Theatre 605 honored longtime patron and board member Deb Kuehn from Rapid City as its 2026 Philanthropist of the Year at the Black, White, & Red Gala on Oct. 10. The organization also presented its first Corporate Philanthropist of the Year award to BankWest, a partner whose support reaches back to the theatre’s founding as Black Hills Playhouse 81 years ago.
Deb Kuehn, 2026 Philanthropist of the Year
Kuehn, a certified neonatal and family nurse practitioner at Monument Rapid City Hospital, serves on the Theatre 605 board’s finance and gala committees. She grew up with the Black Hills Playhouse. Her father covered it for the Rapid City Journal, and the Sunday matinee musical was a family tradition. Years later, she brought her mother, then in her 90s, out to see plays.
Those who work with her describe a donor who notices what the theatre needs and quietly takes care of it. “Deb is primarily an extraordinary caregiver who sees a need and thinks about how she can fill it,” said Linda Anderson, Executive Director, Theatre 605.
In accepting the award, Kuehn recalled the first time she gave through a matching gift, at the suggestion of Theatre 605’s Development Director Jeff Kingsbury, and the joy she felt as she watched her contribution multiply. She also remembered the summer COVID closed the theatre while preseason costs still had to be paid. She said she gives because the theatre reaches people at every stage, from summer camp to the all-inclusive programs that welcome artists with developmental and physical disabilities.
“I give because I believe storytelling is not a luxury; it is a necessity,” Kuehn said. “And most importantly, I give so that the next generation, regardless of their background, can walk through the doors and see their own stories brought to life.”
BankWest, 2026 Corporate Philanthropist of the Year
BankWest’s ties to the theatre began in the 1940s, when Charles Burke II, father of the bank’s current COO, was working in Custer State Park as a University of South Dakota intern. He came across Camp Lodge, an abandoned Civilian Conservation Corps camp, and it was proposed as a home for the new Black Hills Playhouse. Gov. Sharpe gave his approval.
“Enriching through the arts is enriching culture,” said Robert Burke, Chief Operations Officer, BankWest. “Culture is the glue that keeps us together, and it inspires imagination and creativity which then enriches our community.”
Among the bank’s earliest gifts was the investment in sound and lighting equipment for the theatre’s touring program, then called Dakota Players, which carried productions across the state. BankWest has since supported capital projects and maintenance needs, and it is the exclusive sponsor of Kids Go Free Nights, which give families a way to bring children to live theatre at no cost.
“When I think of BankWest, I think of gratitude,” said Linda Anderson, Executive Director, Theatre 605. “They’ve been there for us through the decades, and we couldn’t be more grateful.”