The Sandra E. Hardy Theatre Scholarship Fund was established at the University of Maine Foundation in 2014 with gifts from former students of Associate Professor of Theatre Sandra E. Hardy upon her retirement from the University of Maine.
Dr. Hardy served as an Associate Professor at The University of Maine from 1987 – 2014 and is beloved by generations of University students from across all disciplines who came to her theatre classes because of her candor, her discipline, her artistic eye, and most of all, her great care for all who sought it. She was their teacher, mentor and friend.
Dr. Hardy directed more than eighteen main stage productions at UMaine. She took three shows to the regional finals of the American College Theatre Festival, and many of her students have gone on to work in professional theatre, television, and film. Some of her most notable productions include: “Pump Boys and Dinettes”, “Kiss Me Kate”, “The Crackwalker”, “Cabaret”, “Noises Off”, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, “Bent”, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Hedda Gabler”, and “Grease”.
Dr. Hardy conducted workshops in acting and the teaching of acting throughout Maine. She directed children’s dramas, puppet shows, and outreach projects; – as an education specialist, she loved touring the public schools of Maine, doing so with “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and “Broadway Nights”.
Dr. Hardy obtained her Ph.D. from New York University and taught thousands of students in courses on acting, directing, and literature of the theatre as well as Drama in Education. She is a published scholar of Henrik Ibsen, the great Norwegian playwright who reminds her of her own heritage.
If you are interested in making a gift in honor of Dr. Hardy for the Sandra E. Hardy Theatre Scholarship, please visit the Foundation’s Online Giving page.
