Annette Evans supported the arts for decades

Imagine the state of the Luzerne County arts scene without the Fine Arts Fiesta and the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. Those staple institutions exist today due, in large part, to the contributions of Annette Evans, the area’s leading supporter of multiple artforms for decades. Evans leveraged her own privilege and artistic background to create a more fleshed-out arts scene for everyone in Luzerne County to enjoy.

Born Marion Annett Evans in 1893, she was the child of the renowned concert pianist and architect Clark Wright Evans. Annette had her father’s artistic ambition, writing and performing in plays at the family’s Wilkes-Barre homestead throughout her formative years. The Evans’ were one of the area’s most respected and elite families, and Annette became well-connected due to her family’s considerable status in Wilkes-Barre’s turn-of-the-century culture. She also happened to be an exceptionally talented artist and a magnetic personality.

Evans attended Bryn Mawr College near Philadelphia and she visited cultural hotspots throughout the city during her college years. With her artistic appreciation deepened, Evans’ output of creative and historical works pertaining to Northeast Pennsylvania reached a new level of efficiency. She became a key contributor to the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society and studied the works of Luzerne County’s original artist, George Catlin.

Evans spent a year traveling the American south and west with a semi-professional acting troupe called the Jitney Players, and eventually returned to Northeast Pennsylvania with additional theatrical insights. With Bernard Burgunder and Dan Davis, Evans founded The Drama League in 1922, which eventually was rebranded and officially recognized as the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre by 1929.

Keeping up with her own artistic goals, Evans wrote, directed and produced many plays to be performed by the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. She co-starred with Daniel J. Flood and J. Harold Flannery, both of whom would become United States congressmen, in a production of “Criminal at Large,” and served as the theater’s executive director for years. Evans was also a board member of the American National Theatre and Academy, a position which brought prestige to the theater she had co-founded.

In addition to her impressive theater career, Evans made extensive connections in the national music community. She persuaded a number of classical and opera artists to perform in Northeast Pennsylvania. Her contributions in the music realm also included her associations with the local Philharmonic Society and the Community Concert Association, which later merged to become the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic.

Evans traveled to cities around the world and experienced fine arts gatherings on a number of occasions. In 1956, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Wilkes-Barre’s formation, Evans established the Fine Arts Fiesta, the premiere event on the Luzerne County arts calendar. Evans saw the Fine Arts Fiesta as a free expression of local creativity that could support all forms of art, and her intentions were met with great success. The Fine Arts Fiesta has since grown to become the oldest full-scale arts festival in Pennsylvania.

Beyond the arts, Evans was long involved in a number of charitable causes concerning issues like women’s rights and the prevention of animal cruelty. Her legendary fundraising skills were invaluable to just about every organization she worked with. In her later years, she helped raise funds for the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts at Wilkes University, and was one of the first women on the school’s Board of Trustees. Before her passing in 1969, she established the Annette Evans Foundation for the Arts & Humanities, which continues to help fund local causes and institutions.

While born into high society, Annette Evans brought the arts to everyone, regardless of their upbringing or connections. The artistic opportunities that were given life thanks to her work are aplenty. Her charitable efforts have improved the lives of many, and her legacy lives on through the arts scene she helped to build. Indeed, it would be impossible to properly tell the story of Luzerne County’s artistic offerings without mentioning the name of Annette Evans.