The woman who has nurtured two generations of Queensland actors has been recognised for her extraordinary commitment.
Head of QUT's Acting Studio Dianne Eden received the 2013 Alan Edwards Life Time Achievement Award from the Actors' and Entertainers' Benevolent Fund Queensland.
The annual award recognises outstanding contributors to the performing arts in Queensland, above and beyond the call of duty.
Ms Eden said the honour was particularly personal because Alan Edwards mentored her as a young actress in the Queensland Theatre Company.
"This is the first time the award has been given to anyone in academia," Ms Eden said.
"I never imagined that you could have an acting course worth anything unless it had its feet in the profession.
"This award is the target I've been working towards all along.
"It means I actually did what I set out to do - keep myself in the industry, keep the students in the industry, not have the industry thinking 'those actors who come out of university are not real actors'."
Ms Eden was a professional stage and screen actress for 14 years before joining QUT's acting studio, where she has taught literally thousands of young actors and drama teachers.
Aside from the Alan Edwards award, she considers her students to be her greatest career highlight.
"I was very shocked went I went to award presentation because I saw that I had taught just about everyone in the room under 50," she said.
"It was wonderful watching TV the other night. There were four of my graduates on television at once. I had to keep switching channels. They're in everything."
Ms Eden takes her mentoring role very seriously.
As part of the QUT +5 Project, she continues to support her acting students for five years after they graduate, liaising with their agents, alerting them to auditions and connecting them to opportunities and people in the entertainment industry.
Ms Eden has spent much of her academic career building trusted relationships with casting agencies across Australia.
Her insider knowledge on the types of roles they are casting, and her respect for the profession, give her graduating students an edge for their QUT showcases to industry representatives in Brisbane and Sydney.
In fact, Ms Eden attributes much of her success as a mentor to her acting background and industry connections.
"I really understand the needs of an actor," she said.
"Actors are not necessarily expressive, outgoing or confident. The best of them are quite fragile and more introverted.
"I don't think you have to be the best actor in the world to teach acting but you have to understand the sensibility of the artist."
Ms Eden has no plans to retire. She is firmly focused on her next challenge - teaching and developing actors in the digital age.
Students are already being encouraged to embrace technology - QUT is the only university in Australia teaching self-tested auditioning via smartphone to its first year acting students.
An image of Ms Eden is available on flickr.
Media contact: Kate Haggman, QUT Media, 3138 0358 or kate.haggman@qut.edu.au
