Beacon to honor PPAC director today

WOONSOCKET – Lynn Singleton, president of the Providence Performing Arts Center, will be honored by Beacon Charter High School for the Arts at the school’s annual awards ceremony and dinner gala, “A Knight to Remember,” at Roger Williams Park Casino in Providence today.

Singleton, who is credited with reviving the financially struggling performing arts center after arriving in 1983, will receive Beacon’s Vanguard of the Arts Award “for his steadfast efforts to embolden theater arts and to ensure the art form continues to thrive in Rhode Island,” Beacon said in a statement.

Other honorees to be recognized during the ceremony are the city of Woonsocket’s Parks and Recreation Division, which will receive the school’s Community Partner Award; Amber V. Martin, a member of Beacon’s Class of 2008, Distinguished Alumnae Award; and illustrator Peter J. Thornton of Providence, Spotlight Artists Award.

A 1978 graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, Thornton has gained wide acclaim as a set designer and illustrator. He worked for the children’s TV show “Allamaze.”

Martin studied theater arts at Beacon before attending college. She holds graduate degrees in anthropology form the University of Kent in the United Kingdom and data analytics from Southern New Hampshire University. She currently works as a public policy analyst for the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council.

“A Knight to Remember” is the main event of “Back to Beacon Weekend,” Beacon’s first-ever homecoming weekend. The event includes an adult reception that is open to the public, with dinner, drinks, and live music by Timeless Band, featuring Beacon alumnus Ja’Mere Pena, a silent auction and raffles to help raise money for Beacon. For tickets timeless Band, featuring Beacon alumnus Ja’Mere Pena, will perform. For tickets, visit www.biddingforgood.com/beacongala/2019 .