If you ask anyone in Fort Worth’s theater community to describe Joe Brown, they’ll give you a number of titles: mentor, teacher, friend and arts advocate.
But most importantly, they’ll tell you he’s “Papa Joe.”
For nearly 50 years, Brown has taught theater at Texas Wesleyan University as well as led and advocated for several area companies, including Jubilee Theatre and Circle Theatre.
Brown’s decades of leadership were recognized with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” during Arts Fort Worth’s Heart of Gold Awards at the east Fort Worth university on Feb. 27.
Joakim Söederbaum, a former collegiate goalkeeper for Texas Wesleyan, met Brown as a student shortly after arriving from Sweden. The professor took the soccer player under his wing and continues to be a parental figure in the 20 years the alum has been in the U.S., he said.
“He has already affected two decades of my life in a very positive way, and that positive influence will continue for the rest of my life,” Söederbaum said at the event. “He is not only ‘Papa Joe’ to me, but he is ‘grandpapa Joe’ to my four boys.”
Arts Fort Worth officials also honored several other Tarrant-area leaders for their contributions, including Shasta Haubrich, Brandi Waller-Pace, Danielle Teagarden, Donya Craddock, Sydney Peel and The Society Inc. Tarrant Pearls Chapter.
The packed university ballroom erupted in cheers as Brown made his way to the stage to accept his award.
Attendees at the Heart of Gold ceremony applaud Joe Brown, left, as he makes his way to the stage to accept his “Lifetime Achievement” award. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)
Brown came to Texas Wesleyan in 1978 after graduate school and held several university titles over the years, including chair of the Department of Theatre, dean of the School of Fine Arts and dean of freshmen.
Receiving the award made Brown feel both “honored and overwhelmed,” he said, since it made him reflect on his time working in local theater.
The recognition comes as he prepares to retire from his full-time role and continue as an adjunct professor at the university.
“The timing was very special to me. It was a great way to go out,” Brown said.
Tim Long, executive director of Circle Theatre, said Brown spent years unifying what often was a “very fragmented field.” The professor brought theaters together and advocated for collaboration instead of competition, he said.
“He understood that when one theater thrives, the entire community benefits,” Long said. “Joe’s career reminds us that theater isn’t just about opening nights. It’s about building infrastructure and teaching the next generation.”
Who were the 2026 Heart of Gold Award recipients?
Trailblazer – Shasta Haubrich was applauded for the 10 years of arts advocacy she has done through her nonprofit Art Tooth, which organizes and promotes shows throughout the city. She has partnered with the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, I.M. Terrell Academy and Near Southside Inc.
Philanthropy – The Society Inc. Tarrant Pearls Chapter was honored for its financial support of young literary, visual and performing artists.
Education – Brandi Waller-Pace was recognized for her leadership at Decolonizing the Music Room, a nonprofit that uplifts the musical tradition of Black, Brown, Indigenous and Asian communities through education and performances.
Arts administrator – Danielle Teagarden was spotlighted for the community programming she oversees as cultural artists supervisor for the city of Bedford.
Artist – Sydney Peel was honored for the creative programs she runs as the resident artist at Cook Children’s Medical Center.
Advocacy – Donya Craddock was recognized for leading reading and community workshops at her independent business, The Dock Bookshop, in east Fort Worth.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
The Fort Worth Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org/2026/03/02/longtime-theater-professor-other-tarrant-area-art-leaders-recognized-for-heart-of-gold/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&quality=80&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>
<img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=431303&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https://fortworthreport.org/2026/03/02/longtime-theater-professor-other-tarrant-area-art-leaders-recognized-for-heart-of-gold/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”//cdn.parsely.com/keys/fortworthreport.org/p.js”></script>