2013 Governors Arts Awards

Lotte Jacobi Living Treasure
Award Recipient: Marguerite Mathews, Pontine Theatre; Portsmouth, NH

Marguerite Mathews has been a major force in New Hampshire theatre for more than 38 years. A former New Hampshire Artist Laureate (2002 - 2006), Marguerite is a tireless advocate for the arts in New Hampshire. She is co-artistic director, with Greg Gathers, of Pontine Theatre in Portsmouth, which has created more than 50 original works, introducing audiences throughout New England to a distinctive synthesis of mime, puppetry, literation, toy theatre, mask, history and multi-media. Many of Pontine’s original productions celebrate the history and culture of New England. Pontine Theatre tours to numerous small, nontraditional venues, including libraries, museums, schools, civic organizations, town halls and residences for seniors and the disabled, broadening arts engagement opportunities for people in all spheres of life in New Hampshire.

As Ellen Breed, a member of Pontine’s Board of Directors stated in her support letter, “Ms. Mathews is the embodiment of a living treasure…. Marguerite has maintained a standard of excellence for more than 35 years, presenting original theatrical works. Using as a foundation a technique of movement developed by the great French Actor, Etienne Decroux, [Marguerite] has developed a rich portfolio of work that celebrates the essential component and root of dramatic art [and] movement.”

Last updated: April 4, 2023