation for her life and the effect she had on all of us, while at the same time raising money for the scholarship fund," Luke said. "We hope that by the time we graduate, Anna’s legacy will forever be remembered at the school, as well as by every student."

Brenda Bersani said her daughter, Kaylin, and Anna were like sisters. "I think the funniest part about Anna was that although she was quiet and shy, she really did love the attention," Kaylin said. "Her nature was to enjoy her accomplishments as well as to cheer her friends on about theirs. She was just a happy person, and if she was happy, it was infectious and impossible not to be happy with her."

Bersani watched Anna grow up from the age of four -- "through dance classes, Girl Scouts, volleyball, sleepovers, and pasta with butter!" What she loved best about Anna was her sense of humor. "Some of my best laughs were her comebacks, always quick and right on point! I think of her always. She most definitely has a special place in my heart."

HHS fall musical dedicated to Anna

Ann Marie Schembri, parent-president of the HHS Drama Club, said Anna "was a valued member of the club, where her passion was theatrical lighting. Her presence was especially felt during this year's fall musical, which was dedicated to her memory," she said.

Anna's friends in crew designed the dedication page in the Sweet Charity playbill, showing Anna in a familiar pose behind the lights. The "Seat for Anna" was kept empty during all three performances, and the club will continue to save a special seat at all productions this year.

In addition, Parents for Drama, the booster group for the Drama Club, devoted fundraising efforts during the musical to raising money for the scholarship in Anna's name. "They hope to make this an annual gift," Schembri said.

Looking back, after Anna passed on two summers ago, the family took their usual family trip to Maine for a long weekend in August.

"As we drove into our neighborhood of about 25 houses upon our return, there were beautiful hearts that said 'Anna' on every single house, even houses of people we don't know well," Julie recalled. "There was even one on our house. Our neighbors have been very supportive, including holding an annual neighborhood golf tournament to raise funds for the HCMT scholarship fund." Leanne Turnak and her daughter, Caroline -- now a sophomore at HHS -- crafted the red hearts.

Neighborhood fundraising

Anthony Viola, who along with other Hingham Gardens neighbors -- including Bob Nevins, Mark Turnak, and Campbell Brown and their wives -- explained how the reinstatement of a neighborhood golf tournament during the pandemic two years ago naturally became a fundraiser for the HCMT scholarship fund in her name.

This past fall, in order to serve a wider audience and to create additional revenue for the scholarship, the event morphed into a large block party that included the golf event as well as a cornhole tournament and auction.

"Nearly every neighbor in the subdivision of two dozen homes and many former ones showed up to support the cause or offer a donation," Viola said. Auction items included sitting services, "famous" desserts made by neighbors, a custom charcuterie board, and a weekend at a Cape house.

"The event proved to be a wonderful day full of fun-spirited competition, bouncy castles, great food, and both budding as well as new friendships," Viola said.

While plans have not been finalized for next year, he said the consensus seems to be that the block party will become an annual event, "which would provide the scholarship with a revenue stream for many years to come. There has even been talk of expanding the cornhole event to include a townwide group of people and beyond."

'Spirited and gifted'

Viola remembers Anna as "a delightful, engaging, spirited, and gifted young lady who was taken from those around her at such a tender age. Certainly, her memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew her," he said. "I like to believe that in some mysterious way, Anna has brought our neighborhood closer together."

Anna's spirit also lives on as an organ donor, her mother and father are proud to say. "We've been urging people to remember Anna by talking about organ donation with their families -- to let their thoughts be known if that's their choice," Julie said. "Every organ donor can save up to eight lives."

The Quinlivans' hearts are warmed when they hear from parents of Anna's peers -- even ones they don't know personally -- that Anna played an important part in their child's lives.

For instance, some teens who knew Anna followed her example and registered themselves as organ donors when they got their learner's permits. (Anna had plans to obtain hers before her passing). "Anna's life was short, but she left a very big and wonderful legacy," her mother said.

Donations for the scholarship fund in memory of Anna may be mailed to HCMT, c/o Joel Leonard, 14 Brewster Rd., Hingham, MA 02043 (with a notation that the donation is for the Anna Gabrielle Quinlivan Scholarship Fund).