Sandi Taylor, Vickie Echols, and Angela Wright – the founders of ArtsView Children’s Theatre – have been named the 2027 recipients of the Arts!Longview Lifetime Achievement Award for Artistic Excellence.
Taylor, Echols, and Wright will be recognized on Saturday, January 23, 2027, during the fifth annual Arts!Longview Honors celebration. Tickets are on sale now through Arts!Longview.
Arts!Longview Honors is a one-night, Broadway-style event celebrating the Arts!Longview Cultural District and its eight arts and cultural partner organizations, while recognizing the Lifetime Achievement honoree. Past honorees are Pat George Mitchell, founder of Longview Ballet Theatre; Dr. James Snowden, founder of Longview Symphony Orchestra and East Texas Symphonic Band; Barbara Richardson McClellan, who led the efforts to establish Theatre Longview; and the Junior League of Longview, which founded Longview Museum of Fine Arts.
“Since its founding in 2004, ArtsView Children’s Theatre has been a space where generations of young performers have experienced the magic of theatre, discovered their own creativity, and found their voice and their place in the arts community,” Arts!Longview Executive Director Christina Cavazos said. “Over the past 20-plus years, thousands of young people have cultivated a love of the performing arts at ArtsView. That lasting legacy of artistic excellence is a testament to the vision and leadership of Sandi Taylor, Vickie Echols, and Angela Wright, who established this extraordinary organization and helped shape the cultural life of our community.”
Prior to ArtsView’s establishment in 2004, Longview did not have a dedicated children’s theatre. The Junior League of Longview had offered some children’s theatre programming, and the former Longview Community Theatre had hosted a handful of children’s summer camps. Taylor, Echols, and Wright recognized a need and desire in the community for more children’s theatre programming. They worked with Longview Community Theatre in 2002 to conduct a survey, which overwhelmingly showed a need for students to have more opportunities to participate in live theatre.
A board of directors formed in 2003 and, that same year, organized a summer drama camp production of “Annie” in conjunction with Longview Museum of Fine Arts. The camp’s success encouraged the board, and in 2004, ArtsView officially organized as a dedicated nonprofit organization. Its first stage production was “Alice in Wonderland,” which was performed at the Longview Community Center.
“The more children are exposed to theater, the more they want it,” Taylor told the Longview News-Journal in 2004. “There are a lot of activities in East Texas for children who are interested in sports but, up until now, there hasn’t been a lot available for children whose talents are more artistic than athletic.”
Since that time, ArtsView has continued to inspire a love of the performing arts in thousands of young people who have passed through its doors. Today, ArtsView hosts a variety of Main Stage productions, along with numerous camps and classes throughout the year. ArtsView remains dedicated to its mission of changing lives through education, outreach, and the performing arts.
At Arts!Longview Honors, Taylor, Echols, and Wright will be honored for their impact on Longview’s arts community. Tickets to the event are on sale now via Arts!Longview’s website at artslongview.org. Early-bird discounted pricing is $100 per ticket; the price will increase September 20 to $125 per ticket.
Arts!Longview Honors is the signature fundraiser for Arts!Longview, the nonprofit organization that manages the state-designated Cultural District. The Honors celebration features a Broadway-style program with performances by Longview’s performing arts groups, as well as the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Artistic Excellence. The evening also features a reception with hors d’oeuvres and an open bar, live music throughout the evening, and more.
The 2027 Honors event is currently open to sponsorships, which range from $500 to $10,000. For sponsorship details, email Cavazos at director@artslongview.org.
