The Cloris Awards celebrate nine years as the catalyst for central Iowa in recognizing the united excellence of community-produced theatre. Through its annual Awards Program, the Cloris Awards unite the Des Moines theatre community and enhance the visibility of local theatre companies and production
Des Moines Register
During a visit to her alma mater, Des Moines Roosevelt High School, in 2016, then 90-year-old Cloris Leachman delivered a TeddyTalk, where she was asked why she became an actress.
“It was just something to do for fun, she replied, according to an account on the Des Moines Public Schools website. It still is.”
The reality, however, is that the Academy Award-winning Leachman spent most of her life on a stage of one sort or another, working to develop the talents that would carry her to fame in movies ranging from the madcap Young Frankenstein to the bleakly tragic The Last Picture Show, for which she won her Oscar.