Conversations of My Mothers

When Micki Panttaja passed away in May 2016, after a long battle with cancer, she left a legacy of creative work that inspired friends and family to set up a University of Idaho endowment in her honor. The Micki Panttaja Playwriting Scholarship Endowment will support the work of an undergraduate or graduate student focused on playwriting at the U of I. You can make a donation online. Type "Micki" into the Designation field to quickly find the fund.

To honor Micki's talent and encourage donations to the endowment, a staged reading of “Conversations of My Mothers,” by Micki Panttaja, was presented on Sept. 16 at the Hartung Theater at a special fundraising event.

Panttaja was an ardent champion of the arts. She was the first Moscow city arts coordinator. She served as the executive director of Festival Dance and Performing Arts. She handled public relations and marketing for U of I Theatre Arts Department and Idaho Repertory Theatre and was the director of media relations for the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. She worked in all aspects of theater production, performance and design and was recognized for her many plays including “Opening Windows,” “Shadowland” and “The Outfit.”

Panttaja’s passion and talent didn’t go unnoticed. She received The Idaho Commission on the Arts Fellowship in Playwriting, The Moscow Arts Commission Mayor’s Award for the Arts and the Jane Chamber’s Award for Playwriting for her script, “Conversations of My Mothers.”

The play explores the dreams and struggles of a Swedish immigrant in the 1890s, and her female descendants. The staged reading was co-hosted by U of I Theatre Arts and friends of Panttaja and featured U of I alumna, faculty and a current student including Aubree Flanery, Kelly Eviston-Quinnett, Jean Lund-Remaley, Rhonda Osborne Dater, Sandy Shephard and Olivia Longin. The reading was directed by Troy Sprenke.

The Micki Panttaja Playwriting Scholarship Endowment has a funding goal of $25,000. Once that goal is obtained, the endowment will support the work of an undergraduate or graduate student focusing on playwriting at the U of I. For more information on the endowment or to make a gift to support it, contact the university of Idaho Foundation at 208-885-4000 or gifts@uidaho.edu.

Thank you for your support!