DENNIS HOLUB
In Honor of Dennis Holub 1947-2014
written by Janet Brown
I first met Dennis Holub at BHP in the summer of 1971. It was my first summer there. He was directing, acting, and teaching directing and acting. Those were the days when one could get college credit. Dennis was a BHP, USD, and University of Indiana theatre alum. I was a novice theatre major in great need of as much acting and directing training as I could get. As in all things Dennis did, he was funny, kind, gently firm about what was right and wrong and willing to go along with some “interesting” ideas as an instructor. Under his watchful-eye in the Old Theatre, I acted in a production of Gloria Mundi, a serious one-act, that’s an on-going laugh-out- loud for my dear BHP friends to this day and I directed Little Murders. (that’s another story.) We spent three summers 1971-1973 together, which solidified our friendship forever. He directed and acted, and I acted and started my administrative journey in the box office.
Although theatre was Dennis’s first artistic love, he would go on to gain state, regional and national acclaim during his 38 years as education coordinator and executive director of the South Dakota Arts Council. I was fortunate to work closely with him for fourteen of those years as executive director of South Dakotans for the Arts. We were a team…he was diplomatic and careful, and I was pretty much loud and bold. We made a perfect pair in the halls of the Legislature and at our statewide and multi-state conferences with artists and arts groups.
Uniquely understanding that all artforms are beneficial to people living in even the smallest community, Dennis helped to establish many of the local arts councils and local organizations throughout the state. He served on the boards of the directors of Arts Midwest, Minneapolis, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. He was continually asked to chair and serve on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Dennis was an active member of the Black Hills Playhouse Alumni Association board of directors and represented the group on the BHP board. He won the Gary Young Award from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies for exemplary leadership in the field of state arts councils and an Honorary Governor’s Award in the Arts for outstanding service to the state of South Dakota.
For those who knew and loved him, Dennis is remembered for his love of all the arts, from indigenous folk art to opera. He was loved throughout the country in the state arts agency world for his sense of humor, quick wit, leadership qualities and caring manner. All those qualities made him the perfect diplomat for the arts in South Dakota and an endearing friend that is missed by all of us who loved him.
By Janet Brown
BHP- 1971-1977, 1984, 1985
Alan Huisman, Dennis Holub
All the Way Home
West Side Story,
Janet and Lynn Perez
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Janet and Daamen 1971 with Jimmy Haberman in background
