Recently the Archives of the City of Kingsport acquired two trophies from the Kingsport Theatre Guild that are making the most entertaining and informative addition to the collection. I have posted a guest blog about it on the Archives’ blog.The Johnson Hilliard Cups were created in 1951 to honor the audience choice for best performer for each production in the Kingsport Theatre Guild’s repertoire. A second copper cup was made in 1969 after the first had been completely covered with winners’ names. The cups serve as a wonderful visual representation of Kingsport’s cultural history.
The Johnson Hilliard Cups, 1951-1981.
The blog post pairs close-ups of the trophies with photographs and other memorabilia from the collection.
If you love theater arts and Kingsport history, we hope you will read the entire post and visit the Johnson Hilliard Cups in person. If you have friends or family members with names listed on the cups, you are welcome to bring your camera to the Archives and take a photograph.
Feature image: Actors in the 1980 production of “The Hollow.”
