Pinky’s Joy
Why We Continue to Support Venice Theatre
Contributed by the Pinkerton Family
“That was the best show I’ve ever seen!” ~Yvonne “Pinky” Pinkerton
As Venice Theatre celebrates its 75th season, the Pinkerton Family is fondly looking back on the decades of memories tied to their family matriarch, Yvonne “Pinky” Pinkerton, who spent a majority of her 92 years acting, directing and creating programs at VT to benefit the community it serves.
On any given week, Pinky could be found rehearsing a show in upstairs classrooms or watching performances in the black box theatre named in her honor or in the mainstage Jervey Theatre—stage right, several rows up, in the velvet-covered seat that bore her name on a small metal sign.
“We used to laugh because she was so overjoyed with every show that she would describe it as the best one she’d ever seen!” said Julie Pinkerton, one of Pinky’s daughters-in-law and a longtime patron and sponsor. “Even in the last few shows that she saw—before she passed in 2020—she would hoot and holler when she saw something she loved. Venice Theatre was just pure and utter joy for her.”
From the boardroom to the stage, Pinky dedicated countless hours to the theatre. “The first education programs/classes were taught by Joan Dillon and Jean Trammell. Pinky later expanded those classes and founded and directed Troupe in a Trunk. She helped with the formation of The Silver Foxes. She convinced the Foxes to be initial partners in starting up Loveland Players. There was an afternoon-only small summer camp in 1996. We expanded to three camps in 1997. Pinky was instrumental in this. The Education Department started in 1999, when we hired Sandy Davisson as full-time director with funding provided by the Venice Foundation…now Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Pinky expanded a fledgling program and gave it legs and professional instruction,” shared former Executive Director Murray Chase. Out of the many programs and endeavors undertaken by Pinky, nothing lit up her soul more than The Loveland Players, now known as “Pinky’s Players” to recognize her vision and efforts.
This annual musical revue began 30 years ago as a partnership between Venice Theatre and the Loveland Center—with the first show in June 1996—to showcase and celebrate the talents of adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Today, most of the program participants come from The Haven in Venice or from the community at large.
“Pinky’s Players is really a reflection of who Pinky was—loving, laughing and full of life,” said Scott Pinkerton, one of Pinky’s three sons and managing partner of FourThought Private Wealth, which is proud to sponsor this year’s show. “She lit up around the performers, and they lit up around her.”
Pinky’s son Brent remembers seeing the very first “Loveland Follies” show in 1996 when Loveland CEO Carl Penxa played guitar and sang with the student actors. In that original playbill, Pinky had reflected back on that first year of rehearsals and wrote, ‘We have learned much from each other, and we have all grown in our understanding of each other’s worlds.’
“From the beginning, our mom saw the potential in every student,” he said. “And it has been remarkable for us to watch the growth they’ve had through all these years. It’s a tribute to what she had envisioned all along. I’ve rarely, if ever, left a show with a dry eye.”
Murray Chase and Pinky, partners in planning the future of the Education and Outreach Department.
Brent said he has seen almost every show, and the joy he still gets from each performance is more than he can put into words. “Through the years, I watched the efforts of my mom and all the volunteers, and now I’m blessed to watch my wife, Stacy, share her passion as a volunteer.”
Stacy said she has enjoyed being a volunteer on and off over the last 20 years because the enthusiasm and joy from the students is contagious, as well as the life lessons that occur during the months of rehearsals.
“All of the volunteers know that we get just as much, if not more, out of this experience than the students, and we are beyond blessed to work with them,” she said. “Every week they show us what it looks like to love and support each other, and to be brave and vulnerable.
“Part of the magic in what we see on stage stems from the way Pinky first helped students feel safe to try new things and express themselves in their own unique way,” Stacy said. “Pinky would be so proud of how far the students have come and how much this community continues to support this partnership.”
The Pinkerton family gives lots of credit and thanks to Director Becky Holahan for keeping Pinky’s vision in the heart of every show and challenging the students to reach their full potential. Pinky thought of Becky as a second “daughter,” they said, and when it came time to retire, she handed over the reins to Becky—who has been directing the program for the past 27 years—with full confidence.
“People who come to see Pinky’s Players always say it’s the best show in town. And we believe it is,” Brent said. “It’s everything my mom believed in: community, creativity and love. And Becky has carried that forward in the productions you see today.”
Pinky’s Players Education Team enjoying aactWorldFest in 2018. L to R – Becky Holahan, Pinky, Sandy Davisson, Kelly Duyn
Pinky felt strongly that the world would be a better place if everyone would respect and appreciate each other’s differences. She loved having her grandchildren come to all the Loveland Follies shows, from a very young age, to help them grow in their understanding that people are more alike than different. She also encouraged her grandchildren to explore their own creative gifts and talents through the theatre.
“Like a lot of kids in the community, they took part in summer camps and classes and performed in some of the children’s productions and main stage shows,” Scott said. “I believe those opportunities gave them greater confidence and set them up to be more successful in their careers, and in life.”
Left: Logan Schultz and Tina Valenca as mother and son in the 2014 VT/Loveland production of A Century of Music (also performed at aactWorldFest that summer). Right: Pinky with Logan after his performance in Honk! 2019. He is just one of hundreds of students that Pinky encouraged and stayed informed of many years after their classes and performances.
In recognition of the educational, cultural, economic and social impact Venice Theatre brings to this community, the Pinkerton family is hopeful that others will join them in supporting the ongoing efforts to rebuild the theatre.
“Our support of Venice Theatre is really about Pinky and her life’s passion for community theatre and education,” Scott said. “She would be the first to say the theatre must go on—and we proudly support it in her honor.”
For more information about FourThought Private Wealth, a proud sponsor of Pinky’s Players, visit www.fourthought.com. To support Pinky’s Players and performers with intellectual or developmental disabilities, visit venicetheatre.org or contact Camille Cline at 941.867.8607 or camille@venicetheatre.net.