John Kron was the theater teacher and director at Littleton High School for fifteen years. He produced plays and musicals for years and brought joy and knowledge to every student who walked through the theater. He has recently been inducted into the Thespian Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame represents outstanding thespians who have given twenty or more years to theatrical education. New members are inducted every year celebrating the impact they’ve had in shaping lives through theater education.
Kron knows most of the people that have been inducted in the past. He has worked closely with many of them.
“I’m delighted to join them in this honor,” said Kron.
Kron ran a very professional and successful theater at all the locations he directed in. Thankfully, that idea still rings true in our school theater, today.
“Students were doing theater and not high school theater.” said his daughter Kristin Chase. The two of them worked together and in the same building for eleven years.
The sentiment Chase speaks of is very true in the way Kron ran the theater. His favorite show of the time he worked in our school was Jesus Christ Superstar. Kron brought confetti cannons, laser machines, and pyrotechnics into the theater to make the show have the effect he wanted. It was one of two shows in his entire career that sold out.
“I wanted to push the whole rockstar metaphor”
Kron was always a lover of the theater. He brought it into his home and had his children grow up surrounded by it. Even going so far as to direct Chase in her 8th grade production of the Wizard of Oz. There are many things that Kron appreciates about producing a show. The biggest one being the variety.
“Different plays every year. Different kids every year.” said Kron.
He enjoyed passing on the experience and the knowledge to as many students as possible. He worked not only with the actors, but he also ran lights and sound and helped construct the sets for every production he created.
His teachings were very student focused. Instrumental music director, Don Emmons, worked with Kron for sixteen years. He said that Kron always focused on having the students learn how to run things. And if he wanted something from the actors, he would do it himself first to show how it’s done.
Emmons said that Kron established a lot of traditions that still remain today, the biggest one being that everything in the theater is completely student run.
“Whenever we talked about theater, his phrase that always came back, ‘it’s all about the students.’” said Emmons.
Kron leaves behind a lot of advice for current thespians. One of the biggest things being that everything is an audition. Bring your best to everything you do. The other piece of advice is directed towards thespians and anything else you’re involved in. Whether it be sports, or school, or a job.
“Never rehearse rehearsal, always rehearse performance.”
Our school is honored to have one of our former lions get inducted into the honorable Thespian Hall of Fame. Congratulations to John Kron for his award.
