Shenandoah Magazine Fall 2013 | Page 46

Lindé Hayen Herman By Terri Ward Shenandoah Conservatory lost a dear friend and an accomplished faculty member in August. The celebrated actor and educator Lindé Hayen (Creekmore) Herman of Strasburg, Va., died on August 12, 2013. Lindé served as director of the Children’s Theatre at Shenandoah Conservatory, and during that time, she created The Showmakers, a traveling troupe of young actors who performed live theatre in the local schools, and she taught a variety of classes in theatre arts. As an actor, a director and a playwright, Lindé enjoyed a varied and illustrious career, working with such notables as Boris Karloff, Paulette Goddard, Farley Granger and Margaret O’Brien. Some of her most significant roles include Lady Macbeth at San Cristóbal in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Lizzie in “The Rainmaker” at Tapia Theatre in San Juan; Grace in “Grace & Glorie” at Totem Pole Playhouse in Fayetteville, Pa.; and Daisy in “Driving Miss Daisy,” also produced at Totem Pole Playhouse. 44 44 (1924-2013) As a member of Wayside Theatre’s resident company in the mid60's, Lindé continued her acting success in numerous community productions of the local Quota and Exchange clubs of Winchester. She also performed with the Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre in popular productions such as “Fiddler on the Roof ” and “Cabaret,” playing opposite her husband, Harold Herman, in both productions. In 1980 she worked beside Jean Stapleton in the national tour of “Daisy Mayme.” As a playwright, Lindé penned “Virginia Folktales,” which was performed at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts; “The Enchanted Attic,” a charming play for young audiences; and the libretto for the operetta “Lizbeth,” performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The Shenandoah community remembers and celebrates Lindé Hayen Herman as a great friend and an inspiration to generations of performers.