AACT awards the Spier Family Foundation
June 18, 2025
SPIER FAMILY FOUNDATION HONORED FOR ITS TRANSFORMATIVE SUPPORT OF MASS ARTS CENTER
MANSFIELD, Mass. ─ The Spier Family Foundation was honored by the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) for its support of community theater, especially for its transformative impact at the Mass Arts Center.
Beverley Lord, regional representative from AACT, presented Greg Spier with the Spotlight Award during a ceremony at the Mass Arts Center on Wednesday, June 18.
Through generous funding from the Spier Family Foundation, the Mass Arts Center has completed major accessibility upgrades, helping ensure that the arts are available to all.
“AACT is thrilled to award the Spotlight Award to the Spier Family Foundation, whose trustees Greg and Kathy Spier have been major supporters of the Mass Arts Center,” Lord said. “Each year, the foundation has donated $5,000 as season sponsors and an additional $5,000 as Gala sponsors. In 2021, the foundation donated $25,000 to MAC … to create an accessible restroom and add access ramps to the Arts Center. Kathy Spier has always said ‘yes’ to helping meet the needs of the Mass Arts Center and to create a more accessible space for patrons, artists, and students. The Spier Family Foundation, founders Alex and Sonia Spier, made it their mission to leave the world a better place. Thank you.”
Lord also presented the Mass Arts Center’s Board of Directors with AACT’s Twink Lynch Organizational Achievement Award, recognizing MAC’s growth and resilience. Executive Director Ken Butler, recognized for his decades of leadership, will travel to Des Moines later this month to receive a Special Recognition Award from AACT.
State Representative Adam Scanlon shared his personal ties to theater and announced that legislators are working on a $50,000 state funding allocation for MAC, secured through the efforts of State Sen. Paul Feeney and the rest of the delegation.
The event included remarks from Artistic Director Dori Bryan-Ployer, Development Director Frank Durant and curators from MAC’s Morini Gallery that highlighted the arts center’s vibrant programming, educational impact, and enduring role as a hub for creativity, inclusion, and human connection.
