Webster University

02/04/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/04/2026 15:10

Dorothy 'Dottie' Marshall Englis to Receive the Webster Groves Achievement in the Arts Award

Dorothy "Dottie" Marshall Englis to Receive the Webster Groves Achievement in the Arts Award

February 04, 2026

The Webster Groves Arts Commission named Dorothy "Dottie" Marshall Englis as the recipient of the 2025 Achievement in the Arts Award, which honors excellence and significant contributions to the arts in Webster Groves and beyond.

Englis is known for award-winning work with local institutions, including The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep), St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and STAGES St. Louis. In 2022, she retired after four decades of teaching at Webster University in the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts and was appointed Professor Emerita of the Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts.

An award ceremony will be held Monday, Feb. 23, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at the lobby of the Loretto-Hilton Center in Webster Groves. The event, jointly hosted by the Arts Commission and The Rep, will feature a program that highlights Englis' costume design at The Rep, as well as an award presentation and reception.

With acclaimed productions like "Emma," "Sherwood" and "Pride and Prejudice," Englis established a decades-long collaboration with The Rep, designing approximately 100 mainstage, Studio Series and Imaginary Theatre Company shows for the company.

"Over decades of artistry and partnership, Dottie has shaped the visual identity of The Rep. Her designs have elevated our stages with precision, imagination and humanity, while her generosity as a collaborator and educator at the Sargent Conservatory at Webster University has mentored generations of artists who now define our industry," said Danny Williams, managing director of The Rep. "Across the greater St. Louis community, her work and leadership have strengthened our entire arts ecosystem, fostering craftsmanship, curiosity and deep care for character and story that continue to resonate well beyond any single stage."

Englis' work on "Emma" recently earned her an Outstanding Costume Design nomination from the St. Louis Theater Circle. Last year, she received the Theater Circle's Outstanding Costume Design award for St. Louis Shakespeare Festival's production of "As You Like It."

Over the years, she has been the recipient of multiple honors from the St. Louis Theater Circle and the Kevin Kline Awards. In 2023, she received the Catalyst Arts Legend Award from the St. Louis Arts and Education Council.

A Professor Emerita of Design for Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, where she taught for more than 40 years, Englis was recently honored as the namesake of The Dot, the Conservatory's newly renovated performance space at Webster Hall.

"Dottie has had a remarkable career as an exceptional costume designer, educator and arts administrator, and has made a huge impact on the St. Louis theatre scene and beyond," said Janice Seele, Arts Commission chair. "Even with all of these accolades, Dottie is a tremendously modest, giving and dedicated contributor to the community in her personal time, as well as in her professional efforts. Webster Groves has benefitted greatly from her involvement."

The Webster Groves Achievement in the Arts Award, established by the Webster Groves Arts Commission in 2007, recognizes outstanding individuals in the visual, performing and literary arts, as well as exceptional arts educators, and longtime benefactors and supporters of the arts.

Prior award recipients include artist-illustrator Mary Engelbreit, actor Joneal Joplin, Missouri poet laureate David Clewell, cartoonist Tom Engelhardt, sculptor entrepreneur Bob Cassilly and artist Marilynne Bradley.

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