Fred Allen, beloved Troupe founder, director passes away at 88

Dec. 11—THOMASVILLE- Fred Allen, beloved founder and director of the Thomasville Music & Drama Troupe and longtime music, choral and drama teacher at Thomasville High School, passed away Saturday at the age of 88 after a brief illness, and the news has elicited tributes, social media posts and memories from the countless area young people positively impacted by his time in Thomasville.

Successful singer/songwriter Stephanie Bentley, who worked with Allen from an early age and was a Troupe standout for many years, spoke from her Nashville home about his family's impact on her life and career.

"It's hard to put into words the impact that Fred Allen had on my life. His and Winnie's mentorship and friendship helped to shape me into who I am today," Bentley said. "When I was studying music with Fred, I knew I was in the presence of greatness because there was an unspoken magic about him... and yet I was humbled by the fact that he saw something special in me, which gave me the faith to step into my dreams."

Marlesa Ball Greiner was one of four Miss Georgias from Thomasville whose talents were recognized and developed by Allen in the 1970s and 80s. She had similar praise for her voice teacher and coach.

"Next to family, Fred Allen has had more impact on my life than anyone else. His influence will continue to resonate deep within my soul forever," said Greiner, who tours as a contemporary Christian singer and speaker, teaches music and directs a youth show choir in Dothan, Alabama.

"The life lessons that I learned from him, professionally and personally, will continue to be my standard," she added. "My life is richer for having had his heartfelt guidance from the time I was 11 years old through adulthood."

NaGuanda Miller Nobles was encouraged, coached and mentored by Allen and now enjoys notoriety as an operatic and gospel performer. In recent years, she has passed on the gift to the next generation, creating The High Art Foundation that funds four music scholarships for promising students, including one that honors Fred and Winnie Allen.

"He was a huge part of my life and my journey to where I am now," Nobles said. "I always wanted to find a way to pay homage to him and my other mentors, and that's why I started the foundation. I am beyond honored that I had his blessing."

Steven Clawson, another Troupe standout who has achieved success as a singer, songwriter and country music entertainer, recalled Allen as a mentor who "challenged us to ask more of ourselves, and we did."

"During my Troupe years, I was an awkward kid who dreamed of a career in music. He encouraged me to leap without looking. I guess he knew I would teach myself to fly on the way down," Clawson remembered. "I've lived a fuller life because of the love and mentorship of Fred Allen."

Opera singer and teaching artist Audrey Grieme Johnson said Allen "built my artistic foundation that still stands to this day."

"He taught me that it's not enough to sing a song beautifully — the entire point of singing is to connect with people on a human level through the universal language of music," remembered Johnson, founder of Of Thee I Sing. "That's just one of countless ways Mr. Allen shaped his students' characters as much as their voices."

Noted gospel artist and educator Patrick Lundy, whose Ministers of Music choral ensemble is nationally renowned, said that during his years at Thomasville High and as a Troupe member, "Mr. Allen and his lovely family instilled consistency and excellence, which are two attributes I have carried all these years and shared with my singers."

"The education, experience and expertise Mr. Allen provided will forever be recognized and appreciated. I'm forever grateful our paths crossed," Lundy said.

But beyond the impressive list of Troupe alumni who went on to careers in music, theatre and entertainment, or shared his teachings and lessons in theatre and chorus classrooms, there are many more who simply apply the life skills Allen instilled in them in more ordinary roles.

"For every singer, songwriter and professional entertainer, there are scores of teachers, lawyers, salesmen, architects and nurses who gained confidence and self-discipline and who learned about teamwork in Fred Allen's classrooms and performing ensembles," said former Troupe board president Rick Ivey, who was an early Troupe member and THS one-act play cast member. "Their success in other fields, never having set foot on a stage again after high school, can be traced in many instances back to lessons learned there."

"And I think that's one of the biggest impacts that Mr. Allen had on this community, because Troupe wasn't set aside for those with perfect pitch or with innate acting talent. It was his ability to convince a football player that he could sing a solo in front of an audience of 1,200 people or a cheerleader that she could play a complex role in a Tennessee Williams play," Ivey said. "He and Winnie brought out and developed talents and abilities that the average teenager would never have recognized in themselves; he made us believe we could perform like professionals, he expected excellence and discipline, and he gave us the tools to be successful on stage and, more importantly, in life."

Many of those former students will be among friends and family taking part in a visitation with the family on Tuesday from 5 — 7 p.m. at the home of his daughter, Allison Allen Cheney, on Chukkars Drive.

A native of LaGrange, Georgia, Allen was a child prodigy and musical genius who earned bachelor's degrees in music and German from LaGrange College, master's degrees from Auburn University and the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary (now the Yale University Institute of Sacred Music), a doctorate in adolescent psychology from Columbia University and the Artist's Diploma in vocal performance from the renowned Juilliard School.

Allen returned home to Georgia, landing in Thomasville in 1971 — following a successful tenure in New York's music, theatre and entertainment industry — to take a position as music director and organist for the First United Methodist Church.

With the church's youth choir soon attracting the interest of students from local Baptist, Presbyterian and Catholic congregations, the Allens created and led a group of teenaged entertainers with whom they could share their talents and skills.

Under their tutelage and direction, the Thomasville Music & Drama Troupe grew and soon became recognized for its focus, discipline, professional sound and stage presence, performing not only locally but throughout the Southeast, at Walt Disney World, at New York's Shea Stadium, at the White House for President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter and in England.

In addition to directing the Thomasville Music & Drama Troupe for more than three-and-a-half decades, he created and led the Thomasville High School Showstoppers and, as longtime director of the THS one-act play team, he amassed an unparalleled record of wins at region and state competition and coached many student thespians and musicians to award-winning performances at Georgia High School Association festivals and literary meets.

Allen's life story was chronicled in the 2019 book, "Crescendo," co-written by his grandson, Allen Cheney, and Julie Cantrell.