3 named to UF Wall of Fame

FINDLAY — For their contributions to University of Findlay's performing arts community, Colleen Abrams, Cindy Bormuth and Diana Montague, Ph.D., were named to the Curtain Raisers Wall of Fame. The 2026 inductees were recently honored by Mike Anders, Ph.D., emeritus professor of music and producer of UF's Donnell Broadway Concert Series. "From the ticket box office to the music classroom, and from the stage to the business office, all of them participated in theatre and music for many years, making a difference in UF's many productions and impacting our students and our audiences," Anders explained. "Their love for the performing arts has been a gift to us all." In the early 1990s, Abrams joined the Findlay Civic Band and Findlay Civic Jazz Band. UF music professor Jack Taylor approached her after a performance and asked if she would teach clarinet and saxophone. Thirty-two years later, she retired in spring 2025. Along the way, Abrams also performed for the Findlay Light Opera and UF Summerstock, along with Findlay Youth Theater, Fort Findlay Playhouse and musicals at area high schools and universities. Bormuth was working in accounts payable for the business office when she transferred in 2007 to UF's Box Office and Info Center. She stayed in that role until 2015, when the Info Center and Box Office were closed, and became the administrative assistant for the communication department, later taking on responsibilities for the visual and performing arts department. She said she has loved the opportunity to get to know so many Oiler theater patrons. "I knew which ones might forget to call for their tickets, so I would give them a reminder call when it was time," she said. "Some patrons had very specific seats they liked to sit in, so if they didn't call right away, I would hold those seats as long as possible while waiting for them." Bormuth now handles the business side of the department, preparing honorariums, processing expense reports, assisting with scholarships and contracts, and scheduling events. Her favorite duties include working with students and supporting the faculty. Montague, a recently retired professor of media and communication, joined Curtain Raisers in 2005, where she organized hospitality bags for SummerStock actors, prepared meals for tech rehearsals, coordinated ushers and produced the "Curtain Call" newsletter for many years. Her debut acting role came in a UF SummerStock production in Grimm Theatre of "You Can't Take it With You." "I played a drunk who staggered across the stage, sat on the UF football coach's lap, and sang an off-key, made-up song – that role followed me for years," she noted with a laugh. Other fond memories on stage include playing the mayor's wife in "Bye, Bye Birdie," where the choreographer taught the cast how to "faint fall," and playing the roller-skating coach and one of the goddesses in "Xanadu," her favorite musical. UF's Curtain Raisers Society for the Performing Arts started the Wall of Fame 24 years ago to recognize alumni, faculty, staff and other individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the performing arts. "Each year, we honor those who have provided truly exceptional contributions and service to the performing arts programs at the university and those who have continued to make significant contributions in their chosen field, bringing credit and distinction to UF," said Brent Sleasman, chair of the Curtain Raisers advisory board.