SARTA Presents Two Lifetime Achievement Awards

On May 17th, SARTA was honored to present Lisa Moon, Artistic Director of CATS (Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra), and Jeannie Wood, Executive Director of CATS, with Lifetime Achievement Awards. This award was created by the SARTA board in 2011 to honor members of our local theatre community who have gone above and beyond in their careers.

As our Board Director, Leslie Addiego, stated: "These two women, along with many volunteers, actors, and

supporters, created a legacy devoted to enriching the county’s culture and sharing their Asian heritage through the dramatic arts, providing education for people of all ages and, most importantly, lending agency to the Asian-American voice."

Since 1994, CATS has been dedicated to promoting multiculturalism through theatre, events, workshops, and more. Every year, they put on plays with Asian-based themes, and they have arranged cultural activities ranging from international trips to China, Tibet, and Southeast Asia to documentary screenings and courses for children - and so much more. In 2012, they established the Xiao Mao (Little CATS) Culture Club, which provides courses on Mandarin and Asian-themed workshops for the children of Nevada County.

Earlier this year, CATS was honored with a special exhibit entitled A Thousand Cranes – Celebrating 30 years of CATS at the Rood Center in Nevada City. It was presented by Nevada County Arts Council, where Jeannie serves as a board member, in partnership with the County of Nevada through Art in Public Spaces. The exhibition included memorabilia from past shows and an interactive origami station, and CATS partnered with he Nevada County Landmarks Commission to provide historical context and showcase sites throughout the GVNC Cultural District important to telling the Asian-American stories in the community.

As CATS celebrates their 30th year of bringing cultural enrichment, excitement, and wonder to the theatre community and Nevada County, SARTA is overjoyed to present Lisa Moon and Jeannie Wood with these Lifetime Achievement Awards. We hope to continue supporting CATS for years to come!

AMENDMENT: Shortly after writing this post, SARTA received word that Lisa Moon tragically passed away. She was an incredible force in the theatre community and she will be sorely missed. Our hearts go out to her family, her friends, and the team at CATS.