The Sali Lieberman Award

In 2000 the Sali Lieberman Award was created by the Milley Awards Executive Committee to honor lifetime achievements of those individuals who embody Sali Lieberman’s inspiration, courage and determination, and who, like him, have contributed significantly to the cultural life of Mill Valley.

Sali worked as a dresser in Zurich’s theater and film community, left Europe with his wife and children during WWII, came to Hollywood and worked in film production. Moving to Mill Valley with his family, he worked as an upholsterer, became involved in his adopted community, and dreamed of resuming the theatrical life.

In 1996, with Mayor Albert White and 35 others who embraced his vision, Sali founded the Mill Valley Center for Performing Arts (MVCPA) to present quality offerings in films, concert, dance, poetry, and live theater. He was the major force in MVCPA’s survival of a disastrous fire, Prop. 13, inadequate spaces, and ongoing fundraising to stay alive. He recruited others for the Board. When the Buck Trust was established MVCPA received its first grant of $8,000 enabling the theater to hire Sali as its first managing director in 1980.

Sali died in 1982 and Harry Perlis stepped in as acting director. That year the Board decided to expand its mission from an amateur community playhouse to a regional equity theater company, and in 1984 took the name Marin Theatre Company.

The first Sali Lieberman Award was presented by the Milley Awards Executive Committee to the late Jean Maguire Mitchell in 2000 for her outstanding contributions to the community as a cellist of the Marin Arts Quartet, teacher of many student cellists and one of the founding members and first president of the Marin Symphony.