Richard Davis Jr. Captures Ken Gilbert Stage Crew Award

Kenny Gilbert is a well-known local musician. He worked at Huntington High School for many years and was the stage manager for countless shows and events. He retired but has not been forgotten by the drama club program.

The second annual Kenny Gilbert Stage Crew Senior Award was presented to Class of 2025 member Richard R. Davis Jr. Drama club faculty advisor Michael Schwendemann announced the award at the high school’s annual departmental awards and scholarships ceremony in the auditorium before a crowd of 300.

Stage management is one part art and two parts science. It involves set design, sound, lighting, set changes, backgrounds and a million small details. Mr. Davis became a master of it all over the years and really shined as a senior.

Mr. Davis plans to attend Molloy University. The teenager has been described as “kind, enthusiastic, humorous, hardworking and insightful,” by one of his teachers.

“Richard is a natural classroom leader,” wrote one of Mr. Davis’ teachers in a college recommendation. “He arrives daily with a great focus and determination. He is always prepared and goes out of his way to help his peers settle down and pay attention.”

Mr. Davis and his fellow stage crew members took delight in earned a Hunting-Tony Award nomination for Best Stage Crew for a Musical: “Mean Girls.”

Kenneth Harlan Gilbert grew-up in a small upstate town. He earned an undergraduate degree at SUNY Brockport, initially studying physical education before switching to Earth science and finally to music. He obtained a Master’s degree at SUNY Geneseo in music education.

An incredibly talented musician, Mr. Gilbert has a singing voice made of silk. Give him a stool, guitar and microphone and sit back and be entertained. No one is a better performer.

For 15 years, Mr. Gilbert was the stage manager at Huntington High School, working closely with the drama club’s advisor on fall and spring productions. His stage crew repeatedly earned rave reviews. The crew’s set designs and lighting and sound efforts won awards.

Mr. Gilbert wore many hats at Huntington High School over the years, working as a study hall and hallway assistant/teaching assistant. He joined the staff on a full-time basis in September 1984 and he stepped in to cover the classes of absent teachers, supervised in-school suspension, proctored exams and did anything else he was asked to do.